Understanding the translation import process

Because localization is an extremely flexible process, your own approach to managing what you import and when you import it really depends on your company's standard processes, the agency, and any potential issues you have to solve along the way.

When you receive translated content from the LSP, you must import it into CCMS Web. The import process matches the filename and language of each translated object to the virtual object of the same name and language in CCMS Web. It is at this point that the virtual object becomes an actual object.

Because the matching process is robust and automatic, you can import content as soon as you receive it from the LSP, in any order.

Structure of zip files received from the LSP

The zip file that you receive from your LSP does not have to follow the same structure as the zip file you sent them. Sometimes LSPs introduce multiple levels of folders within the zip. The LSP might even rename the language folders in the kit. None of this matters. The import process is concerned only with the files themselves, not the folders in which they are found.

The filenames do matter. Filenames for import must always have the following format: abc1234567890987_00001.xml. In other words, the filename, the revision number, and the extension.

If the filename includes anything else, such as a language code, you must delete that extra information.

LSPs often use language code to distinguish files with identical names if they place everything into a single folder. If your LSP does this, ask them if they can separate languages by folder to avoid adding language codes or anything else to the filenames.

If filenames with extra information are unavoidable, there are many free utilities you can use to remove the extra information quickly.

Importing partial translations

In addition, the kit does not have to be complete to be imported. LSPs often send back content as they complete it and you can import this content without issues.

If you are managing the sending and receiving of files manually, you may want to encourage the LSP to send use some indicator in the filename that the kit is partial, such as “part_1”, regardless of the total file count.

Error checking during import

When you import translated content, CCMS Web validates it against the your map and topic DTDs to ensure that the content is structurally valid. This catches inadvertent mistakes to the markup that the LSP might have introduced—for example, a textual element added between the <uicontrol> elements of a <menucascade>. Invalid content is not imported.

Other checks occur as well to ensure that the language code in the translated content matches the language code specified in your configuration. Content with a mismatched language code is not imported.

The language code must match exactly, including case. For example, if your configuration defines "es-es" as the language code for Spanish, imported content must use this same language code—not "es," "es-ES," "es_es", "es_ES" or any other combination.

The results of the import are provided by CCMS Web, including access to an attached log file that can aid the troubleshooting process, identifying all objects that contain errors.

You can then choose to correct the errors yourself and re-import the content or you can notify the LSP of the errors, have them make the corrections, and send you corrected content to import.

Even if you make your own corrections, it's best to notify the LSP anyway so the problems do not re-occur in the next round of translations.