How to translate documents with spf.io’s Document Translation Portal

Spf.io’s Document Translation Portal (DTP) automatically generates the translation of your documents in many languages. You won’t have to translate from scratch anymore, as you can just easily post-edit the automatic translation. All corrections you make can improve translation in the future.

Follow the steps below on how to use DTP:
1️⃣ How to translate a document
2️⃣ How to edit and review the translation
3️⃣ How to download the translation document

How to translate a document

Step 1: Go to your Dashboard and click Resources > Documents.

Step 2: Click the Create document button.

Step 3: Select the source language and one of the two ways to create your document:

• Import an Existing Document (.docx, .txt, .vtt, .md, .srt, .json)
  Click ‘Import an Existing Document’ to upload your document. Select the language the document is written in, click ‘Drop a file to upload here and select your document.

Note:

• If you upload a .docx file, you cannot edit the source document after generating the translation.
• The downloaded translation document will have the same format as your original file.

• Create a Blank Document
  After you click ‘Create a Blank Document,’ enter the document title and type or copy-paste the text you want to translate into the text field.

Note: If you create the source document from a blank document, you can only download your translation document as an .md file.

Step 4: If you make any changes in the source document, don’t forget to click the Save button afterward.

Step 5: Click the Translate button on the top menu bar.

Step 6: Ensure the ‘Request automatic translation’ is enabled, select the target language, and click Add translation. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to add translation in other languages.

How to edit and review the translation

Step 1: You can view the translation next to the source document when post-editing. Each line in the source document and translation is automatically aligned, so you don’t have to worry about formatting. You can select each line in the translation and make your edits manually.

Step 2: If you find any misspelled words in the translation, e.g., names or places, you can click the Autoreplacements button and add the text you want to match and the text you want to replace it with. Click the + button and then click Apply autoreplacements to apply your collection of autoreplacements to the document.

Note: Follow this guide on how to manage your Autoreplacement Database (ARDB). 

Step 3: If you want to see alternative translations for each line, click the Retranslate button and select the Alternatives tab. Select the option that you think is more relevant.

Step 4: You can track the progress of your review and edits by selecting the ‘Not reviewed’ dropdown (e.g., select ‘Line 5’ if it’s the last line you’ve reviewed and edited). Once you’ve finished editing, select ‘All lines reviewed’ and click the Save button to save your changes.

Suppose you’re a reviewer and you’re not fluent in the target language. You can click the Retranslate button and select the Back translation tab to verify if the translation retains a similar meaning to the source document.

When you’re reviewing the translation that your team members have edited, you can directly add comments to specific lines to leave feedback or suggestions. Click the Comments button to view and input your comment. You can also reply inline, edit, delete, resolve, and re-open resolved comments.

If you want to compare the automatic translation with the post-edited results made by your translators, you can click the Diff Viewer button. You can see the differences by character, word, sentence, or line.

In the Diff Viewer, you can also see a list of potential rules that the system compiles based on its analysis of the patterns in your edits. From the list, you can add the suggestions to build your ARDB and Do Not Translate list. Once added, future translations will automatically reflect your preferences, saving you time and ensuring perfect consistency across all your documents.

How to download the translation document

Step 1: To download the translation document, whether in the same format as your source document or as an .md file, click the Download button and select Download document.

Tip: If you’re working on multiple translation projects with your team, you can add and organize your documents in a playlist. You can get a clear overview of all your projects grouped by language and monitor the post-editing progress across every document and language in one place.