Translating the Language of Project Comments
Comments and descriptions in a project can be translated into any national language, thus supporting, for example, maintenance and commissioning without language barrier.
Main benefits of the project translation management are:
New languages can be added to each project depending on your needs.
Comments entered in any language cannot get lost in the other languages as they are automatically inserted as placeholders (*N/A*) indicating that a translation is necessary.
Project comments and descriptions can be exported/imported to/from a translation file, thus enabling, for example, external database-supported translation.
The set comment language is independent of the user interface language.
Basically, the translation process is divided into the following steps:
Step 1: Add a new language
Select 'Project > Project Translation Management'.
In the 'Project Translation Management' dialog, select 'Add Language'.
When adding a new language the first time, first the 'Select current project language' dialog opens. Here, you have to select the present comment language and click 'OK'.
In the 'Add Project Language' dialog, select the new (target) language and click 'OK'.
In the 'Copy Project Language' dialog, select the source language from where existing text shall be copied to the new language.
Meaning of the 'Copy ...' checkbox:
Selected: comments and content of description worksheets are copied from the source language (which is selected in the drop-down combo box) to the new target language.
Cleared: text existing in the selected source language is not copied to the new target language. Instead, the (*N/A*) placeholder is inserted for each comment which is available in the source language indicating that a translation is necessary.
The new added language can be selected in the 'Change Project Language' dialog in order to switch to this language (see step 5 below). Of course it still contains text in the source language that is not yet translated.
Step 2: Export the translatable text strings into a translation file (csv format)
To export all project comments and descriptions into a so-called project translation file, proceed as follows:
Select 'Project > Project Translation Management'.
If a worksheet contains unsaved modifications you are asked to save them. Notice that only stored data is exported.
In the 'Project Translation Management' dialog click 'Export'.
In the 'Select Export File' dialog, select the desired destination directory, enter the name of the export file, and confirm the dialog to start the text export.
The next step is to open the export file and translate it either manually or with the help of a translation tool.
Step 3: Translate the project translation file
The project translation file is stored in the .csv (comma separate value) format. It can be edited using a suitable editor or, e.g., Microsoft® Excel. If you open it with MS Excel, the comma separated values of all lines are shown as columns.
NOTE:
When saving the csv file after translation (e.g., in MS Excel), make certain that the file format and information structure is not modified. For example, the quotation marks (") enclosing the translatable text must not be deleted.
If using Microsoft Excel: save the translation file as "Comma delimited csv file" before starting the translation.
NOTE:
Depending on the needed languages, you have to use an editor that can handle the needed character set, such as a unicode capable editor.
The translation can be done manually or by the help of a specific tool, such as a database supported translation tool.
Structure of the translation file:
In the first line, the column headers are displayed. Below the header, one line appears for each translatable text.
In the first column, the origin of the text is specified, i.e., its path within the project.
This information must not be modified.
Examples:
\POE\MAIN\CODE = text is stored in the code worksheet of the 'Main' POU.
\POE\MAIN\VARIABLES = comment is stored in the 'Main' variables worksheet.
\C\PLC\R\CPU\GLOBAL_VARIABLES = description of a variable is stored in the global variables worksheet.
The second column contains a unique text ID.
This information must not be modified.
From the third column, the text itself is stored. For each added language one column is available beginning with the original project language. Each of these columns can be translated into the language specified in the respective column header.
NOTE:
(*N/A*) placeholders (in worksheets, they represent comments entered in another language) are not present in the csv file. Instead, the corresponding field is empty ("").
When translating the file, for example, using an ASCII editor, the quotation marks (") enclosing the translatable text must not be deleted.
Step 4: Re-import the translated csv file
Select 'Project > Project Translation Management'.
In the 'Project Translation Management' dialog, click 'Import'.
In the 'Select Import File' dialog, select the desired import file and confirm.
In the 'Import Project Translation' dialog, mark the project language(s) you want to import and confirm the dialog. The dialog provides the languages contained in the translation file. You can import one or more languages at the same time.
Step 5: Switch to the new project language
The set language is shown on the right in the status bar.
Select 'Project > Change Project Language'.
In the 'Change Project Language' dialog, select the desired language.
The languages that have been added before via the 'Project Translation Management' dialog are listed for selection.
NOTE:
If (*N/A*) is visible in a worksheet, this is a placeholder for a comment that was entered in another language but was not translated.
NOTE:
To remove a language, select 'Project > Project Translation Management' and click 'Remove Language'.
