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Target Languages per File

Clients often send several files in one order, but not every file needs every language: the user-interface strings may go to all markets while a store page is only for Spain. With target languages per file, whoever places the order picks the languages for each file. The quote, the word counts and the automatically created jobs then cover only the file and language combinations that were actually requested.

Turning On Target Languages per File

The option is off by default. You turn it on for each user option of an order form, in the same place as the other upload settings.

Follow these steps to turn it on:

  1. Go to Settings > Client Portal > New Order Form and click Configure.

  2. Click Select next to the order form, then click the tab of the user option you want to change under User Options.

  3. In the General Settings tab, find the Settings section. Below Allow multiple deadlines, tick User can set target languages individually per file next to Allow target languages per file.

  4. Click OK to save the order form.

Turning the option on doesn't split orders by language. If per-file deadlines are also enabled, orders are still split by deadline as before.

Target languages per file is available only in the New Order Form. Orders placed through the Wordbee Translator API, the Classic Order Form, custom order forms built for a specific client, and MT Hive post-editing orders work as before. The feature doesn't add any access rights: existing order access and the Show Cost Details setting still decide who sees what.

Choosing Languages for Each File When Ordering

Clients ordering in the client portal can choose languages per file, and so can managers who place an order on a client's behalf. The Adjust target languages by file checkbox appears next to Adjust deadline by file once the order has at least two files and at least two target languages.

Follow these steps to choose languages per file:

  1. Select the order's target languages and upload the source files.

  2. Tick Adjust target languages by file. A Target languages column appears in the list of uploaded files, between Text filter and Deadline.

  3. For each file that needs fewer languages, open its picker and untick the languages it doesn't need. The picker lists only the order's target languages. Every file starts with All, and at least one language must stay ticked. The column shows All, a single language, or the first language in alphabetical order followed by +N more.

  4. Click Next to see Preview counts and cost, then confirm the order. If the form skips the preview step, the order is confirmed directly.

Keeping the order consistent

The form keeps each file's choices aligned with the order's target languages:

  • Adding an order language: files set to All include it automatically. Files with a narrower selection show it unticked.

  • Removing an order language: it disappears from every picker. A file that is left with no language goes back to All.

  • Unticking Adjust target languages by file: every file goes back to All. The same happens if the order drops below two files or two target languages, or if the option is turned off.

Before the counts are calculated, the form checks that every order language is used by at least one file. If one isn't, a message names it, for example: Spanish is not selected for any file. Remove it from the order's target languages or select it for at least one file.

Choices are saved in a file named languages.selection.md (see below), so a source file can't use that name while files have custom languages. If one does, the form stops and asks you to rename the file or turn off target languages by file.

Counts and costs

The Preview counts and cost step shows word counts, costs and counts details only for the requested file and language combinations. Files that can't be counted, such as audio files, are listed only under the languages chosen for them. The File(s) summary still lists every uploaded source file.

What Happens After the Order Is Submitted

Automatic processing

When the order form creates the project automatically, each file is prepared only for its chosen languages. This applies to both Standard and Codyt projects. Jobs (Standard) and workflow tasks (Codyt) are grouped exactly as they would be without per-file languages: the only difference is that combinations nobody asked for are left out.

For example, one file is ordered for all languages (French, German and Spanish), one for French and German, and one for Spanish only. On a workflow that groups files by language, you get three jobs: French with two files, German with two files and Spanish with two files.

If the XLIFF option Auto-detect target language from XLIFF and route only to matching languages is enabled, an XLIFF file is processed only for languages that were chosen for it and that also match its declared target language. A file that matches none of its chosen languages is skipped with a warning.

The order page

When at least one file has a custom selection, the Languages section of the order shows an extra row below Target languages:

Target languages by file: 3 files with a custom selection; 10 using all target languages.

The row shows counts only and doesn't list the files. Anyone who can already see the order can see it. Changing the order's Target languages field later doesn't change the saved choices.

The selection file

The choices are saved in a readable file named languages.selection.md. It is placed in two locations:

  • The order's Documents section, next to the source files.

  • The source-language folder of the project's Documents tab, when the order created a project.

The file contains a simple table with each source file and its target locales. Files set to All are listed with every language written out:

Filename

Target locales

ui_strings.xlsx

fr-FR, de-DE

trailer_vo.docx

fr-FR

store_page.html

fr-FR, de-DE, es-ES

The selection file is supporting information. It isn't translated, word counted or included in jobs. The file is created only when at least one file has a custom selection.

If per-file deadlines split the order into several orders, each order keeps its own files, its own selection file and its own summary row, even when it holds a single file. A project that receives files from several of those orders gets the selections for all of its source files.

Preparing the Files Manually in the Project

When you prepare the files yourself in the Prepare file(s) for translation popup, the saved choices are used as starting values. This works the same way in Standard and Codyt projects. The selection file in the project's source-language folder provides the defaults, and you can always tick or untick any available language before you confirm.

  • One file: its saved languages are preselected, as long as they are available in the project.

  • A file that is not in the selection file, or no selection file at all: the usual default applies, which is every available language.

  • Several files with different saved languages: the popup has one language selector for all selected files, so it preselects the combined languages. A message appears above the selector: These files have different saved target languages. The languages selected below will be applied to every file. To keep each file's individual selection, prepare the files separately. For example, if one file was ordered for French and another for German, both languages are ticked and both files are prepared for French and German unless you change the selection.

  • Saved languages that the project doesn't have: they are ignored. If none of a file's saved languages are available, nothing is preselected and you choose at least one language yourself.

  • A selection file that can't be read: if the table isn't in the expected format, the whole file is ignored and the usual defaults apply. No warning is shown.

The saved languages are defaults, not limits. Whatever you select in the popup is what gets prepared. When you prepare a new version of a file, the usual behavior applies: if you switch to Create new version before changing any languages, the selector goes back to every available language.

If the order didn't create a project, the selection file stays with the order. What happens next depends on how the project is created:

  • Standard project: when you create the project from the order with Attach to project... and leave Copy all files to new project ticked, the selection file is copied along with the source files. Its choices are preselected when you prepare the files.

  • Codyt project, or a Standard project created with Copy all files to new project unticked: you copy the files to the project yourself with Copy files from/to project. To keep the saved choices, include languages.selection.md and copy it to the source-language folder itself, not to a subfolder.

If the project's source-language folder has no selection file, the popup uses its usual defaults.

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