You can integrate multi-language capabilities directly into all areas that manage customer-facing data with Optimizely Product Information Management (PIM). After you enable languages in Commerce and sync to the PIM, you can enable additional languages. The PIM allows you to export existing content for translation and easily import the translated data back
Best Practices
If you have properties with a defined list of values (dropdown, radio button or multi-select), you should export and translate these at the property level. Such properties do not show up in the product export for translation because the translation does not need to be set for each individual product - translations of the value selected for the default language will automatically be used. If you have properties with unique values per product (text field, text area, HTML), you should export and translate these at the product level.
Example
Carrie wants to export data for translation and needs to enable multi-language in Commerce and sync it to the PIM to determine the languages available.
She then goes to Configure > Settings and enables ES for Spanish. She determines which properties require translation and selects the Multi-language checkbox for each property. She goes to Configure > Properties and updates the following properties:
- Product Title
- Description
- Features
- Finish
- Faucet Type
- Faucet Handle Type
- Faucet Installation Type
Carrie selects her multi-language properties and clicks Export > Export for Translation. She selects Properties and a Target Language of ES, and then downloads the export file when it is ready. She repeats the process but selects Property Values to get the list of predefined values that need to be translated for Finish, Faucet Type, Faucet Handle Type, and Faucet Installation Type.
She goes to the Categories page and selects the following categories for translation: Plumbing, Faucet, Kitchen, and Bathroom. She clicks Export > Export for Translation. She selects a Target Language of ES and downloads the export file when it is ready.
Carrie goes to Assets > Kitchen Faucets. She clicks Export > Export for Translation. She selects a Target Language of ES, and downloads the export file. She repeats the process for her Bathroom Faucet assets.
On the Products page, Carrie locates her faucet products. She clicks Export > Export for Translation. She selects a Target Language of ES and downloads the export file.
Carrie compiles her export files and sends them to a translation service that handles the Spanish translations. Once they have been translated, she can import the translated files back into the PIM on the Imports page.
Enable multi-language
Follow these steps after enabling multi-language in Commerce and syncing to the PIM:
- Go to Configure > Settings.
- Toggle on Enable under Multi-Language Options for each language you wish to enable in the PIM. The enabled languages display in the language drop-down list on various pages.
- If you want to prevent publication of products to commerce without translation for a specific language, click the desired option from the Required to Publish dropdown. These options will change the product completeness calculation to include translations.
- Required Properties will require translation for any property that is required for the product's template.
- Required & Recommended will require translation any required property on the product's template as well as recommended property's that have data for the default language.
- All Properties will require translation for any property that has a value for the default language.
- None will not require translation of any data to publish.
Configure multi-language properties
You can mark properties as multi-language except for the following control types: number, date picker, date/time picker or Boolean. Multi-language properties can be edited on the product detail page when a non-default language is selected, and you can export them for translation.
- Go to Configure > Properties and locate the property for multi-language.
- Click the property name.
- Select the Multi language checkbox.
- Click Save.
Navigate multi-language content
You can select the language you wish to view while on the Product, Assets, Categories, and Properties pages. The language you choose shows across all relevant pages in the PIM.
Product navigation
The product list page adds columns for the selected language for all multi-language properties and hides properties that cannot be translated. You can click the Edit button to update translations for any applicable column directly in the product list.
The product detail page adds a translation field for the language you select and hides any properties not marked as multi-language.
Asset navigation
The asset list page adds an Alt Text translation column to image assets and hides other assets when you select a non-default language.
The asset detail page adds a translation field beside the Alt Text field for image assets when you select a non-default language.
If you have translated versions of other asset types, such as specification sheets, warranties, or other product documents, you can upload a version for each language and specify their language on the asset detail page.
Categories navigation
The categories list page and details page adds additional columns or fields for the following fields when you select a non-default language:
- Name
- URL Segment
- Category description
- Page title
- Meta description
- Meta keywords
- Open graph title
- Open graph URL
Properties navigation
The properties list page adds a Display Name for the selected language and hides properties not configured for multi-language when you select a non-default language.
With the default language selected, you can add the multi-language column to the list using the Column Selector icon and then use the Filter icon to filter for properties that are flagged as multi-language.
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