Manual Translations: Scroll Translations vs Scroll Documents

If you're moving from Scroll Translations to Scroll Documents, it’s important to understand how manual translation workflows differ between the two. This article compares how content is translated manually within Confluence in each app and guides you through the new processes introduced by Scroll Documents.

Manual Translation with Scroll Translations

If you're currently using Scroll Translations (and possibly Scroll Versions), your typical workflow for manual translation looks like this:

1. Content is authored in the default (authoring) language.

2. Translators consult the Translations Report to identify pages needing translation or updates.

3. Translators manually translate each page using the translation editor, which displays the source and target language side-by-side.

4. Translated content is saved directly in the editor.

5. Users switch between languages using the language picker.

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

Manual Translation with Scroll Documents

With Scroll Documents and its extension app Translations for Scroll Documents, manual translation still happens within Confluence, but the workflow introduces the concept of versions:

• 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.

Manual Translation Workflows in Scroll Documents

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

Manual translation with multiple versions

Use this approach if you version your documentation and want to translate each released version.

Workflow:

1. Add new content to the Working version, which uses only 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. Add translations to the new version.

5. Translate the pages manually within the dedicated page tree.

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

Manual translation in the Working version only

Ideal for teams who don’t require saved versions.

Workflow:

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 to the Working version.

4. Translate the pages manually within the dedicated page trees of each language.

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