For partner programs that operate globally, the Multi-Language Translation functionality can enhance the user experience of international Users by giving them the option to browse and navigate your partner portal in their preferred language. This, in turn, can lead to higher engagement, increased sales, and improve their overall satisfaction with the system. It also demonstrates a level of respect and inclusivity towards Users who speak languages other than the website's default language. 


What is the Multi-Language Translation Functionality? 


With the Multi-Language Translation functionality enabled, all page content is captured and translated automatically, giving Users the ability to view page content in their preferred language. 


On public-facing pages, Users can select their language by clicking the Language Picker in the top right corner of the page:



When logged into the portal, Users can change their language using the globe icon in the utility nav in the top right corner of the portal. 



Once the User selects a language other than English, Channeltivity automatically downloads the language and applies translations to the page. Any content on the page that hasn't been translated will be added to the translation queue and downloaded the next time the page is loaded or refreshed. 


How Does Automatic Translation Work? 


When a User browses your Channeltivity partner portal in a language other than English, the translation service automatically captures any text found on the page and adds it to the catalog for translation. The captured text is then sent to the Translator API, that's part of Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services, and translated using artificial intelligence. All returned translations are stored in Channeltivity and automatically applied to pages moving forward.



How Accurate are Translations?


The accuracy of translations depends primarily on how much context is included in the particular text segment being translated. Longer sentences will generally translate with a high degree of accuracy, whereas translation results for shorter text can vary. In contrast to human translation, the neural network translates each piece of text in isolation, not considering the context of other text on the page, which can sometimes lead to inaccurate translation.


To give an example, the word "Lead" in Channeltivity could be translated as the metal (the element Pb on the periodic table) instead of a business prospect. But when used in a sentence such as "There are 6 unassigned Leads", the context is more clear, leading to more accurate translations.


To ensure accuracy of translations, we encourage you to have native speakers review and, if necessary, update translations in your partner portal. System Admins and Internal Users with administrative access to the Language Translation functionality can review and edit translations using the instructions listed in this article.




How is Gender Agreement Handled with User-Specific Content?


Many languages use agreement, or concord, which occurs when a word changes form depending on the other words to which it relates to. English doesn't use grammatical gender (except for pronouns), but if you're translating your PRM content into one of the many languages that do, you'll need to pay attention to areas where sentences change based on the User in Channeltivity.


For example, you might have a message on the home page that welcomes the User by name, starting with something like "Dear [First Name]" etc. The translator in Channeltivity will automatically recognize that the text contains a variable (the User's first name), but because the single translation will be used for all Users, you need to make sure it works for all genders.


Here are two common ways how to handle these situations: 

  1. Include both genders in the translation. For example:
    1. German: "Liebe(r) [First Name]"
    2. French: "Cher/Chère [First Name]"
  2. Make the translation gender-neutral. For example:
    1. German: "Hallo [First Name]"
    2. French: "Bonjour [First Name]"

To ensure accuracy of translations in your partner portal, we encourage you to pay special attention to translations with variables.



Which languages are supported?


Channeltivity can translate content into the more than 100 languages supported by Azure Cognitive Services Translator. 



How do I turn it on? 


Please contact Channeltivity Support to add Language Translation to your current subscription.  Once you have multi-language enabled, you can manage your languages using the steps described in this article.



FAQs:


What content is excluded from the Language Translation functionality? 

  • Channeltivity Settings Pages
  • Portal Email Notifications 
  • Mailings sent via the Email Marketing module 
  • User-entered content, such as data entered into free text fields
  • Content you've marked as "Do Not Translate"




Related Documentation: