How to translate offline (use of XLIFF files)

Guidelines

  1. First of all, if you would like to allow the users to translate offline, you need to have an Administrator role in order to enable such an option in Configuration → Settings → Translation → Workflow and access → Linguist general optionsAllow linguists to download/upload.

  1. Create a project in XTM Cloud (using any supported file extension).

  2. Generate the XLIFF file in Project editor → Files Offline translation.

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  1. After you generate the XLIFF file, you can download it by clicking the blue arrow.

  1. A generated XLIFF file can be translated in any text editor or used as a source file in another CAT tool that supports this format.

  2. The finished translation file can be then reuploaded to XTM Cloud. Select in Project editor → Files → Offline translation, using the purple arrow this time.

At this stage, you can specify the workflow step to which you would like to upload your translation and specify what segments are to be approved immediately:

IMPORTANT!

Note that if the file has been translated in another CAT tool, it is important to keep the XLF extension.

If you do not want the project to be translated outside XTM Cloud, you can always use the XLIFF file as a source file for the XTM Cloud project and translate that file in XTM Cloud.


Locking segments based on trans-unit attribute upon offline XLIFF import

Description

When uploading an offline XLIFF file to a project it is possible to have XTM Workbench segments locked, based on a specific attribute with a specific value, that can seamlessly be added within a trans-unit node in the mentioned XLIFF file: xtm:locked="yes", xtm:locked="true", xtm:locked="y".

In this way, the team responsible for offline localization process have full control over which parts of the content ought to be further translated in XTM Cloud, and which should not. In other words, the team are able to indicate which segments have some content that must not be translated or the content that does not need any further correcting, etc.

Instructions

  1. In Project Editor → Files → Offline translation, generate and download an offline XLIFF file, as usual.

  2. Open the downloaded file for editing, preferably in Notepad++.

  3. Find and select segments (trans-units) that you would like to lock in XTM Workbench.

  4. Within the <trans-unit … > element:

  • add the xtm:locked= attribute and one of the following variations of its value: “yes”, “true”, “y”. For example: xtm:locked="yes", to have the segment locked in XTM Workbench.

  • add the xtm:locked= attribute and one of the following variations of its value: “no”, “false”, “n”. For example: xtm:locked="no", to make sure that the segment is not locked in XTM Workbench.

Keep in mind that in order for the segment not to be locked in XTM Workbench, you might as well not have to add any attribute for it.

  1. Save the changed file.

  2. Upload the file back to the project in XTM Cloud, in Project Editor → Files → Offline translation, and select a relevant workflow step (as shown above in the Guidelines section).

  3. Open up XTM Workbench for this workflow step (you can do so as the linguist assigned to this step).

  4. You should see relevant segments locked.

  • Each XTM Workbench user, in the Edit mode, can unlock a segment for editing only if they have permissions to do so [Users → (select a user) → Edit user → Access rights → Segment locking rights → Lock and unlock OR Unlock only].

  • The user identity that appears in the message is taken from the XTM Cloud global configuration, in Configuration Settings Security Privacy.


Good to know!

To learn about certain restrictions and good practices when dealing with offline translations, we recommend that you read the following article: Restrictions and good practices when dealing with XLIFF and multi-XLIFF files in offline translation.