Authoring Time Translation

Authoring Time Translation presents a cost-effective solution for building multi-language bots that require 24/7 activity. This feature employs machine translation services to translate specific elements within bot flows into additional languages during the bot's authoring phase. By leveraging Authoring Time Translation, you can significantly reduce translation costs by utilizing DRUID NLP for each authoring language instead of relying solely on machine translation services for every chat message throughout the bot's lifespan.

How Authoring Time Translation works

The procedure below describes how bots operate with authoring time translation:

  1. The author develops and trains the bot in the default language.
  2. The DRUID Platform automatically translates the default language content into all additional languages configured for the bot using machine translation services.
  3. Users interact with the bot by writing text in a specified language (Language A).
  4. Natural Language Processing (NLP) is performed in Language A as the bot was directly trained in this language.
  5. The chatbot responds with text in Language A.

Authoring Time Translation provides bot authors with great flexibility in customizing desired message translations and restore message translation to machine translation.

Note:  You cannot use multiple machine translation services at the same time for authoring time translation.

Flow elements translated by machine translation

You author the flows and steps in bot default language and on flow / step save, DRUID calls the machine translation service (SDL or Azure Translator, the machine translation service set on the bot) which translates the step messages, choice and hero cards buttons / thumbnails, flow description and training phrases into bot additional languages.

When authoring the flows / steps, the Flow Editor displays by default only the default bot language. After you save the flow / step configuration, you can use the language filtering options to see messages / elements in additional languages:

  • All – see message / element in all bot authoring languages.
  • Custom – see the message/ element in the languages with custom translation (the bot author customized the translation provided by the SDL machine translation).
  • Machine translated – see the message translation provided by the SDL machine translation service.

Flow elements translation particularities

Upon saving flow steps, DRUID copies variables and conditions from the default language to all additional languages, excluding hard-coded messages that remain in the default language and require manual translation.

Example: Step condition

Hint:  Avoid using HTML or XML code sequences in flow steps (in hero cards, messages etc.) as they are not properly translated using machine translation.

Customizing translated messages

Bot authors can customize machine-translated messages by selecting the default language and additional language, making it easier to compare and customize translations. Customized messages are saved as custom translations and are excluded from subsequent automatic translation processes.

Hint:   To prevent bot authors changing machine-translated messages by mistake, all machine-translated messages are by default read-only.

Next to the additional language you selected, click the edit icon () to switch to custom translation.

The messages in selected bot additional language become editable.

Customize the desired machine-translated languages and save the flow / step/ condition.

On save the custom message/element is saved as custom.

The next time you open a flow, you will see the default language and all languages for which you have custom messages/elements.

Note:   Custom translated elements will be skipped from any automatic translation process that might occur on that element.

Restoring custom messages to machine translation

have the option to restore custom messages to machine translation by clicking the Restore icon () displayed in line with the language.

The message becomes read-only in that language and on flow/step save, the message will be automatically translated by the SDL machine translation and it will overwrite the custom translation.

Bot Bulk Translation

Although machine translation occurs upon saving flow steps, bot authors can perform bulk translations for all flows in a single language or across all languages using the Translate button. This feature is beneficial for ensuring translation cost savings and is particularly useful for complex bots.

During bot bulk translation, machine translation services do not translate custom messages and flow elements.

Important!   The bot bulk translation runs asynchronously and it is a long running processes, which depends on the bot complexity (number or flows, number of steps defined on flows, steps configuration). Wait until the process completes (Status is “Success”).

If errors occur, the translation process is stopped and an error message appears in the Languages section. At next bulk translation, the process starts from the beginning, it does not continue from the moment it encountered an error.

Note:   When doing bot bulk translation, the machine translation services does not translate the custom messages and flow elements.