How does Lingo manage ongoing content changes

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RickD
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Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:19 pm

How does Lingo manage ongoing content changes

Post by RickD »

Hello

My company is looking at providing localised versions of our documentation for our European markets. I'm looking at how we would do the translations, and am hoping Flare has a solution with Lingo.

There would be an initial full translation, but i am more interested in how the translations would be done after that.

Below is what i want to do

Say I have documentation in English and Italian, in two Flare 12 top nav projects. From our website, users can select English or Italian to get the documentation in the language of their choice.

Over the course of a month i make changes to the English documentation /project. For example changing some wording, adding info to topics, adding new topics and editing snippets.

Then at the end of the month, I want to get those changes made in the Italian version of the documentation. I want Lingo/Flare to know what changed, allow me to export those changes and send the applicable strings to a translator using Lingo.

The translator then translates them from English to Italian, and sends all the strings back. I then take those translations and import them into the Italian Flare project, which updates the required sentences and topics with the translated content .

Can this be done with Flare/Lingo?
Cwestpha
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Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:31 am

Re: How does Lingo manage ongoing content changes

Post by Cwestpha »

Rick,

I have not used Lingo a great deal yet but I can tell you that it does this in two ways:

Firstly there is a compare process that runs when you perform and Update Project action in Lingo. Files with changed content will be updated in the Lingo project. It is important to keep in mind that Lingo projects are maintained in separate directories from Flare, so project updates pull in and overwrite as appropriate.

Secondly, Lingo has a local Translation memory database that it uses to fill in where segments may have been reused or moved but have already been translated. Translation memories can be referenced from multiple Lingo projects. Your localization vendor should also have their own TM but maintaining your own allows you to leverage some of those benefits in house ahead of each project submission.
Uwe Schwenk
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Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2016 12:30 pm

Re: How does Lingo manage ongoing content changes

Post by Uwe Schwenk »

Rick,

I am managing a large Lingo implementation, and I can answer this question for you. Following you will find a step-by-step listing on how to go about it. This was pulled from my policy.
  • 1. Create the English (I assume that is the source language) Flare project and make sure that it compiles without any issues.
    2. Create a backup of the English Project.
    3. Create a Lingo project using the English project and add the language/s needed.
    4. Have the projects translated into the relevant languages. Here you have to be careful which vendor you use, because Lingo is touchy when it comes to translated files. Some tools insert additional codes and that can cause issues. If the vendor also uses lingo, you can use the lingo export option. Otherwise use the xliff option.
    5. Once you get the translations back, import them into lingo. If there are any issues have the vendor fix them and import again.
    6. In Lingo export the translated project to a location of your choice (dont accidentally overwrite your source project - done it myself hence the recommendation to backup the source project)
    7. In the English project, add the languages in the target file with the relevant project.
    8. Compile the project. This will first compile the source language and then the others, meaning time for coffee...
    9 Publish the project.
UPDATES
  • Update 1. Once you have made the necessary changes in the source project, and make sure it compiles without issues.
    Update 2. Open the Lingo Project and select update project. This will read in the files and run the comparion and the status for new and changed files will show.
    Update 3. Export the packages according to what has changed and send to the vendor for translation.
    Update 4. Once you get the translations back, import them into lingo. If there are any issues have the vendor fix them and import again.
    Update 5. In Lingo export the translated project to a location of your choice.
    Update 6. Repeat Step 8 and Step 9 from the previous list.
Thats it in a nutshell and you just need to repeat the update steps. If you have images that are being loalized use the lingo function for localized graphics.

HTH
Uwe Schwenk
L10N Coordinator
RickD
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Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:19 pm

Re: How does Lingo manage ongoing content changes

Post by RickD »

Many thanks, Uwe.

That's a great breakdown and will be very helpful when testing this out for my project.

One thing i am still trying to work out, is text within a topic. Lingo knows what topics (documents) have changed, but it does not know what changed within the topic /snippet etc. For example, say over the course of a month I fix a wording error , add a supported operating system to a list, add a sentence to a topic for clarification, and delete a paragraph that is no longer relevant. Is there a process or tool that people use to identify these changes, pull the text/strings out for translation and then put the translated text back into the appropriate location. I know version control systems know these changes, but i'm keen to hear how Flare users with translated projects manage these kinds of changes.

Thanks again
Rick
Uwe Schwenk
Propeller Head
Posts: 58
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2016 12:30 pm

Re: How does Lingo manage ongoing content changes

Post by Uwe Schwenk »

Rick,

actually it does know what changed within a topic. It does the update on what I would term a granular level aka translation segment level, meaning if you have in a file 10 translation units and only 1 unit has changed, it will leave the translations for the 9 translation units unchanged and leave the new change dunbit empty, unless its already in the translation memory. Using this example, if the translation for the translation unit is already present (was translated in another file) in the translation memory, it will insert it and the file will have the status completed. If the translation is not present, then the status will be in progress and when you export the translation package, the translator will have the whole file, but he/she has only the one unit to translate since the other ones are already inserted.


Hope this makes sense.


Regards,
Uwe Schwenk
L10N Coordinator
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