LINGOTEK EBOOK 2018

How the connector integrates--its features, functions & capabilities-- is the key differentiator between translation technology providers.

All translation connectors are not created equal. When exploring the multilingual plugins offered by the Language Services Provider (LSP) for your content management system, remember that it is not only about the platforms it supports, but how well it will integrate with your system.

There are several connectors in the marketplace that can help integrate translation with your existing enterprise applications, but finding the best one can be difficult if you aren’t familiar with the features and functions that are available.

To find the best fit for your organization, you need to know what to look for.

This buyer’s guide reviews what connectors are, why you should use them, and the benefits of a tool that is quite simply, the future of translation. It will highlight the most important functions of connectors and the range of capabilities to help you make an informed decision on an integration that will automate and simplify translation now and well into the future.

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Table of Contents

Connectors 101 3

Apps Supported 4

How Do Connectors Work? 5

Connector Benefits 5

Key Features & Functions 8 Robust Application Interface (API) 8 CMS Integration 9 Multilingual Readiness 9 Cost of Ownership 9 Feature Comparison Table 10 ​ How to Buy Connectors 11 Connector Certification & App Exchanges 11

Conclusion 11

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Translation connectors are the linchpin of interoperability between multiple marketing tools, translation and localization, and an agile globalization strategy.

Connectors 101 Translation connectors are the link between your content’s native environment and a translation management system (TMS). They are sometimes referred to as translation plugins or integrations. Connectors offer out-of-the-box integration with all of the most popular web applications: CRM, CMS, eCommerce platforms, knowledge bases, product and support documentation, social business software, marketing automation suites, desktop files, and even software. The connector provides access to a TMS to continuously translate and publish multilingual content back into your applications in a single, uninterrupted workflow. As a result, translations are accelerated and the localization of global content becomes faster and more streamlined.

Differing levels of integration Connectors provide the link between two integrations, but it’s how they integrate that is a key differentiator. Some connectors are more deeply integrated, like those available for Drupal and WordPress, and actually become part of the UI of the platform when installed.

® Some apps, like Marketo ,​ don’t allow UI integration, so they won’t be as deeply integrated, but it should ​ keep the user as close to that platform’s user experience as possible. A lot of connectors take the user away from the platform so they have to login to a separate system to request translation. Top-tier connectors, however, allow the user to stay within the platform via a browser extension. The browser extension enables one-click translation requests and tracks where the user is within the application. It also is able to display translation status of any content they are viewing in the platform.

Is it a connector or just middleware? Many companies claim to have a connector, but in reality they are just offering a middleware solution using a file transfer protocol (FTP) connection. This will not eliminate any of the process management or project management steps in the translation workflow. When some translation technology companies talk about connectors, what they mean is they will push your content to a translation provider, a process that takes your content and puts it in someone else’s hands to control. If the vendor doesn’t have an integration with Adobe CQ or Sitecore, for example, they will offer an integration with Clay Tablet ​ Technologies, a middleware provider that integrates language services providers (LSP) with CMSs. ​

A top-tier connector won’t require the help of a middleware provider like Clay Tablet in order to integrate with your CMS. It will directly integrate its technology and language services with a number of CMS providers, such as Drupal, Oracle WebCenter, Oracle Sites (e.g. FatWire), Microsoft SharePoint, and Atlassian Confluence. Your IT/Dev team will not have to put in extra time, they only have to install and configure the connector and they are done.

When researching which Connector is best for your organization, make sure to determine if it is built specifically for each app you use and if the translation vendor will be relying on middleware.

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Apps Supported Connectors pair with all of the top enterprise applications to automate and integrate translation.

● Customer Engagement ● Desktop Files ● Marketing Automation Platforms ● Desktop Publishing ● Software ● Customer Relationship ● Digital Asset ● Version Control (VCS) Management (CRM) Management (DAM) ● Website Content ● Content Management ● eCommerce Management Systems Systems (CMS) ● Knowledge Bases (WCMS)

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How Do Connectors Work? Connectors are often called plugins because that’s exactly how they work. Think of a connector as a plug. The prongs are the multilingual API that are needed to integrate with a TMS. In this analogy, the TMS serves as the outlet for creating translation. Together, these parts enable continuous translation that flows, just like electricity, throughout the entire system in a continuous cycle.

With a multilingual API, you can easily upload source content for translation, have the content automatically translated, and download the translated content back into the original application. There is no need to switch back and forth between apps, or import and export content. It happens automatically. Multilingual APIs and connector technology combine to round trip translation of your content in a continuous cycle.

Connector Benefits Interoperability A single marketing department might have several enterprise applications for email marketing, website, knowledge bases, etc. The average marketer today is using more than 12 different tools. Translation ​ ​ connectors are the linchpin of interoperability between multiple marketing tools, translation and localization, and an agile globalization strategy. Look for a connector that can integrate with the enterprise software tools you use now, or may use in the future.

When choosing a translation connector, you need to consider interoperability. According to McKinsey & ​ Company, a lack of integration when building digital ecosystems is one of the biggest reasons why digital ​ transformation strategies fail.

Familiar UI Because connectors facilitate translation inside your application, users can work in a familiar user interface (UI). You don’t have to leave a system you’re comfortable with to request translation, which saves your team both--time and money.

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Centralized Governance & Control Connectors let you centralize your linguistics assets, glossaries and style guides, which gives you greater governance and control. By automatically enforcing the use of keywords, phrases, and sentences, your global content and brand messaging will be more consistent in any language. Connectors give you added control because you own all of your content and your information resides in your system, and not downloaded on an unknown linguist’s server.

Ease of Use Connectors are easy and intuitive to use, they are basically plug and play. They offer out-of-the-box integration with all of the popular web applications and let you manage translation without ever leaving your content’s native environment.

TMS Integration Top-tier cloud TMSs include a computer-assisted translation (CAT) workbench with project management software, terminology management, TM, spelling, and grammar checks. An industry-leading TMS will also include apps for vendor management, quality evaluation and scoring, and business intelligence as well.

Connectors help you automate continuous translation and delivery of multilingual content inside your existing applications.

Continuous Delivery Connectors continuously pull, translate, and push content back into your existing application in a single, uninterrupted workflow. They are specifically designed to simplify the continuous global delivery of multilingual content. With connectors, translations are accelerated and the localization of global content becomes faster and more streamlined, helping your enterprise to enter new markets faster.

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Cost-Efficient TM Leverage The downside to translating the content in several different marketing tools separately is that you can’t take advantage of translation memories (TM). When different departments translate in silos, the enterprise ends up paying for the same translated words over and over again. The integration that translation connectors optimizes localization by centralizing linguistic assets for cost-efficient reuse. Connectors automatically capture, reuse, and recycle translated content, so you only have to pay for new translated terms.

Security Centralized file management using connectors ends the unsecured practice of sending confidential content offline to a freelance linguist’s desktop where data theft and security vulnerability risks are high. It secures translation authoring in the cloud to reduce cybersecurity risk and gives you control over your content and ensures greater regulatory and legal compliance. Content stored in a cloud TMS is fully secured and kept private to your organization. A TMS with role-based authorization will ensure that users only see those data components to which they’ve been granted access.

Drupal.org has created a security shield designation that is awarded to Drupal connectors that have ​ received a higher level of scrutiny and support by the Drupal security team.

If you use Drupal, look for translation modules that display the shield icon. It indicates that stable releases are covered by the organization’s security advisory policy. ​ ​

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Key Features & Functions Robust Application Program Interface An application program interface (API) interacts with the TMS, allowing integrators to build connectors into the TMS, request and download translations, check status, create workflows, access TM, glossaries, and to receive http or callback notifications, etc.

The 2017 McKinsey report also highlighted the importance of APIs as a critical tool for a successful digital ​ ​ ​ transformation strategy: “Investing in a strategy around application program interfaces (APIs) (the links ​ that allow disparate systems to “talk” to each other) is crucial so that businesses develop the means to integrate with many different partners, vendors, and platforms.” A robust API is also a critical tool for a successful globalization strategy.

Basic & Advanced API A basic integration can be accomplished using just a few API calls. A more advanced integration with additional functionality can be accomplished by using a larger set of API calls.

A more advanced integration allows you to not only roundtrip content, but also to automatically send modified content for translation, create and set up projects, and more.

Not all connectors are created equal. The level of connectivity and granularity that a connector can offer is directly related to its supporting TMS and the type of API used.

Open vs Closed API Not all connectors are created equal. The level of connectivity and granularity that a connector can offer is directly related to its supporting TMS and the type of API used. Robust APIs increase the amount of information available at your fingertips (Project and document status reporting and access to more data) that can provide greater visibility into translation across the enterprise. The API that many translation companies use are either open or closed.

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Open API Open source API interfaces are free and publicly available to any developer to use free of charge. Open API built on an industry standard--i.e., RESTful--architecture are ready-made and can drastically shorten development time. This makes it easier to create a custom solution, whether it’s done by a translation technology service provider or your own development team.

Closed API A closed API is private and proprietary, meaning developers outside of the company cannot access them. Closed API require using and paying for in-house developers to make the integrations work for you. In addition, if the translation provider uses older, non-standard architecture, it can also lead to expensive coding requirements.

Authentication Methods The method of authentication an API uses is important. OAuth2 is preferred. OAuth2 is a protocol that lets external applications/integrations request authorization to private details in a user’s TMS account without getting their password. OAuth2 is preferred over Basic Authentication because tokens can be limited to specific types of data, and can be revoked by users at any time.

Automatic downloads use call backs so the system can manually check status on an interval and be set to either manually download to a Ready status or to automatically download when complete. You can choose a publication state, either published or not published. You also have the ability to download and to do interim downloads. That allows you to download content that is partially through the translation workflow. For example, you can see what has been translated but it may still be in the review phase.

CMS Integration When it comes to specialized CMS integration, look for a language services provider that can provide everything you need to design customized integration solutions. They should have a demonstrated track record and have extensive experience with building, configuration, and testing multilingual integrations.

Multilingual Readiness It helps to have an implementation process that is well defined and that includes a site audit to identify any unique aspects of your site that may affect translation. Enterprise sites are often heavily customized, requiring tweaks to connectors. Most implementations can be completed in a few weeks, but some may require months to prepare the site for translation. Some sites may require creating content filters and auditing content for anything that would need to be filtered out and not be translated, like escaping user-generated content, preparing Javascript files, etc.

Using a technology vendor that relies on middleware to create an integration means you might end up paying more.

Cost of Ownership Enterprises that rely on a technology vendor that uses middleware will end up paying more. If it requires building their own integration to the Clay Tablet connector, expect to pay $20-40K a year for that service.

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FEATURE COMPARISON TABLE

CONNECTOR FEATURES & FUNCTIONS BASIC ADVANCED

SECURE CONNECTION Basic Authentication X Advanced Authentication Methods (OAuth, SAML, etc.) X TRANSLATION SETTINGS Set/Create a Translation Workflow X Set/Create Translation Project X Set/Create Segmentation Filters Set/Create Translation Memory Vault Upload reference materials (contextual notes, special instructions, etc.) X Set Default Document Metadata (author, requestor, PO Number, etc.) X Create reusable translation profiles (project, workflow, filters) X By project X By language pairs X By content type X USER INTERFACE Login to a separate system to request translation of content X Request translation of content inside your content platform X CONTENT HANDLING Upload / Download individually X Upload / Download In bulk X Upload Reference Materials / Notes Add Document Metadata Interim downloads X Set predefined rules and triggers X Set segmentation Filter from inside the connector X UI components ( menus, footers, etc.) X TRANSLATION TOOLS Open CAT/Workbench from the connector X In-context translation from the connector X VISIBILITY & STATUS REPORTING In Process/Complete X By individual file or piece of content X By project X Display % that has been translated X Display % complete X CHANGE DETECTION Content change detection and reporting X Manually check status through polling X Receive alerts and notifications when content translation is out of sync X Automatically sends new words to translation so information is always accurate and up to date. X

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How to Buy Connectors Connector Certification, Marketplaces & App Exchanges Connectors and integrations that are already built have been tested and will have a CMS certification. They are ready to use, regularly updated, and maintained. No additional fees are required.

When buying a translation connector, make sure that it has been certified by the platform that it connects with. A good rule of thumb: If it is listed on the app marketplace, it has been vetted by the platform and technology, tested and run through rigorous testing, and has been proven to be functional. There are some "connectors" that use proxy or other methods where they don't have to do anything official to be functional, but the ones that perform the best are the true certified integrations.

Look for a connector that is available on the app’s marketplace, that means it has been thoroughly vetted.

Buyer Beware! Many of the most popular enterprise applications--like Salesforce, for example--have app marketplaces. ​ ​ They serve as a one-stop shopping page for cloud-computing applications and consulting services. It gives users a place to create, publish, or install apps. In order to be listed on an app exchange or marketplace for Salesforce or many other apps, the connector first must undergo rigorous testing and approval.

So connector buyer beware: If the vendor claims to have an integration, but it is not listed on the app’s marketplace, then they probably don’t have a real, vetted and reliable connector.

Conclusion Connectors and plugins that integrate translation within your native content management environment are simply put, the future of translation. They automate translation workflows, and can save you precious time. They centralize terminology management, ensuring messaging consistency, and cost-efficient reuse of translation memories. They secure your information by maintaining translation in a single system that you control.

Good connectors can bridge the gap between translators, content management, enterprise application, and technology. Top-tier connectors will guarantee deeper, more seamless integration. Integrations into third-party applications through robust APIs virtually eliminate the need for manual conversions and file transfers, which leads to faster delivery and better operational efficiency.

The net result is a system with the operational agility to meet today’s requirements for continuously evolving global content.

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Lingotek’s Translation Network is the only cloud-based solution to connect all of your global content in one place, giving you the power to manage your brand worldwide. Our industry-leading TMS technology, connectors, and tech-enabled language services provide an end-to-end translation solution to continuously deliver dynamic multilingual content to all of your global markets.

Lingotek believes that the first step toward networked translation begins by asking questions. When we have a better understanding of your translation goals, we can determine if our networked solution makes sense for your organization. Let’s start the conversation.

Schedule an exploratory meeting with our Translation Software and Language Services team. Go to lingotek.com to request a meeting today or call +1-801-331-7777, International +44 (0)1628 421525.

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