Modern PUBNiTO and its instances support multi-lingual interfaces as well as books in different or mix of languages.
In this article we will explain which parts of store and reader can be translated and how.
Please study this in order to learn more about roles in PUBNiTO store management.
Every aspect of PUBNiTO store reader and their instances are translatable or can accept multiple languages.
Superadmin related translations
Frontend:
Frontend means all systemic items that any user of the store or reader sees. By systemic we mean all terms which are common to all instances of PUBNiTO.
Backend:
Backend refers to storeadmin dashboard, which is only visible to the administrator of your instance or Vendor’s dashboard which is only visible to the vendors.
Frontend and Backend terms and strings are common in all instances of PUBNiTO. They must be translated and passed to the superadmin of PUBNiTO to upload into the system.
Translate the main bulk of strings for both frontend and backend:
At the time of writing of this help article, we use two products in order to facilitate translation. Your translators are able to use any of the existing languages as the reference point, and deploy translators to do the job
LOCIZE: This will soon be deprecated. However, we are still using LOCIZE in order to translated our frontend. We will provide an account (or more) for your translators in order to access LOCIZE and start translation. However, if your translator prefers to have a list of strings in Excel or WORD, we can provide that as well. Once translation is completed, we will batch upload the approved list.
PUBNiTO Superadmin: All backend strings will be translated inside the super admin. We will provide your translator with a special account which only permits translations. Soon, frontend translations will also be done inside super admin dashboard. Even if you have not yet launched your new store in your desired language, as long as the super admin adds your language option, you will be able to see entries in front of your languages along with entries for other languages. These Entries for your language will all be blank until the super admin uploads your previously translated texts, or your translator starts adding them here. This sometimes help in preparing and editing your translations to match the real meaning of the string.
The super admin dashboard page even allows you to add new words. For example, if you later on find that something is missed during translation and instead of looking like a user-friendly string (eg: “Click this”) it looks like its original variable (eg: “Click_this” which we call a “key”), you can add a new Key and add the correct string for its representation in your language.
If your translator prefers to have a list of strings in Excel or WORD, we can provide that as well. Once translation is completed, we will batch upload the approved list.
Once all translated strings are added and made ready, storeadmin can ask PUBNiTO superadmin to launch the new language. However, the translation is not finished yet.
If you are in process of adding a new language to your existing store, then the store will continue with its default language and any other languages which had already been added. The new language is not live yet.
Activating a new Language by Storeadmin
Once storeadmin feels confident that most or all strings are ready, he or she can activate the new language in the dashboard:
- Click setting to see main setting window
- Click add language to go to the next page
- This is the default language of store
Next the store admin adds details for the new language. We are showing this in two parts as lots of information needs to be added to introduce the new language.
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At this stage you will be able to see the added language as part of store and reader menu or footnote.
So, you have not rolled out the new language. However, the main and crucial part remains.
Storeadmin related translations
Localization:
Once a language is added to an existing instance or to a completely new instance, the storeadmin may want to modify some terms in order to match their locale. Many of the terms which are related to Frontend and Backend are localizable.
To do so, the store admin may enter dashboard and select Translations. Here you can select either frontend or backend. Any changes you make will override what the superadmin has previously uploaded.
Dictionary:
This is a collection of terms defined by a store owner (storeadmin) and can be different from one store to another. They are added to the store, by the storeadmin when the instance is created. However, must be translated to languages which are added to an instance. They include:
- Subject
- Attribute
- Attribute Possible Value
- Collection
- Author Type
We recommend that you prepare a list of these items and have them translated and ready before you activate a new language. This helps you add all these translations as quickly as possible and avoid any disruption to services in your users select the new language while watching the store.
Also note that, if something is not translated, the default language value is automatically used.
Non-Dictionary:
The store admin can continue to adjust the store and introduce the new languages into deeper levels. The followings are two cases that the storeadmin cab decide to invest time and effort:
- Author information
- Collection information
Each of these components, have parts which are translatable. Otherwise, the default language data will be varied over. So, if for example, if you are introducing Mandarin to your store, it is a very wise investment to make sure authors bio as well as many other information is also translated to keep a consistent view of the store.
Vendor related translations
Each of these components, have parts which are translatable. Otherwise, the default language data will be varied over. When you are introducing a new language to your store, it is a very wise investment to make sure the following information is also translated to keep a consistent view of the store and reach out to your new clients:
- Vendor information
- Collection information
- Book Metadata
One item which requires a mention here is the Tag that we use in our book metadata:
As you see two items can be directly translated by the vendor when he or she is adding the metadata of a book.
However, tags are not for translation. The reason being that you might have a mix of tags in different languages. Tags also do not carry forward automatically from default language to the new one.
So, once you enable language feature for metadata, you need to review your tags and decide which one should be kept or added for each language.
Note: You might have used Tags as a means of selecting some books to show in your store front. Therefore, it is important that you pay a special attention to tags.