What do the translation statuses mean?

Understand the different translation statuses and what actions are needed for each status type.

Every article in Translate Desk has a status that indicates what action, if any, is needed. Understanding these statuses helps you prioritize your translation work and keep your help center up to date.

Status Types

Translate Desk uses six main status types to track the state of your articles and translations:

Needs Translation

The article hasn't been translated into one or more target languages, or the source article was updated and needs re-translation.

What it means:

  • No translation exists for this language yet
  • The source article was updated in Intercom after the translation was created
  • The translation needs to be created or updated

What to do:

  • Translate the article to the missing languages
  • Re-translate if the source was updated

When you'll see this:

  • After importing new articles from Intercom
  • When the source article is updated in Intercom
  • When you add a new target language to your organization

Ready to Push

Translation is complete and ready to be published to Intercom.

What it means:

  • The translation has been created or updated
  • It hasn't been pushed to Intercom yet
  • The translation is ready to publish

What to do:

  • Review the translation for quality
  • Push the translation to Intercom when ready
  • Choose whether to push as draft, update existing, or publish directly

When you'll see this:

  • After successfully translating an article
  • After re-translating an article with updated content

In Sync

The translation exists in Intercom and matches the current version in Translate Desk.

What it means:

  • The translation is published in Intercom
  • The source article hasn't changed since the translation was created
  • Everything is up to date

What to do:

  • No action needed
  • Monitor for changes to the source article

When you'll see this:

  • After successfully pushing a translation to Intercom
  • When the source article and translation are both current

Needs Sync

The source article was updated in Intercom, and the translation may be outdated.

What it means:

  • The source article in Intercom has been modified
  • The translation might not reflect the latest changes
  • The article needs to be re-imported to see what changed

What to do:

  • Wait for automatic syncing to detect changes
  • Or manually sync to update the article content
  • Re-translate if significant changes were made

When you'll see this:

  • When the source article is updated in Intercom
  • When automatic syncing hasn't run recently
  • When there's a mismatch between Intercom and Translate Desk

Failed

The last sync or push operation failed.

What it means:

  • An error occurred during syncing or pushing
  • The operation didn't complete successfully
  • The article may need attention

What to do:

  • Check your Intercom connection
  • Verify permissions are correct
  • Try syncing or pushing again
  • Contact support if the issue persists

When you'll see this:

  • When a sync operation encounters an error
  • When a push to Intercom fails
  • When there are connection or permission issues

Orphaned

The article no longer exists in Intercom.

What it means:

  • The article was deleted from Intercom
  • Translate Desk still has a record of it
  • The article won't sync or update

What to do:

  • Review if the article should be deleted
  • Remove it from Translate Desk if no longer needed
  • Or restore it in Intercom if it was deleted by mistake

When you'll see this:

  • When an article is deleted from Intercom
  • When an article is moved to a different workspace

Status Priority

Translate Desk prioritizes statuses in this order:

  1. Ready to Push - Highest priority, translations ready to publish
  2. Needs Translation - Articles that need translation work
  3. Needs Sync - Articles that need syncing from Intercom
  4. In Sync - Everything is current, no action needed
  5. Failed - Errors that need attention
  6. Orphaned - Articles that no longer exist in Intercom

The dashboard shows articles based on this priority, so you can focus on what needs attention first.

Understanding Status Lifecycle

Articles move through different statuses as you work with them:

New Article Flow

  1. Needs Translation - Article is imported from Intercom
  2. Ready to Push - Article is translated
  3. In Sync - Translation is pushed to Intercom

Updated Article Flow

  1. In Sync - Article is current
  2. Needs Sync - Source article is updated in Intercom
  3. Needs Translation - Article is synced, translation needs update
  4. Ready to Push - Article is re-translated
  5. In Sync - Updated translation is pushed

Error Flow

  1. Any status → Failed - Operation fails
  2. Failed → Original status - Retry succeeds

Dashboard Metrics

The dashboard shows counts for each status type, helping you understand:

  • How many articles need translation: Focus on "Needs Translation" count
  • How many are ready to publish: Check "Ready to Push" count
  • How many are up to date: See "In Sync" count
  • How many need attention: Monitor "Needs Sync" and "Failed" counts

Use these metrics to prioritize your translation work and track progress.

Filtering by Status

You can filter articles by status to focus on specific work:

  • Needs Translation: Find articles that need translation
  • Ready to Push: See translations ready to publish
  • Needs Sync: Identify articles that need syncing
  • In Sync: View articles that are current
  • Failed: Find articles with errors
  • Orphaned: See deleted articles

Learn more about filtering in How do I find and filter articles?.

Best Practices

  1. Check status regularly: Review your dashboard to see what needs attention
  2. Prioritize Ready to Push: Push completed translations to keep content current
  3. Monitor Needs Sync: Keep an eye on articles that need syncing
  4. Address Failed statuses: Fix errors promptly to keep workflows smooth
  5. Use filters: Filter by status to focus on specific tasks

Next Steps

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