Bulk Importing Translations

For large initial translation efforts or external translation services, the Data Import wizard supports a Translation Studio target. Download the current translation template as a CSV, edit offline (in-house or with an external translator), and upload the completed file. The wizard validates and applies the translations as a single import job.

For ongoing or small edits, use the Studio editor instead. See Translating Portal Content.

Translation Categories Supported in Data Import

The Translation Studio target in Data Import supports four categories:

Downloading the Template

1. Open the Data Import wizard at Setup > Manage > Import Data and click New Import.
2. Select the Translation Studio target.
3. Select the translation category. If you chose Entity, also select the entity.
4. Select the target language.
5. Click Download Sample CSV Template.

The template CSV contains every translatable item for the selected category, language, and (where applicable) entity. Each row has the source (master) value and an empty cell for the target language translation. Rows that are already translated are pre-filled so you can review and update without losing existing work.

Editing the CSV

• Fill in the target-language column. Leave rows you don't want to change as-is (with the existing value) or empty (to skip).
• Use UTF-8 encoding to preserve accented characters and non-Latin scripts.
• Don't modify the source column or the ID columns; the import uses them to match each row to the correct item.
• Save as CSV (comma-delimited). Tab and pipe delimiters are also supported — declare the delimiter on upload.

Uploading and Running the Import

1. In the Data Import wizard, upload the completed CSV.
2. Confirm the encoding (UTF-8 by default) and delimiter.
3. Proceed through the wizard's preview and review steps.
4. Click Start Import. Progress is shown in real time; the import runs in the background and can be monitored from Import History.

The import job reports per-row success and failure counts. Only rows with non-empty translation values are processed. Empty cells are skipped, preserving any existing translation for that row.

Reviewing Results

When the job completes, the Results page shows total processed, succeeded, and failed counts. Download the failure file to see which rows failed and why. Common failure causes:

• The source language item no longer exists (e.g., a field was deleted between download and upload).
• The target language is no longer active.
• The translation value exceeds the maximum length for the item type.

Fix the failed rows in the failure file and re-upload it to retry just those rows.

Reviewing the Translations Afterward

Open the Translation Studio (Setup > Manage > Translation Studio) in the same language to confirm the imported translations are in place. The Studio is the authoritative view of every translation regardless of how it was created.

Best Practices

• Translate one category at a time. Keep CSV files focused (e.g., one file for Apps, one per entity for Entity translations). Smaller files are easier to validate.
• Coordinate with translators on terminology. Provide your Custom Labels file early so brand and product names stay consistent across all categories.
• Test with Login As before announcing the new language to end users.

Troubleshooting Tips

• If the template download is empty, confirm there are translatable items in the selected category (e.g., the entity has fields, the portal has Custom Labels, etc.).
• If many rows fail with "language not active", confirm the target language is enabled in Language Settings.
• For full symptom-by-symptom resolutions, see Translation Studio Troubleshooting and Data Import History and Troubleshooting.

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