A Drupal translation connector makes it easier to request, receive and manage translated content on one of the most popular content management systems (CMS). Although Drupal can’t compete with WordPress for market share, it is a more robust option for managing multilingual websites.
Drupal’s translation management functionality (TMGMT) provides website owners with the ability to seamlessly integrate translation services and content into their multilingual websites. Expanding on this technology, some language agencies (including ourselves), have built a Drupal translation connector to make this process even more efficient.
What is a Drupal translation connector?
A Drupal translation connector integrates seamlessly with Drupal’s translation management functionality. Essentially, this helps connect a translation process that happens via a translation management system with a Drupal website, allowing for the exchange of information and content.
For those who use Drupal, this, in practice, means benefiting from the ability of sending translation requests to their language service provider directly from the backend of the CMS – and automatically receiving the translated content back once it’s ready.
Marketing professionals and companies that use Drupal and who require a regular supply of translated content via the open source CMS, would benefit from a translation connector, which is an ideal solution for the request and receipt of content without the exchange of endless e-mail requests with attached files and back-and-forth correspondence. The connector is all about simply sending content for translation via Drupal and receiving the final version(s) on a specified or agreed date.
How does a Drupal translation connector work?
While the general operation of all Drupal translation connectors is the same, the specific functionality can vary from one developer to the next. At translate plus, we have developed our own Drupal translation module to accommodate requests that relate to the more efficient management of content translations via this CMS.
To receive translated content, Drupal users simply need to follow these steps:
#1: Request a translation
Once ensuring that TMGMT is installed on your Drupal site and integrated with a Drupal translation connector, you can start requesting translations in the backend of the CMS.
Simply click on the Translate tab on any page you want to send for translation and follow the prompt instructions.
#2: Set your deadline
For translation requests, you will be asked to specify a deadline for the page you are sending over to us. Alternatively, if there is already an agreement in place with us for a certain amount of content and you simply want to send the selected amount of pages you want to translate, you can send them for immediate translation without request.
You can also send multiple pieces at once by clicking Add to cart, allowing you to build up a translation order of multiple pages.
#3: Add any specific requirements (optional)
Before sending a translation request, you also have the option of including any specific requirements or instructions for you order. This could include editorial notes for the page in question, labelling the page as high-priority or anything else you need to our translators to be aware of.
#4: Submit your request
Completing your submission shouldn’t take more than a few seconds and once you have provided all the required information, you can click the submit button. This automatically sends the request to our system and your order will be picked up by your designated translator – or a team of selected linguists and reviewers.
#5: Your content is translated
Once your request is received, it will be assigned to the relevant translator and added to their schedule. You can track the progress of your translation from within the Drupal TMGMT interface with the following default statuses:
- Unprocessed
- Active
- Finished
In most cases, your content will be fully translated without any interaction with our team but someone may contact you if any specific requirements need addressing.
#6: Your content is published
Once the translations are complete, you can collect them from inside Drupal and publish or schedule them to go live within a matter of clicks. Alternatively, you can set up automatic schedules so that translated pages are automatically published without manual input from your team.
Reducing the manual workload of translation management
Drupal’s TMGMT implements a system into the CMS that facilitates an on-demand translation process. By adding a Drupal translation connector into the mix, you can automate the most important tasks at both ends of this process – the client side (within Drupal) and the agency side.
This reduces the manual workload of translation management significantly, allowing you and your colleagues to request translation within a few clicks and keep track of progress from within Drupal.
If Drupal is not your preferred content management system (CMS) and you use a different CMS or PIM, you can replicate a similar translation management process within those platforms with our language tech solutions.
Without this kind of setup, you would otherwise have to request each individual translation task, wait for responses and manually handle the files you get back. Aside from low productivity levels, manually publishing translated files can be risky, especially if there is a lot of copy-and-pasting involved with no language expertise to check that everything is copied and formatted as it should be.
The key benefit of using Drupal’s TMGMT with an integrated connector is that you can automate and manage your existing translation process from the same interface you use to manage your website.
If you are planning to build a multilingual website, Drupal combined with a translation connector, is a highly recommended all-in-one solution approach for integrating translation with content management. The CMS itself is the best overall option for managing multilingual websites and its functionality is enhanced even further with a Drupal translation connector, which allows you to request and receive translated content from your language service partner – without the convoluted email exchanges, file attachments and copy-pasting.
If you’d like to find out more about our own Drupal translation connector, get in touch with one of our team members today.