imc Express automatically translates your entries into any language, or rather into those languages that you have stored in your content. These languages are also referred to as editions in imc Express.

You can create and edit content in any edition in imc Express. Automatic translation always takes place in the background, so you don't usually need to worry about it. Since these translation workflows simplify complex processes, the results may require some explanation.

imc Express follows these rules:

• An entry (regardless of the language) is automatically translated into all other languages.
• If an entry is made manually (for example, when creating a new text or manually changing a text), this text is no longer overwritten by an automatic translation.
• If the text of an element is edited in more than one language, the basis for automatic translations is always the ‘highest-ranking’ language (edition). You can specify the order of languages in imc Express in the project settings.

Examples

The following two examples illustrate how imc Express performs automatic translation. You create content in four languages: German, English, French and Italian. You change the same text element in the different editions. The following happens in the background:

Example 1

1. In the German edition, a new text with the value ‘Eins’ is created. This is automatically translated into all other project languages.
2. Now this text is changed to 'Zwei'. As before, the change is translated into all other project languages.
3. The imc Express user has switched to the English edition and changes the text to 'Three'. Since automatic translations are always carried out from the ‘highest-ranking’ language (in this case German), nothing changes in the other editions.
4. The imc Express user has switched to the French edition and changes the text to 'Quattre'. Since automatic translations are always carried out from the ‘highest-ranking’ language (in this case German), nothing changes in the other editions.
5. The user changes the text in the German edition to 'Fünf. Since the texts in the English and French editions have now been edited manually, only Italian is ‘auto-translated’.

Example 2

1. A new text with the value ‘Deux’ is created in the French edition. This is automatically translated into all other project languages.
2. The imc Express user has switched to the English edition and changes the text to 'Three'. Since automatic translations are always performed from the ‘highest-ranking’ language (in this case, currently English), the content of all other editions changes, except for French, as this text was previously edited manually.
3. The imc Express user has switched back to the French edition and changes the text there to 'Cinque'. The ‘highest-ranking’ language is now English. This means that no further automatic translation takes place as a result of this text change.
4. The imc Express user has switched to the German edition and changed the text there to 'Vier'. German is the ‘highest-ranking’ language. This results in automatic translation into all editions that have not yet been edited manually, in this case only Italian.

Best approach

Although imc Express takes care of all these processes in the background, it is easiest and most advisable to create and edit as much content as possible in the main language (edition) and have the translations into the other editions carried out automatically. In a final step, the translations in the editions can then be improved manually where necessary.