What is XLIFF, and how can I translate XLIFF files?
This article covers the following topics which will help you learn how to translate XLIFF files:
Below you'll get more information about each topic:
About XLIFF
XLIFF is a bilingual file format that is often used in the translation industry and stands for XML Localization Interchange File Format. It is based on the markup language XML.
What’s special about XLIFF? The file contains the original source text as well as its translation.
These texts are stored in the elements called <source> and <target>. The <source> element contains the original source text, while the translation is stored in the <target> element.
Both elements are child elements of a parent element called <segment>.
Translating XLIFF files with DeepL
XLIFF is a supported file format for our document translation feature. It is currently supported on the web translator, in the desktop apps, and with our API.
It is only available for the following plans: DeepL Pro Advanced, DeepL Pro Ultimate, DeepL API Free, and DeepL API Pro. More information about all supported document formats can be found in this article.
DeepL Pro Advanced and Ultimate subscribers can translate XLIFF files by using the document translation feature.
DeepL API Free and Pro subscribers can translate XLIFF files by using /document requests. Please consult our API documentation to learn how you can translate XLIFF files with the DeepL API.
When translating XLIFF files with DeepL, all texts stored in <source> elements will be considered for the translation.
All <source> elements with a state attribute value other than initial or empty elements will be ignored for the translation.
The translations will be placed in a <target> element and will be part of the same parent element <segment> as the respective <source> element. The translated file will contain the original source text and the translations.
Your XLIFF file was not translated correctly
Please note that only files with the version 2.1 are supported on DeepL.
When translating XLIFF files with DeepL, <segment> elements will be considered for translation if
- the state attribute value is something other than initial or missing
- the <source> element contains text
The target language will be changed according to the selected target language in the translator.
If you choose another target language for XLIFF translation on DeepL than defined in the source XLIFF file, segments will be translated irrespective of their state attribute value. Also, the trgLang attribute in the translated XLIFF file will be updated accordingly.