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What is XLIFF? - Knowledgebase / Add-ons and Backend Systems - ShopFactory Help Center

What is XLIFF?

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XLIFF is an XML-based format that enables translators to concentrate on the text to be translated. Likewise, since it's a standard, manipulating XLIFF files makes localization engineering easier: once you have converters written for your source file formats, you can simply write new tools to deal with XLIFF and not worry about the original file format. It also supports a full localization process by providing tags and attributes for review comments, the translation status of individual strings, and metrics such as word counts of the source sentences.

The XLIFF format aims to:

  • Separate localizable text from formatting.
  • Enable multiple tools to work on source strings and add to the data about the string.
  • Store information that is helpful in supporting a localization process.

In its most basic form, the XLIFF file consists of one or more file elements. Each of these contains a header and a body section. The header contains project data, such as contact information, project phases, pointers to reference material, and information on the skeleton file.

So in ShopFactory, if you are translating an English website into French for example, and you have not translated some paragraphs, then these paragraphs will display the English text. To translate all products with introduction, description, more details, etc. , instead of doing it in ShopFactory (as this takes so much time), you may click on Lanugages -> Translation Languages and select the Languages you want to put in your website. And then click Languages -> Export a Language for Translation. This will create several .xml files depending on how many languages you have chosen previously.

You may use a translation package such as MEMO Q or HEARTSOME to do the translations of all the product texts in one file per language.

MemoQ (http://en.kilgray.com/?q=node/download) has a free version which will happily load the XLIFF file.

TRADOS third party software recently updated their application (which is beyond our control) and there seems to be an incompatibility with ShopFactory at the moment. We are looking into it.

Once translated and saved, you can now click Languages -> Import a Language for Translation to bring the translations into ShopFactory.

Related knowledgebase article,

I have Language Link add-on installed. How do I translate product text and navigation text?

http://support.shopfactory.com/kayako/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=660

You can do the translations as follows :

1.) As always, please make a back-up of your ShopFactory project file in case you have to roll back... (Open shop in SF -> click File menu -> Save As.)

2.) Download and install an xliff editor/translator tool from the internet. There are many available online. I downloaded and based my instructions below after trying the download from https://sourceforge.net/projects/eviltrans/?source=typ_redirect the software is called “Transolution Xliff editor”.

3.) Open ShopFactory and click on “Languages” -> “export a language for translation” -> export all translatable text & select export XLIFF format -> OK

4.) A SF message will confirm the export and the . xliff file name saved in the project folder

5.) Start the “Transolution” desktop software and open the exported .xliff file in the project folder

6.) Click on “View” and select “Both” ( Source and Target for better overview)

7.) Click on “Edit” and ‘Find” and search for “Custom navigation”

8.) No need to update this text, it is just to find the right spot … click on “TU” >> “Commit and open next”

9.) It will jump to “Novità!” which is the first term in Custom Navigation to be translated. Add the translation into the bow below

10.) click on “TU” >> “Commit and open next” and translate the next term and so on…..

11.) When all custom Navigation text translation is done and / or you are finished with the last term you want to translate than click on “TU” >> “ Commit and close”

12.) Click on “File” >>”Save as “ >>. Name file appropriately so can identify the date and that is is the translated file and save it also in the project folder

13.) Open SF interface and click on “Languages’ >> “import a translated language file” > open the relevant file to import the modifications. You will get a message confirming successful importing

14.) Do a preview and check the translations in different pages.

15.) Save and publish your shop when everything looks ok