--- title: Optimizely Languages app slug: cms-12/docs/optimizely-languages-app docTags: createdAt: 2026-08-10T15:55:58.000Z --- :::hint{type="info"} **Note** The [Optimizely Digital Experience Platform (DXP)](https://www.episerver.com/products/dxp) contains many features to support you in your daily work. Depending on how your solution is set up, some features described in this documentation may not be available. See [Optimizely World](https://world.optimizely.com/) for technical information. ::: The Optimizely Languages add-on manages languages and translations of content on multi-lingual websites. After an administrator installs and sets up the application (app), you can add Optimizely Languages as a gadget to activate languages for your website, manage language branches, and work with translation. The gadget provides an overview of the language set up for your sites, and you can compare language versions when translating content. It also has a built-in feature for automated content translation, based on a third-party plug-in. ![Alloy track in Swedish](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/w77yy-fnuyO8LeqRv4qFn-20260720-145554.png) ## Set up Optimizely Languages Before you can create content in a language, a system administrator needs to add a language to the website and activate it. ### Activating a language 1. Select **Manage Website Languages** from the Optimizely Languages gadget options. 2. Click the link for a language in the list. If a language is missing in the list, you can add it. 3. Select **Enabled** to activate the language. Under **Users/groups for creation and editing**, you can provide access rights for a specific editor (such as *erin*) or group (such as *CmsEditors*) to work with the language. Each language is available to the **Everyone** group by default, which you can remove. ![Set up Optimizely Languages](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/Ugb9oa60XYEguKnjbHtOa-20260720-145554.png) 4. Click **Save Language** to close the **Manage Website Languages** dialog box. The language is activated on the website and displayed in the Optimizely Languages gadget, but it is not yet available for content creation. ### Enable a language for editing By default **inheritance** from the parent page, the language is available for usage throughout the page tree structure, until changed. This means that when enabling a language for a parent page, the language is enabled also for subpages. 1. Expand the page tree navigation in the left-hand panel and select the page from where you want the language setting to apply. 2. In the Optimizely Languages gadget, select the language you want to activate. 3. In the context menu, select **Enable editing for \[language]**. ![Enable a language for editing](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/LaUvS1MH67qW6ttLQ46Yt-20260720-145554.png) :::Paragraph{indent="1"} You can also enable languages by selecting **Manage Editable Languages for this Content** in the lower-left part of the **Languages** gadget, which brings up the **Language Settings** dialog box. (This is also where you define **fallback** and **replacement** languages for the website. See [Fallback Languages](docId\:DHQJzWUciKUEtGsTCKOBL).) ::: ::Image[]{src="https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/Y3FU_9XDZsioPGqSeHkfY-20260720-145554.png" size="100" alt="Fallback Languages" isUploading="false" showCaption="false" indent="2"} ### Connect to the auto-translation service 1. Subscribe to Azure, if you have not done so already. 2. Register Translator from Cognitive Services. ![Registering Translator](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/6qyyVWCflUgGU74k1pDZQ-20260720-145554.png "Image: Registering Translator") 3. Configure the auto-translate component in Optimizely Languages. Go to **Settings** > **Language Manager**. ![Configure the auto-translate component in Optimizely Languages.](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/cyMeyRV8KP1MKWiq1lqZ--20260720-145554.png) - **Translator Provider** – Select **Cognitive Service Translator**. - **Subscription Key** – Enter the Microsoft subscription key (**Key 1**) from the Azure subscription service. - **Subscription Region** – Enter the **Location** value from the Azure subscription service. 4. Click **Save**. ## Use Optimizely Languages ### View parts of a website in a selected language 1. Select a page from the page tree in the left panel. 2. To see pages that do not exist in the selected language, click the **Show All Languages** link at the bottom of the navigation panel. Pages not existing in the selected viewing language display in italics; replacement or fallback languages (if applied) also display. ![Show All Languages](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/5TokLo_kL-9AbBANL1786-20260720-145554.png) ### Translate content Translate a page or block as follows: 1. Select the page to be translated in the page tree, or open a block from the assets panel. 2. Click **Create** in the Optimizely Languages gadget. ![Optimizely Languages gadget.](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/KEF84FtitFlSwUt-fNrLm-20260720-145554.png) 3. Select from the following translation options: - **Auto-translate** – Content is automatically translated from the master language. This option is available only if the auto-translate component is properly configured on your website. See [Configure auto-translation](docId\:muqlHeANh2QLkgHacA5IU). Carefully review the result before publishing. - **Duplicate content** – Copies content from the master language for you to manually translate. ![Copies content from the master language for you to manually translate](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/HNk1sSOERIdq1j-z72Dsv-20260720-145554.png) - **Start with a blank page** – Create a blank page or block with the title from the master language. You add translated content manually. 4. Add translated content as appropriate. 5. Review and publish the page or block according to the publishing flow in Optimizely CMS. :::hint{type="info"} **Note** New language versions are draft versions, which you need to review and publish manually. ::: ### Replace content with the master language If you created content in a language other than the master language, you can replace the translated content with the master language content. 1. Select the translated page in the page tree. 2. Select the language you want to replace. 3. Confirm the action by clicking **Replace Content**. :::hint{type="danger"} **Warning** You cannot undo this action. ::: ### Create a page in a different master language To create a page that exists only in a specific master language: 1. Select the desired target language in the Optimizely Languages gadget (or the tab in the navigation panel). 2. Expand the page tree navigation in the left-hand panel and select the parent page where you want to create the new page. 3. Select the page type to be used and enter a page name. 4. Review and publish the page according to the publishing flow in Optimizely Content Management System (CMS). ### Compare language versions You can view a side-by-side comparison of a page in two different language versions, which helps you review auto-translated content or manually translate content. 1. Select an existing page to translate in the page tree. 2. Select the desired translation language and the **Compare with \[master language]** option in the Optimizely Languages gadget. 3. Edit the content in the selected language. You cannot edit the master language page from here. ![Edit the content in the selected language.](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/TqrSP32S-q9p6HEjiqOr2-20260720-145554.png) 4. Review and publish the page, or click **Close Compare** or **Replace Selected Content**. ### Delete a language version :::hint{type="danger"} **Warning** You cannot undo this action. ::: 1. In the page tree, select the page from which you want to delete a language version. 2. Open the **Versions** gadget, and select the desired language version. 3. Confirm the deletion. :::hint{type="info"} **Note** You cannot delete the master language version without deleting the entire page. ::: ## Import and export XLIFF files You can add a content item (such as a page or block) to a translation project by drag and drop and via its context menu. After adding content to a project, you can download a zip file containing the project items in XLIFF format (a format used by translation tools). The zip file can then be sent for translation. ![Translation project process](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/6g6bGkbLNh4EntDYre4yJ-20260720-145554.png "Image: Translation project process") When the translations for a project are completed, you should receive the translated files back in a zip file. Upload the file to the server to import content back. After you upload the file to the server, the content is imported automatically by a scheduled job. - A notification to the user is displayed in the user interface after importing a translation package. - The translation folder is under the module root to store uploaded translation packages. - The translation process affects only draft versions. After you create a translation project, you can add content to it from the **Languages** context menu: 1. Select **New Project** from the **Project** menu at the bottom of the browser to create a project for the translation. ![Create new project](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/26gjLpFp3IF6DBhiSGxHZ-20260720-145554.png "Image: Create new project") 2. Give the project a name and click **OK**. The project is automatically enabled. ![Entering a name for the new project](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/LRmLhzqbSKpbllmbUkgXl-20260720-145554.png "Image: Entering a name for the new project") 3. In the page tree, select the page from which you want to translate. 4. Click **Create** next to the language you want to translate in the **Languages** gadget. ![In the page tree, select the page from which you want to translate.](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/gNdPfPlUiV5wVFxsO4rLP-20260720-145554.png) 5. Select the **Duplicate English content** menu item. You also can start with a blank page. The new version is automatically added to your translation project. :::hint{type="info"} **Note** Do not publish the page during this step. ::: 6. If you have already created a target language version and want to add that to a translation project, select **More** > **Add to Translation Project**. An **Add to translation** dialog box displays. 7. Specify the content you want to add to your translation project. ![Specify translation content](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/CWWymljgR243j24E_zOC2-20260720-145554.png "Image: Specify translation content") - **Add to translation project** – Select the project you want to work with. - **Add all children** – Get references to the descendants of the content and add them to the project. - **Add related content that needs a translation** – Add related content items in the content to the project. :::hint{type="info"} **Note** You can combine children and related content included in the translation project. You are notified of this if they are already part of another project. ::: 8. After you finish adding content to your translation project, go to the **Project** menu and click **Overview**. ![Click Overview](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/B-eHIyNCnle2X_TrCch93-20260720-145554.png "Image: Click Overview") 9. Select **Options > Download Translation Package**. A zip file containing XLIFF-formatted content is downloaded, and you can send the package for tool translation. ![A zip file containing XLIFF-formatted content is downloaded, and you can send the package for tool translation.](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/a49Ez1YX-WjNen3uJ01p6-20260720-145554.png) ### Import translation package :::hint{type="info"} **Note** Before uploading the zip file, make sure it does not include any folders. ::: 1. When the translations for the project are done, enable your translation project and select **Options** > **Upload Translation Package(s)** to upload the file (in zip format) to the server and import content back. ![upload the file (in zip format) to the server and import content back](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/NEEi0DWjpk7Tnph-hlgLf-20260720-145554.png) 2. After you upload the packages to the server, they are automatically imported by a scheduled job. If you want to start that process manually, go to **Settings > Scheduled Jobs > Import Translation Packages > Details > Start.** ![start the translation process manually](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/ZIbcFanIBn-tOGiySkUnI-20260720-145554.png) :::Paragraph{indent="1"} A notification is sent to the project owner that the translation project was imported. :::