Translate asset properties

The "Translate properties" wizard helps you localize asset properties using translation with memory. 

Prerequisites

The value of an asset property, such as the product name, is stored in different languages. This article describes the requirements for using the wizard and for translating in different contexts.

Introduction

censhare enables you to localize asset properties. This is particularly necessary for properties containing texts that are to be published in different languages. In a PIM system, such properties can be product data and product features. In censhare Web, you can use the Translation with Memory application through a wizard. You can start the wizard from any asset page: Open the Page asset menu and select "Translate properties".

The "Translation with Memory" application needs to be configured in your censhare system before you can use the wizard to translate asset properties. The translation memory stores all previously translated text segments as language pairs. censhare checks whether there are identical or similar segments in memory for new texts to be translated and suggests these as translations. Users can accept segments unchanged or edit segments. censhare saves any newly created or edited translations in the translation memory upon confirmation.

censhare uses the same translation memory to translate both asset contents and asset properties. Separate data storage of the stored segments is not necessary and also not recommended. The more data records (segments) are stored in translation memory, the greater the likelihood that censhare will find and suggest matching segments.

In the "Translate asset properties with memory" application users can also provide a context. This is useful if, for example, several variants of a product name or product feature are used in one language. censhare stores the context, for example, the brand or a production period, in the corresponding segment. The translator can then see that there are two different translations in the same language and that they are not a duplicate but a context-dependent translation.

Requirements for translating asset properties

If you're editing the asset properties in a given widget, you see that the dialog contains both properties with a language attribute as well as properties without a language attribute. Features with a language attribute have a language selection list, displayed at the right next to the text field. Language attributes can be optional or required. You can save asset properties that have an optional language attribute without having to select a language. You can only save properties that have a required language attribute if you select a language.

Before a user can start the "Translate properties" wizard and create a translation, the corresponding asset must have at least one property with a language attribute. If this requirement is not fulfilled, censhare displays the error message "Translation not possible - asset has no source language". 

censhare saves translated properties in the asset itself. To every property that is translated, the language attribute of the target language is automatically assigned. Language attributes are always assigned to the property itself, not to the asset for which this property was created. If you also specify a context in addition to the language, each language in an asset is then be able to have multiple properties. A context can be used, for example, to indicate the variants of a translation, e.g. for a specific brand or region. 

For example, the "Product name" property requires a language attribute so that it will be printed out correctly on a multilingual website. If you create this property in an asset, first select a language. This will be the source language. Now you can save the property, then start the "Translate property" wizard.

You can save properties that have an optional language attribute without having to select a language. However, you won't be able to use "Translate properties" to translate such properties. If an asset contains both properties with required language attributes as well as features with optional language attributes, you always specify a language in these properties as well. Otherwise, it might turn out that the translation memory in the wizard won't start.

Translate asset properties with context

In some cases, it's not enough to just create a property for each language. A context is also required for unambiguous assignment, or translation. In censhare, the context of a property is created as a child property.

Context can be things like a brand or a product edition. This context is then applied to say, the "Name" property of a given component of a product. The following example shows an asset property with a context called "Brand":

censhare saves the context together with the asset property. When you create a translation, censhare also includes the context in the translation. censhare likewise displays translation suggestions from memory with the associated context information. As a result, it can sometimes happen that censhare suggests multiple translations which will differ only in their context information.

When you confirm a translation with a context, censhare creates a new segment in memory even if an identical translation with no context or with a different context already exists. You can remove context information from memory at a later time. 

Working with multiple contexts

Depending on how your system is configured, asset properties may contain multiple context features. For example, an edition may also be specified in addition to a brand. In that case, the example above would then appear as follows:

In this example, the product designation differs both in terms of brand as well as the year of manufacture. This means there are four variants of product designation. All context properties are also each included in the translation.

Start the "Translate asset properties" wizard

Note: When you want to translate inherited features, always start the translation from the parent asset.

The "Translate Asset Features" wizard is called from the asset menu:

Icon	Description
	Icon: "Asset menu"

Select the "Translate asset properties" menu item to start the wizard. Proceed as follows:

1. In the first step "Source and target language", select the languages you want to translate. If you've created only one language attribute for the property of the asset you're working on, the "Source language" field is already been selected. f your asset includes properties with different language attributes or properties which have already been translated, your first step here is to select your source language.

2. Next, go to the "Target language" field and select one of the languages available in the system.

3. Click NEXT.

4. In the second step "Translate", the segment editor and translation memory will start. censhare displays asset properties that exist in the source language as segments.

5. You can use the editor to translate, edit and confirm individual segments. The wizard uses the same settings for automatic translation and confirmation as are used for the translation of asset contents. If you want to adjust the Percentage match values for automatic translation, open the widget menu of the "Segments" widget in translation memory. If a context has been specified for a property, it is displayed in the "Segments" widget for each segment. The context represents important information for the translator.

6. As soon as you confirm a translation for a segment, censhare will also store the context information in the translation memory. As a result, if an identical segment with different context (or no context at all) already exists in the memory, censhare will create another segment with the corresponding context. If you don't want to save this context information, you can remove it from the translation memory. Please refer to the section Removing context from memory" for more information.

7. After you've translated and confirmed all segments, click DONE to save your changes.

8. Repeat these steps if you need to translate asset features from other source languages or into other target languages. Select the appropriate language in step 2 or 4.

Remove context from memory

When you create and confirm a translation with context, censhare also stores the context information in the segment. If you'd like to save a segment without context, you have the option of removing the context from the segment. This can be done directly in the translation wizard for asset properties.

Proceed as follows:

1. Go to the "Translation Memory" widget and place your cursor over the row you want to edit until the action button appears:

   Icon	Description
   	Button: Segment actions

2. Open the menu and select "Edit" to open the segment editing dialog.

3. Click the "Delete" icon in the editing dialog:

   Icon	Description
   	Button: Remove asset

4. Save your segments by clicking "OK".

Remove context in Translation Management

You may also remove context information by going to the "Segments" widget in translation management. For more information, see the associated section in Translating with Memory.

Tips and error search

The following tips should help you in case of errors as you're using the asset properties translation wizard: