APIs and Offline Translation

The Lingotek API makes it easy for integrators to export/re-import vendor-assigned tasks from/to the Lingotek TMS, so that they can be translated within a third-party CAT tool.

API Diagrams

There are two different flows that integrators can use for supporting offline translation using Lingotek's API:

Polling Lingotek for Tasks

Receiving Callbacks when Tasks Are Available to Work On

Example API Responses

GET /task

{
  "class": [
    "tasks",
    "Collection"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "limit": 10,
    "total": 1,
    "offset": 0,
    "size": 1
  },
  "entities": [
    {
      "class": [
        "task"
      ],
      "rel": [
        "task"
      ],
      "properties": {
        "project_name": "example.com",
        "translation_locale": "fr-FR",
        "title": "Example Document",
        "document_name": "example_document.txt",
        "author_email": "",
        "author_name": "",
        "business_division": "",
        "business_unit": "",
        "campaign_id": "",
        "campaign_rating": 0,
        "contact_email": "",
        "contact_name": "",
        "content_description": "",
        "domain": "http://example.com",
        "external_application_id": "a79ee237-4c69-4126-946d-cf9cfcf13ef1",
        "external_document_id": "40",
        "external_style_id": "",
        "purchase_order": "",
        "reference_url": "http://example.com/document",
        "weighted_words": null,
        "words": 1209,
        "document_id": "20f93bc9-ed5d-45af-c225-1e4384d73408",
        "translation_id": "682ee649-9449-2925-8f2a-c2ff76b0fe43",
        "project_id": "ccc57f52-2f92-418f-b884-8348e95c1be9",
        "content_type": "node",
        "progress": 0,
        "status": "WAITING",
        "id": "4186f3d5-c335-4e04-a123-94d40cdd20af",
        "channel": "",
        "region": ""
      },
      "links": [
        {
          "rel": [
            "self"
          ],
          "href": "/task/4186f3d5-c335-4e04-a123-94d40cdd20af"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    {
      "rel": [
        "self"
      ],
      "href": "/task?offset=0&limit=10"
    }
  ]
}

GET /task/{id}/content

"<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?> <xliff xmlns="urn:oasis:names:tc:xliff:document:1.2" version="1.2" xmlns:lgtk="http://www.lingotek.com/xliff/1.2"> ... </xliff>"

PATCH /task/{id}/content

{
  "processes": [
    "78f0e4d3-ee66-4b81-2aed-a621e46afe2a"
  ]
}

GET /process/{id}

{
  "class": [
    "process"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "title": "example_document_task.xlf",
    "duration": 27,
    "progress": 100,
    "status": "COMPLETED",
    "id": "78f0e4d3-ee66-4b81-2aed-a621e46afe2a"
  },
  "links": [
    {
      "rel": [
        "self"
      ],
      "href": "/process/78f0e4d3-ee66-4b81-2aed-a621e46afe2a"
    }
  ]
}

GET /document/{id}/translation/{locale}

{
  "class": [
    "translation"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "locale_code": "fr-FR",
    "start_date": 1510699127794,
    "complete_date": 0,
    "percent_complete": 50,
    "due_date": 0,
    "status": "IN_PROGRESS",
    "id": "682ee649-9449-2925-8f2a-c2ff76b0fe43"
  },
  "entities": [
    {
      "class": [
        "phases",
        "Collection"
      ],
      "rel": [
        "phases"
      ],
      "properties": {
        "limit": 2,
        "total": 2,
        "offset": 0,
        "size": 2
      },
      "entities": [
        {
          "class": [
            "phase"
          ],
          "rel": [
            "phase"
          ],
          "properties": {
            "auto_skip": true,
            "percent_completed": 0,
            "start_date": 0,
            "complete_date": 0,
            "is_completed": false,
            "due_date": 0,
            "status": "WAITING",
            "order": 2,
            "name": "Test",
            "id": "4186f3d5-c335-4e04-a123-94d40cdd20af",
            "type": "TRANSLATION"
          },
          "entities": [
            {
              "class": [
                "team_assignees",
                "Collection"
              ],
              "rel": [
                "team_assignees"
              ],
              "properties": {
                "limit": 0,
                "total": 0,
                "offset": 0,
                "size": 0
              }
            },
            {
              "class": [
                "assignees",
                "Collection"
              ],
              "rel": [
                "assignees"
              ],
              "properties": {
                "limit": 1,
                "total": 1,
                "offset": 0,
                "size": 1
              },
              "entities": [
                {
                  "class": [
                    "assignee"
                  ],
                  "rel": [
                    "assignee"
                  ],
                  "properties": {
                    "name": "Jack Robbins",
                    "id": "3423c9ec2-2ce3-264a-e181-9e9335c2dfff"
                  }
                }
              ]
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "class": [
            "phase"
          ],
          "rel": [
            "phase"
          ],
          "properties": {
            "auto_skip": true,
            "percent_completed": 100,
            "start_date": 1510699127794,
            "complete_date": 1510699130643,
            "is_completed": true,
            "due_date": 0,
            "status": "READY",
            "order": 1,
            "name": "Translate",
            "id": "74f26f12-99c7-4e44-8873-1d380aa8735e",
            "type": "TRANSLATE"
          },
          "entities": [
            {
              "class": [
                "team_assignees",
                "Collection"
              ],
              "rel": [
                "team_assignees"
              ],
              "properties": {
                "limit": 0,
                "total": 0,
                "offset": 0,
                "size": 0
              }
            },
            {
              "class": [
                "assignees",
                "Collection"
              ],
              "rel": [
                "assignees"
              ],
              "properties": {
                "limit": 0,
                "total": 0,
                "offset": 0,
                "size": 0
              }
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "class": [
        "locale",
        "fr"
      ],
      "rel": [
        "locale"
      ],
      "properties": {
        "title": "French, France",
        "language_code": "fr",
        "country_code": "FR",
        "code": "fr-FR",
        "language": "French",
        "country": "France"
      },
      "links": [
        {
          "rel": [
            "self"
          ],
          "href": "/locale/fr-FR"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Example HTTP Notification

Request Origin: Lingotek

Request Destination: Integrator

Query Params

GET {callback_url}?doc_author_name=j.doe&locale_code=fr-FR&doc_content_description=&target_id=db65816a-e854-4b3e-b4f4-9eea10bae34c&doc_campaign_id=&document_id=20f93bc9-ed5d-45af-c225-1e4384d73408&phase_name=test&doc_purchase_order=&doc_mts=1537211244114&doc_business_unit=&doc_external_style_id=&projectId=60314&original_project_id=0&doc_cts=1537210928500&doc_channel=&doc_business_division=&locale=fr_FR&targetId=14638015&doc_domain_type=http%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fdocument&doc_campaign_rating=0.0&doc_region=&complete=true&community_id=1c5f137b-d9d1-44c3-8ff0-24d0460943bb&progress=100&doc_content_type=pdf&project_id=ccc57f52-2f92-418f-b884-8348e95c1be9&status=COMPLETE&doc_reference_url=http%3A%2F%2F919bbbff.ngrok.io%2Fd84x%2Fd842b%2Fnode%2F1&documentId=5332301&type=target&doc_status=COMPLETE&doc_external_document_id=1&doc_contact_email=&doc_contact_name=&doc_external_application_id=a79ee237-4c69-4126-946d-cf9cfcf13ef1

Downloading Tasks

Use the following API calls to view and export your tasks. 

• GET /task allows you to view the list of tasks assigned to you in the TMS.
• GET /task/{id}/content downloads the XLIFF for a given task.

Keep in mind the following as you are exporting tasks:

• Via the UI, a user is not able to download tasks (XLIFF files) that aren't in their Task List. Likewise, the API calls will need to authenticate using the credentials of the user to whom the task is assigned in Lingotek.
• You can only download XLIFF for 'Active' tasks (i.e. tasks that are ready to be worked on, but have not been skipped, canceled or 'marked complete' within Lingotek).

Editing XLIFF files

While you are editing the XLIFF files you should be aware of the following, so that you can re-import the files back into the TMS when you are finished editing:

• We follow the XLIFF 1.2 specification
• Be sure not to modify the number of trans-units, their order or identifiers
• Adding style to the corrections is not advisable. For example, if a translation were to change from "dog" to "puppy", "puppy" should simply replace "dog" and not be something like "dogpuppy."
• Do not merge or split segments within your tool. If our system detects that one or more segments were merged or split, the re-import will fail.

Attributes and metadata

• On export, we add a lgtk:phaseUUID attribute in the header of the XLIFF. This is what we match on when you re-import the XLIFF. Be sure that you do not remove this attribute. 

  If the lgtk:phaseUUID attribute is missing, you will not be able to successfully re-import the XLIFF file.

• The XLIFF files you download from Lingotek's TMS will only ever correspond to one target language. As such it is important that if you have an xml:lang for a segment it should match the target language in the header.

• Lingotek doesn't import any meta from the uploaded XLIFF. All we do is extract and import the translations form the trans-units. We do not import anything else from the XLIFF.
  

  Example

  'Last Modified' dates for each segment translation will be set in our system based on the upload time. There is no need to add a modified date to a segment.

• All target attributes are optional, however, below is more information about target attributes if you include them. 
  • state: Different behavior can happen on XLIFF re-import depending on the state attribute.
  • xml:lang: If present, this should contain the locale code for the target locale, which is defined in the <file> tag's "target-language" attribute.
  • state-qualifier: This helps to clarify the origin of the translation. Click here for instructions on how to make these values appear in SDL Trados Studio. 

  • phase-name: This provides clarification as to which phase this target is in. The export provides a number, which has a description in the <phase group> section in the <header>. 
    

    Example

    phase-name="1" might correspond to the following in the header: <phase phase-name="1" process-name="Translate"/>

    
    

• mrk: <mrk> is optional, but if present, there must only be one per target, and it must surround the entire segment. If there is more than one <mrk> segment in a <target>, the import fails. If there is one that does not completely encapsulate the segment, only the text within the <mrk> is imported. 

  Example

  Correct: <target...><mrk mtype="seg">This is my translation</mrk></target>

  Incorrect: <target...>This <mrk mtype="seg">text</mrk> is translated</target> (Will only import "text")

  Incorrect: <target...><mrk mtype="seg">This is one</mrk><mrk mtype="seg">too many mrk tags.</mrk></target>

• mid: Optional. Used as an identifier for a specific <mrk> within the target.
• mtype: REQUIRED. This is required by the XLIFF 1.2 specification. It describes the type of <mrk>. The export uses "seg" as the mtype. If mtype is not present, the import will fail.

Uploading A Completed Task

Upon completing a Task outside of Lingotek's TMS, it is a simple process to push them back into the TMS. The following API calls will re-import content into the TMS. View the documentation here to troubleshoot any errors you may receive when uploading tasks to the TMS. 

• PATCH /task/content
• PATCH /task/{id}/content

Keep the following in mind as you re-import XLIFF file(s) to complete your assigned task(s):

Process Completions

• PATCH /task/content and PATCH /task/{id}/content both schedule new jobs in the TMS for executing the the re-import process.
• The IDs for the re-import process(es) are included in the API response.
• GET /process/{id} can be used to get the status of a given process (e.g. to check if it failed or not; or if it successfully finished).

File Structure

• Be sure that the structure of the XLIFF has not changed. 

• We accept both zip folders containing XLIFF files or single XLIFF files.
  

  When you re-import a zip folder of XLIFF files, we ignore the folder structure entirely. We simply use the lgtk:phaseUUID attribute in each of the XLIFF files to programmatically match each XLIFF file with the applicable tasks in your Task List.

  
  

• We only re-import the translations and not any metadata from the XLIFF that may have been added to the file.

  Re-importing completed XLIFF files to the TMS has the same effect as if you had worked within Lingotek's Workbench to perform the translations/edits. 

Authentication

• Via the UI, a user is not able to re-import XLIFF for a task that isn't in their Task List. Likewise, the API calls will need to authenticate using the credentials of the user to whom the task is assigned in Lingotek.
• Authorship is attributed to the user re-importing the tasks through the API. 
• You can only re-import XLIFF for 'Active' tasks (i.e. tasks that are ready to be worked on, but have not been skipped, canceled or 'marked complete' within Lingotek).

Effect on the TMS

• Existing translations in the phase are overwritten by the ones in the imported XLIFF file.

  A revision history for each segment is available in our Workbench.

• When reviewing translations in a third-party CAT tool, you should always re-import the XLIFF file to the TMS even if you didn't need to make any edits to the translations. Re-importing an unedited XLIFF lets the TMS know that the assigned task was completed and did not need any edits; and will be reflected as such in your Task List upon successfully re-importing the XLIFF file. 
• If there is no translation for a segment when the XLIFF file was downloaded, and there still is not a translation when it is re-imported back into the TMS, the import process will skip over that segment and it will appear as a non-translated segment.
• If a segment has a translation in the XLIFF upon download, but the <target> is blank upon re-import, the TMS will keep the previous translation.