How do I translate multiple articles at once?

Learn how to translate multiple articles in bulk to streamline your translation workflow.

Translating multiple articles at once saves time and helps you scale your translation workflow. This guide explains how to use bulk translation in Translate Desk.

When to Use Bulk Translation

Bulk translation is ideal when you want to:

  • Translate many articles into the same languages
  • Quickly expand language coverage across your help center
  • Apply the same translation settings (formality, glossary) to multiple articles
  • Translate a collection or category of related articles

Selecting Multiple Articles

To translate multiple articles:

  1. Navigate to the Articles page from your dashboard
  2. Use the checkboxes on the left side of each article row to select articles
  3. You can select articles individually or use filters to find specific articles first

Using Filters to Select Articles

Before selecting articles, you can filter the list to find what you need:

  • By status: Filter to find articles that need translation
  • By collection: Filter to translate all articles in a specific collection
  • By search: Search for articles by title or content

After filtering, you can select all visible articles or choose specific ones from the filtered list.

Starting Bulk Translation

Once you've selected articles:

  1. Click the "Translate" button in the header
  2. The translation dialog opens showing how many articles you've selected
  3. Select your target languages (you can choose multiple languages)
  4. Configure translation options:
    • Choose formality level
    • Select a glossary (only available when translating to a single language)
  5. Click "Start translation"

All selected articles will be translated into all selected languages.

Credit Calculation for Bulk Translation

Credits are calculated the same way for bulk translation:

  • 1 credit = 1 article translation to 1 language

For example:

  • Translating 10 articles into 3 languages uses 30 credits
  • Translating 5 articles into 2 languages uses 10 credits

The system checks your credit balance before starting. If you don't have enough credits, you'll see a message and can purchase more. See How do credits work? for details.

Translation Processing

Bulk translations are processed in the background:

  1. The translation job is queued immediately
  2. Articles are translated one by one in sequence
  3. Each article is translated into all selected languages
  4. You can continue working while translations process

Translation time depends on:

  • Number of articles selected
  • Number of languages selected
  • Length of the articles

Large batches may take several minutes to complete. You can check the status of translations on the Articles page.

Monitoring Progress

To see translation progress:

  1. Return to the Articles page
  2. Check the status of articles you translated
  3. Status will change from "Needs Translation" to "Ready to Push" when complete
  4. If a translation fails, the status will indicate the issue

You can filter articles by status to see which ones are ready to push.

Translation Options for Bulk Translation

Formality Level

The formality level you select applies to all articles in the batch. You can't set different formality levels for different articles in the same batch.

If you need different formality levels:

  • Translate articles in separate batches with different formality settings
  • Or translate articles individually with specific settings

Glossary Selection

Glossaries can only be used when translating to a single target language. If you select multiple languages, the glossary option won't be available.

To use a glossary with multiple articles:

  • Translate to one language at a time
  • Select all articles you want to translate
  • Choose the single target language
  • Select your glossary
  • Start the translation

Best Practices for Bulk Translation

Plan Your Batches

  1. Group related articles: Translate articles from the same collection or category together
  2. Use consistent settings: Apply the same formality and glossary to related articles
  3. Check credits first: Calculate how many credits you'll need before starting
  4. Start small: Test with a few articles first to verify settings and quality

Organize Your Workflow

  1. Filter first: Use filters to find articles that need translation
  2. Select strategically: Choose articles that should have the same translation settings
  3. Review results: After bulk translation, review a sample of translations to ensure quality
  4. Push in batches: After reviewing, push multiple translations at once

Quality Considerations

  1. Review sample translations: Check a few translations from each batch to ensure quality
  2. Use glossaries: Create and use glossaries for consistent terminology across articles
  3. Monitor for issues: Watch for any translation errors or formatting problems
  4. Re-translate if needed: If you find issues, you can re-translate specific articles

Limitations

Single Language for Glossaries

As mentioned, glossaries can only be used when translating to one language at a time. If you need to use a glossary with multiple languages:

  • Translate to each language in separate batches
  • Or translate articles individually

Same Settings for All Articles

All articles in a batch use the same translation settings (formality, glossary). You can't customize settings per article within a batch.

Processing Time

Large batches take time to process. Very large batches (50+ articles) may take 10-30 minutes or more depending on article length.

After Bulk Translation

Once translations complete:

  1. Review translations: Check a sample of translations to ensure quality
  2. Push to Intercom: Push translations in bulk when ready. See How do I push translations to Intercom?
  3. Track coverage: Monitor your language coverage to see progress
  4. Update as needed: Re-translate articles if source content changes

Troubleshooting

Not Enough Credits

If you don't have enough credits:

  • Purchase more credits before starting
  • Reduce the number of articles or languages
  • Translate in smaller batches

Translation Failures

If some translations fail:

  • Check the article status to see which ones failed
  • Review the articles for any issues
  • Try translating failed articles individually
  • Check your Intercom connection if many fail

Processing Delays

If translations seem to be taking too long:

  • Large batches naturally take more time
  • Check your internet connection
  • Refresh the page to see updated statuses
  • Contact support if translations are stuck
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