External Translations: Scroll Translations vs Scroll Documents

This article explains how the external translation workflow differs between Scroll Translations and Scroll Documents (with the Translations for Scroll Documents extension).

External Translation with Scroll Translations

For external translation using Scroll Translations, the workflow generally looks like this:

1. Page content is authored in the default language.

2. A space admin exports the content to XLIFF format for translation.

3. The files are translated externally.

4. The space admin imports the translations, marking the pages as translated.

5. Users consume the translated content by switching languages in the language picker.

This process will change slightly when moving to Scroll Documents, which also introduces versioning as a concept.

External Translations with Scroll Documents

In Scroll Documents, external translation still happens via XLIFF, but the process may incorporate versioning. This means you manage translations per version of your documentation:

• Working version: The continuously evolving draft of your documentation. Ideally, this is where you add all new or updated content that hasn’t been released yet.

• Saved versions: Once the Working version is reviewed and approved, it can be saved as a new version. The saved version retains the content in the authoring language, enabling you to translate it into secondary languages.

• Language page trees: Each language has its own set of pages under a version, enabling you to make independent changes to each version and translation.

What if I don’t want to version my content?

While the recommended workflow in Scroll Documents is to:

• Maintain the Working version in your defined authoring language,

• save a version when content is ready, and

• add or reuse translations in the saved version,

you’re not required to follow this process if versioning isn’t relevant to your use case.

For example, if you’re managing a multilingual intranet or other continuously updated content without the need for version history, you can add translations directly to the Working version and choose not to save any versions.

External Translation Workflows in Scroll Documents

Scroll Documents supports two main external translation workflows depending on whether you're working with multiple versions or only the Working version.

External translation with many versions

When translating externally with several versions, the workflow is as follows:

1. Add new content to the Working version, which uses the defined authoring language.

2. Review the content in the Working version before saving the version.

3. Save the Working version once it's ready, which creates a new version containing the defined authoring language.

4. Create an XLIFF export and send it to a translator.

5. Import the translated files back to Confluence which will mark the pages as translated.

6. The process starts over. If you have translated previous versions, you’ll also have the option to reuse translated content.

External translation of the Working version

When translating only the Working version externally, the workflow is as follows:

1. Add new content to the Working version in the specified authoring language.

2. Review the content in the authoring language.

3. If not added already, add the translations manually to the Working version.

4. Generate an XLIFF export and send it to a translator.

5. The process starts over when you add new content to the authoring language and you update your existing translations.

Note

Adding new pages should be done exclusively in the authoring language of your content, rather than in the translated page trees. When using the synchronization feature during the creation of your next XLIFF file, any newly added pages within the translated page tree structure will be automatically removed.