Translate Your Curriculum

This guide walks you through translating your curriculum into additional languages, from initial setup through maintaining translations over time.

Overview

CurryCMS supports full curriculum translation with:

• Multiple locales per curriculum
• Attribute-level translation for rich text and strings
• Translation inheritance in variants
• Translation status tracking per node
• Side-by-side editing for translator efficiency

Prerequisites

Before translating:

• Have a complete (or stable) source curriculum
• Know your target language(s)
• Have translators available or a translation workflow
• Confirm your account has the target locales enabled

Step 1: Enable Target Locales

Check Available Locales

1. Navigate to Account Settings → Locales
2. Review enabled locales
3. Request additional locales from your admin if needed

Verify Curriculum Locale Support

1. Open your curriculum
2. Check Settings → Locales
3. Ensure target languages are enabled for this curriculum

Step 2: Understand What Gets Translated

Translatable Content

Non-Translatable Content

Step 3: Set Up Your Translation Workflow

Option A: Direct Translation

For small curricula or internal translators:

1. Switch to target locale in the editor
2. Translate content directly in CurryCMS
3. Save and move to next node

Option B: Export/Import

For external translators or translation services:

1. Export content for translation
2. Send to translators
3. Import completed translations
4. Review in CurryCMS

Option C: Side-by-Side

For efficient in-app translation:

1. Open the translation view
2. Source language displays on left
3. Enter translation on right
4. Save and continue

Step 4: Translate Content

Basic Translation Process

1. Open your curriculum
2. Switch locale using the locale selector
3. Navigate to a node
4. For each translatable field:
   • View the source text
   • Enter the translation
   • Maintain formatting (bold, lists, etc.)
5. Save the node
6. Repeat for all nodes

Translation Status Indicators

Each node shows translation status:

Handling Rich Text

When translating rich text:

• Preserve structure - Keep headings, lists, tables
• Match formatting - Bold, italic, links
• Adjust length - Translations may be longer/shorter
• Check links - Internal links should work in all locales

Translating Glossary Terms

Glossary terms need separate translation:

1. Navigate to Glossary
2. Select a term
3. Switch to target locale
4. Enter translated term and definition
5. Save

Glossary usages automatically use the translated term.

Step 5: Handle Special Cases

Numbers and Formatting

Some content may need locale-specific formatting:

Adjust formatting conventions for your target locale.

Embedded Examples

If content includes language-specific examples:

English:

"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."


Spanish (culturally adapted):

"El veloz murciélago hindú comía feliz cardillo y kiwi."


Adapt examples to be natural in the target language.

Cross-References

Internal cross-references work across locales. Ensure referenced content is also translated for a consistent experience.

Step 6: Track Translation Progress

Using the Dashboard

Monitor translation status:

1. Open curriculum dashboard
2. View translation progress by locale
3. Identify nodes needing translation
4. Filter by translation status

Progress Reports

Check overall translation coverage:

Stale Translation Alerts

When source content changes:

1. Dashboard flags affected translations
2. Navigate to flagged nodes
3. Review source changes
4. Update translation as needed
5. Mark as current

Step 7: Quality Assurance

Review Workflow

Use the standard review process for translations:

1. Translator completes translation
2. Submit for review
3. Reviewer (bilingual) checks accuracy
4. Approve or return with feedback
5. Publish when approved

Quality Checklist

• [ ] All nodes have translations
• [ ] No stale translations remain
• [ ] Formatting is preserved
• [ ] Links work correctly
• [ ] Glossary terms are translated
• [ ] Cultural adaptations are appropriate
• [ ] Numbers/dates use correct format

Native Speaker Review

For best quality:

1. Have a native speaker review the full curriculum
2. Check for natural language flow
3. Verify cultural appropriateness
4. Confirm terminology consistency

Step 8: Translations in Variants

Inheritance Behavior

Variant translations follow content inheritance:

Variant Translation Strategy

1. Translate the base curriculum first
2. Create variants after translation
3. Variants inherit translations automatically
4. Only translate variant-specific overrides

Step 9: Publish Translated Content

Create Multilingual Editions

When publishing:

1. Navigate to Editions
2. Click New Edition
3. The edition captures all locales
4. Each locale's translation state is frozen

Locale-Specific Distribution

Editions include all translations. Distribution systems can:

• Serve locale-specific content
• Allow user locale selection
• Default based on user preferences

Maintaining Translations

Ongoing Updates

When source content changes:

1. Update the source language first
2. Check for stale translation flags
3. Update translations to match
4. Re-review if significant changes

Adding New Content

For new nodes:

1. Create content in source language
2. Complete source review workflow
3. Switch to target locale
4. Translate new content
5. Complete translation review

Annual Review

Periodically review all translations:

1. Check for outdated terminology
2. Verify cultural relevance
3. Update examples as needed
4. Refresh stale translations

Common Issues

"Locale not available"

Contact your admin to enable additional locales for your account.

"Translation not saving"

Check that:
- You're in the correct locale
- You have translation permissions
- The field is translatable

"Formatting lost"

Rich text formatting must be re-applied in each locale. Copy-paste may strip formatting.

Tips for Success

1. Translate stable content - Wait until source is reviewed
2. Use consistent terminology - Create a translation glossary
3. Batch by section - Translate complete units together
4. Preserve context - Translations should make sense standalone
5. Test with users - Have target-language users review

Related Documentation:
- Translations - Translation features deep dive
- Glossary Terms - Managing terminology
- Workflow & Review - Review process
- Publishing Editions - Create releases