translating (joomla) websites

Translating Websites (Joomla/Trados)

Translating

(Joomla) Websites

with SDL TradosTM


Translating Websites

Summary Difference between “static” and “dynamic” websites ............................................................ 3

Translating static HTML pages ......................................................................................... 4

Manual translation ........................................................................................................ 4

Translating using CAT systems - Trados ...................................................................... 8

Translating dynamic HTML pages ..................................................................................... 16

Translating Joomla-based websites ............................................................................... 16

Configuring Joomla to handle several languages ....................................................... 17

Installing the Joomfish module for translations ........................................................... 21

Using the JoomCAT component ................................................................................. 25

Reference ....................................................................................................................... 31

Joomla ........................................................................................................................ 31

Joomla components for translations ........................................................................... 31

Trados / Tag Editor ..................................................................................................... 31

Copyright and disclaimer ................................................................................................ 32


Translating Websites

Difference between “static” and “dynamic” websites

The pages of websites we browse on the Internet everyday can be grouped into 2 large

categories: 1) Static HTML page and 2) Dynamic HTML pages.

Static web pages are composed by a series of HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

instructions that are then interpreted by your browser to display the contents properly.

On the other hand, dynamic pages are created by the web server on account of a script

language, extracting data from a database and merging text and images in HTML

instructions that are then sent to your browser.

A dynamic page can be easily spotted as the address bar of your browser will show

something like:

http://www.translatorstools.com/joomla/administrator/inde

x.php?option=com_content#

a question mark after the URL and file name indicates the following data shall be

considered as parameters for the script (index.php) execution.

A static web page address will be something like:

http://www.translatorstools.com/index.html

The presence of just one HTML page (index.html) is not a sure proof it is a static page, as

often tools that generate dynamic pages are programmed to simulate static page to

improve their rating with search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.).


Translating static HTML pages

Manual translation

The "manual" (without Computer Aided Translation Tools, CATs) translation of static

websites poses no relevant problem: HTML documents can be easily edited by any recent

word processor that provides HTML facilities.

Let's see how a static HTML page is displayed in Internet Explorer:

FIG. 1 – STATIC WEB PAGE

To manually translate the pages without using CAT tools, you can open the page file in

any editor such as MS Word, DreamWeaver or NotePad. To open a web page in MS

Word:


FIG.2 – OPENING AN HTML FILE IN MS WORD

Select the "Open" command and browse to the file to open. Since ver. 2003, MS Word can

edit HTML files directly. The previous page shows up this way when opened in Word :


FIG. 3 – STATIC HTML PAGE IN MS WORD

The document can be modified, so the original text can be replaced by the corresponding

translation.

The same HTML page can be opened by a simple text editor such as Windows NotePad.

FIG. 4 – OPENING A STATIC HTML WEB PAGE IN NOTEPAD


In this case you shall select "All files (*.*)" as file type, as NotePad can open any file

format, but its default file format is Simple text (.txt). NotePad will show our web page this

way:

FIG. 5 – STATIC HTML PAGE IN NOTEPAD

Besides the text/content you can see HTML commands (tags), i.e. the instructions

decoded by browsers to properly format contents and images.

HTML tags are always included between < and > and shall be terminated by the /

symbol, here are some examples:

<td> …. </td>

<head> ….. </head>

<table> …. </table>

We shall not go into further details on the HTML language, as it's not among the goals of

this document. However you shall bear in mind that translating HTML pages using Word,

NotePad or other editor is NOT recommended, for the following reasons:


a) Editors such as MS Word, FrontPage and even Dreamweaver might add additional

tags that would compromise the format consistency between the original and the

translated versions.

b) Changes to HTML tags might make the translated pages unreadable or give them a

messy formatting.

It is thus absolutely recommended using a CAT (Computer Aided Translation) tool to

translate static HTML pages.

Translating using CAT systems - Trados

Translating HTML pages using CAT systems involves several benefits:

a) When properly set up, CAT editors show just the text to be translated, deleting or

hiding HTML tags

b) In case of later reviews, such as changes to formatting or graphics, legacy contents

can be easily updated, translating the new sections only

c) The appearance of translated pages will precisely reflect the original

d) Translation memories help avoiding re-translation of repetitive contents

Trados 2007

Trados is the most popular CAT tool in the world, so we'll see how to use Translators

Workbench and TagEditor to translate static web pages. Even if Trados 2007 includes

additional components for MS Word, MS Word + Trados is NOT the best solution to

translate web pages.

Opening the translation memory

Opening an existing Translation Memory (TM) o creating a new one through Translators

Workbench is the first operation:


FIG. 6 – STARTING TRANSLATORS WORKBENCH

To open an existing TM from Translators’ Workbench, select File->Open and locate the

previously created TM file.

If you need to create a new TM, select File->New; a language selection form displays for

both the original (source) and the translation (target) language:

FIG. 7 – SELECTING TRANSLATION LANGUAGES


Select the required language pair and click on "Create"; a new form displays prompting for

the path and name for the new TM. I recommend creating a dedicated folder on your hard

disk (e.g. TM\French) where all the TMs will be saved, for easier retrievals and updates.

At the end of the TM creation, Translators Workbench will be available on top of the

screen, the TM name on the window bar and the language symbols in the lower right

corner.

FIG. 8 – TRADOS TRANSLATORS WORKBENCH

Let's now open Trados TagEditor to actually translate the contents. In TagEditor, select

File->Open and locate the HTML file to be translated.

TagEditor can open several file formats and the default file type is “All documents (*.*),

therefore the file list will include all the files in the folder, regardless their format.

Select the file with the HTM or HTML extension; the software recognizes the web page

format and displays the following message:

FIG. 9 – DTD FILE PROMPT

TagEditor detects the "mixed" (contents and tags) format of the file but cannot find a

suitable tag settings file to properly decode the document. Clicking No aborts the

operation.


TagEditor uses DTD (Data Tag Definition) files to decode tags; they are simple INI files

including HTML tags and the corresponding action required during editing.

This might sound complicated but the good news is TagEditor already include default

settings to translate HTML pages and a special wizard to create DTD files.

Clicking on Yes invokes such wizard:

FIG. 10 – DTD FILE SELECTION

In the above example there are already some DTD files. If the file list is empty, you need to

create a new DTD file and shall click New...

The first page of the DTD file creation wizard (Tag Settings Wizard) displays:


FIG. 11 – DTD FILE CREATION WIZARD

Click Next to proceed. Type a file name in the following screen and select “Based on

predefined HTML 4.0 settings”. A new file with default settings for HTML 4 will be created.


FIG. 12 – DTD FILE BASIC DEFINITION

Now you can directly go to End, now we shall not analyze intermediate steps that allow

creating custom definition files by adding special tags.

By clicking End you access the file save window - type a name for the newly created DTD

file:


FIG. 13 – SAVING THE DTD FILE

You should preferably save all DTD files in the same folder, for instance the TM folder.

Now TagEditor is ready for work and the new DTD will be displayed in the DTD file list -

click Select to activate it for your translation:


FIG. 14 – UPDATE DTD FILE LIST

Now we can proceed with the translation in TagEditor - here is how our index.html file is

displayed in TagEditor:

FIG. 15 – STATIC HTML PAGE IN TRADOS TAGEDITOR

The grey boxes represent HTML tags and you can translate the text only, which is clearly,

neatly editable. For further details on using TagEditor please refer to SDL International

tutorials.


Translating dynamic HTML pages

As previously mentioned, dynamic web pages are created through software pieces called

scripts that execute on the web server and generate HTML code that is then decoded by

your browser to display the pages correctly. Dynamic pages are usually created by several

scripts executing within a content management platform or framework. Such frameworks

are called CMS - Content Management Systems; Joomla, Wordpress, Drupal are the most

popular CMSs.

Using a CMS framework for a web site provides several benefits, including:

a) Easy creation of pages, even for a novice

b) Automating visitor interaction tools, such as registration forms, catalogues, e-

commerce facilities, etc.

c) Quick creation of multilingual version of the site while preserving the original format

and layout

d) Improved web visibility, due to a better indexing by search engines

e) Ease of upgrade for site functions through the installation of software add-ons

There are many other benefits that make this solution the best option for web publishing,

but making life harder for translators as the translation process cannot be the same as for

static HTML pages.

Contents of a Joomla-based website are spread in a database and not included in a linear

document, as in HTML static pages. Besides, even if your browser receives data that can

be saved to an HTML file as if it were a static page, the translated file cannot be re-

imported into the CMS-based website (unless you forfeit the basic CMS functions).

However there are CMS components/add-ons that simplify translation operations - in this

document we'll analyze the translation of Joomla-based websites.

Translating Joomla-based websites


Joomla is one of the most popular CMSs - countless add-on modules are available to

customize its basic features and appearance, its contents and page layouts are managed

by scripts and a database installed on the web server.

Translating a Joomla-based web site requires a different approach compared with

translating common static HTML pages.

One of the Joomla advantages (already mentioned among those common to most CMS

systems) is the possibility to rapidly implement several languages while maintaining the

site general appearance.

We'll now see how to translate a Joomla web site using free and paid tools.

Let's assume you need to translate a web site into one or more languages: first, you need

to check whether the Joomla installation includes the language packs for the required

languages. Language packs are files containing the translations of Joomla standard

contents (menus, buttons, on-screen labels), both for site visitors (Frontend) and for the

administration section (Backend).

N.B. – You need ADMINISTRATOR level access permission to perform all the

operations described in the following sections.

Configuring Joomla to handle several languages

To check whether language packs you can access the administration area, which is

usually located at the following address:

http://www.sitename/administrator

where sitename is the name of the web site you are working on. A screen with access

credentials and the selection of the desired language will be displayed:


FIG. 16 – ACCESSING THE JOOMLA ADMINISTRATION SECTION

Before installing one or more Joomla language packs you need to download them from a

Joomla support web site.

Joomla is an Open Source program, i.e. it is available for free courtesy of thousands

developers all over the world that develop, implement and update it on a voluntary, free

basis.

The same principle applies to the language packs, that can be freely downloaded from this

address:

http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/languages/translations-for-joomla

you can download language packs to your PC to install them on your Joomla web site.

NB – Pay attention to the Joomla version used, written below the language pack

description. As of now (2011), the most popular current version is 1.5, but you can also

find language packs for older or newer versions.

http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/languages/translations-for-joomla


FIG. 17 – LANGUAGE PACKS FOR JOOMLA

Many language packs are available in 2 versions: Frontend and Backend (Administration).

If you want to use the backend in the new language you have to download both language

packs.

When you have the language pack zip files in your PC you can install them in Joomla and

select the default language, if you have not yet done so. After you have typed the correct

Administrator user name and password in the Administration login screen, you'll see the

Joomla management home page:

FIG. 18 – JOOMLA MANAGEMENT SECTION HOME PAGE


The installation process of a language pack is the same as any other Joomla extension

module and is carried out by selecting Extensions->Install/Uninstall from the main menu. A

click on such menu option invokes the add-ons/extensions installation screen:

FIG. 19– JOOMLA ADD-ONS INSTALLATION SCREEN

The language pack can be installed in three different ways:

1) Uploading it from your PC

2) Installing it from a web server folder

3) Installing it from a URL of another web server

As we assume we have downloaded the language packs we need into our PC, we'll use

mode 2); by clicking on Browse you can select the .zip file of the language pack to install,

then clicking "Upload and install file" installs the selected file.

The operation shall be repeated for all the language packs to install.

If you access the Extensions->Management section after a successful language pack

installation you'll see the installed language packs and have the option to select the default

(by clicking on the Default star icon after its selection).

The "Administrator" page indicates the availability of language packs for the administration

section (backend) too.


FIG. 20 – JOOMLA MANAGEMENT SECTION HOME PAGE

Installing the Joomfish module for translations

Several add-ons/components are available to translate Joomla web sites, the most popular

being Joomfish, freely available from:

http://www.joomfish.net

FIG.21 – JOOMFISH WEB SITE

Once you have downloaded the Joomfish installation .zip file, access Joomla as

Administrator and proceed as described above to install the language pack (Extensions-

>Install/Uninstall).

http://www.joomfish.net/


After uploading and installing the Joomfish component, when accessing Components-

>Joomfish you will see the content translation menu:

FIG.22 – ACCESSING THE JOOMFISH FUNCTIONS

Before proceeding to the actual translation of contents you need to copy contents from the

base to the target language: access the "Manage translations" option on the Joomfish

menu.

FIG.23 – TRANSLATING EXISTING CONTENTS

Clicking on “Copy original to language” shows an additional window from which you can

select which elements to copy from the base (original) language to the selected

language(s):


FIG.24 – SELECTING THE CONTENTS TO COPY TO THE NEW LANGUAGE

Select Contents to copy texts of contents/articles from the original to the selected

language.

At the end of the operation (it might take a long time, based on the volume of present

contents) the program displays a summary confirming the performed operation.

Now you can proceed to translation, editing contents in the new language aside the

original texts via the Joomfish component.

Select Components->Joomfish->Translation to access the selection of the contents to

translate.


FIG.25 – SELECTING CONTENTS TO TRANSLATE

By selecting the target language and - for instance - Contents you will see a list of

available articles; clicking on an article title you can access the translation screen with the

original text (in read-only mode) and the corresponding text in the same original language,

that you will change/translate into the target language.

FIG.26 – TRANSLATING CONTENTS

Therefore the JoomFish component simplify the translation of Joomla-based dynamic

sites, yet it doesn't permit the use of CAT (Computer Aided Translation) tools such as SDL

Trados to automate the translation process.


Using the JoomCAT component

JoomCAT (http://www.joomcat.com) is a Joomla add-on component that extracts contents

from your Joomla-based website and saves them in a CAT-compatible format (that can be

opened by most popular tools such as Trados, SDLX, MemoQ, DejaVu, ecc.). Contents

saved this way can then be translated in your familiar CAT software and later re-imported

into Joomla through the JoomCAT import function.

You will thus match all the advantages of a CMS (Content Management System) such as

Joomla with the power of CAT tools to achieve:

Quicker, more professional translations

Translated page layouts matching the originals

Archiving translation segments to speedup and ease later reviews

Saving countless work hours!

FIG.27 – JOOMCAT.COM

JoomCAT is a commercial component, is conveniently priced at 99 $ and can be used in

an unlimited number of sites/domains.

The installation process for JoomCAT is virtually the same as for JoomFish.

http://www.joomcat.com/


1. Access Joomla as Administrator

2. Select Extensions -> Install/Uninstall

3. Select the .zip file you downloaded from JoomCAT.com and then Install

The component successful installation will be confirmed on screen - from then on the

JoomCAT components will be available and shall be activated before its first use.

Access Components -> JoomCAT - > Control panel and select System-JoomCAt in the

right frame. You will access the JoomCAT setup screen.

FIG.28 – JOOMCAT CONTROL PANEL

In the setup screen select "Activated - Yes" to activate the component, then click on

"Save" or "Apply" on the top right:

FIG.29 – JOOMCAT CONTROL PANEL


Now JoomCAT is active and ready for use. In the Article management section you will now

see the Export button in the top command toolbar:

FIG.30 – JOOMCAT EXPORT BUTTON

After selecting the articles to export for translation, click Export to download an XML file

that can be open by Trados for translation. As TUTTI selected contents are saved in one

file, you might consider splitting contents through more files (simply repeat the operation

with different selections) to avoid creating very large files.

Every created files has a unique name (something like joomcat100020111013003723.xml)

that you can before saving it to your PC.

After the JoomCAT generated file has been saved in XML format (if you change the file

name be sure not to change the .xml extension) you can proceed to translation using

Trados Tag Editor.

In TagEditor, select File->Open and browse to the XML file to translate; the program will

detect the XML and - if you're opening an XML file for the first time, you might see a

prompt like this:


FIG. 31 – DTD FILE PROMPT

TagEditor detects the "mixed" (contents and tags) format of the file but cannot find a

suitable tag settings file to properly decode the document. Clicking No aborts the

operation.

TagEditor uses DTD (Data Tag Definition) files to decode tags; they are simple INI files

including XML (or HTML) tags and the corresponding action required during editing.

This might sound complicated but the good news is TagEditor already include default

settings to translate XML contents and a special wizard to create DTD files.

Clicking on Yes invokes such wizard:

FIG. 31 – DTD FILE SELECTION


The example above shows some DTD files that are already in the system; should your list

be empty you need to create a new DTD file through the previously described process

(see pages 10 and following), or load the joomcat.ini file included in the JoomCAT

package (through the Open button in the Tag Settings Manager).

After you have completed the translation in Trados Tag Editor, save the translated file

through the Save target As… option in Tag Editor and assign a file name different from the

original (eg. joomcat100020111215094732_EN.xml).

FIG. 32 – SAVING THE TRANSLATED FILE


Let's now go back to the Joomla-based web site administration back office to import the

translated file: access the backend as Administrator then select Joomla Components-

>JoomCAT->Control panel, press Browse on the top right button to select the translated

file and click on the Import icon:

FIG. 33 – IMPORTING THE TRANSLATED FILE

Before clicking on Import, make sure you selected the correct language for the import from

the selection box on the left.

Translated contents will be inserted into the sections of the corresponding language. You

can eventually access and edit the translations through Components->Joomfish->

Translation, as described above.

FIG. 34 – EDITING TRANSLATED CONTENTS


Reference

Joomla

Main site – http://joomla.org

Language extensions - http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/languages/translations-for-

joomla

Joomla components for translations

JoomFish – http://www.joomfish.net

JoomCAT – http://www.joomcat.com

Trados / Tag Editor

SDL International – http://www.sdl.com


Copyright and disclaimer

Trados, Tag Editor e SDLX are registered trade marks owned by SDL International. All

other brands mentioned are property of the related owners.

The author of this publication has no business relationship of any kind with the distributors,

suppliers and producers of the products mentioned.

The contents of this publication may be changed without warning.

The contents of this publication are supplied for information and shall not constitute any

warranty, either direct or implicit, of feasibility or suitability for the reader’s needs.

The author of this publication cannot be held responsible for any damage o missed profit

due to the use of the information contained within or the use of products mentioned.

Any unauthorized reproduction of this publication without written authorization of the

authors is strictly forbidden and shall be prosecuted by applicable laws.

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