Multilingual support in the Content Library

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Multilingual support in the Content Library

    The Content Library in ServiceNow’s Yokohama release offers two key multilingual features to support content creation and user experience:Translate contentandSwitch language. These features enable content creators and managers to handle translations for portal content, reusable blocks, notifications, and to-do items, and also allow users to change the interface language of the Content Library.

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    Key Features

    • Switch language: Changes the Content Library interface language, similar to adjusting system language settings. It affects the UI and form field values only if translations exist for those fields.
    • Translate content: Initiates a translation workflow for the selected content types (excluding Calendar content). This sends content for translation into specified languages via the Localization Framework, which can be integrated with third-party translation services if configured.

    Translation Workflow Details

    • The Content manager requests translation and selects target languages.
    • The system generates localization request items (LRITM) and localization tasks (LFTASK) assigned to users with the localizationfulfiller role.
    • Translation progress can be tracked under Localization Framework > My Requested Items.
    • Once translations are complete (Closed complete state), content can be scheduled for publishing using a unified schedule for both original and translated content.

    Switch Language Status Indicators

    • Base language: Default system language.
    • Translated: Content fields and interface have available translations.
    • Not translated: Only the interface language changes; content field values remain in original language.

    Important: Users should switch back to their original language before leaving the page to avoid the interface remaining in the translated language.

    Content Versioning Considerations

    The Switch Language option is available only on the first draft and published content versions when content versioning is enabled. For non-English content creation, customers can either:

    • Disable content versioning temporarily to switch language and enter non-English content directly.
    • Create content in English and use the Translate Content feature to initiate translations.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This multilingual support enables ServiceNow customers to efficiently manage content translations and provide localized experiences for their users. By leveraging these features, organizations can ensure consistent language presentation for both content and interface, streamline translation workflows, and maintain effective content publishing schedules across languages.

    The Content Library includes two features for multilingual content creation: Translate content (content translation workflow) and Switch language (changes the interface language).

    Switch language vs Translate content

    When the Translations and Language switching properties are enabled, the Content Library has two language settings options:
    Switch language
    The Switch language option enables content creators to change the language of the Content Library interface (similar to changing the system language setting).
    Translate content
    The Translate content option sends the content for translation in the specified language.
    For more information on the properties, see Properties installed with Content Publishing.

    Translating content in the Content Library

    After you are done creating content, you can initiate the translation workflow to request translation for your portal, block (re-usable components), notification, or to-do content.
    Note:
    At this time, translation is not available for the Calendar content type.
    The following provides an overview of the base translation workflow. The admin for your company may configure additional translation modes, such as an integration with a third-party service to automate translation.
    Translate content workflow sends a request to the localization user to perform the translation
    1. The Content manager requests content translation from the Content Library or Block content interface and specifies the languages.
    2. The system creates a localization request item (prefix LRITM) for each language selected. Each localization request item has an associated localization task (prefix LFTASK), which is assigned to the user or group with the localization_fulfiller role.

      The Content manager can view the status of the localization request item from the Localization Framework > My Requested Items list.

    3. The user with the localization_fulfiller role performs the translation. For more details, see Fulfill a localization task.
    4. When the localization request item has a Closed complete state, the Content manager can schedule the content for publishing, see Create a publish plan for your content. The system uses the same content schedule for the original and translated content.

    Changing the Content Library interface language

    The Switch language window displays available languages, each appended by one of three possible statuses:
    Base language
    The default language based on system settings.
    Translated
    Indicates that translations are available for the content. This occurs when the content has been translated through the Localization Framework or manually translated in the New Content form fields.

    Selecting this option will translate both the interface and the values entered in the New Content form to the chosen language.

    Not translated
    Translation for the field values is not available. In this case, only the interface language is translated, while the values entered in the form remain unchanged.

    Switching to French-translated option will change the interface text and the user-input values to French

    Note:
    Remember to switch back to your original language before leaving the page, otherwise the ServiceNow interface will continue to appear in the translated language.

    Content versioning and translation

    When content versioning is enabled, the Switch Language button appears only for the first draft version and published content.

    Customers who create content in a non-English language should use of the the following workarounds:
    • Turn off Content versioning, then click the Switch Language button to enter the content in a non-English language.
    • Enter the content in English, then use the Translate Content button to initiate the translation workflow.

    For more information, see Content versioning.