RH2020: Translations and Publishing workflow

[RoboLobo]

Hello,

I have been working with RH2020 features and output for a new project. One requirement is that in addition to the source English parent project, the help must provide Spanish and Portuguese (BR) child equavilent project. Machine translation has been achieved for both languages based strictly on the English parent project. However, I have yet to figure out how to publish the Portuguese and Spanish versions when I publish the English (assuming the non-english versions are publish at the same time). But, I don't see evidence of that function. In addition, I've tried to publish the non-english versions separately but cannot find the resulting output. 

Questions: 

1. What is the procedure to publish a project that has machine translated versions?
2. Are the machine translated projects intended to publish along with the "parent" project? If not, how can they be included?
3. If they need to be published separately, how is that performed?
4. What is the recommendation to provide multi-lingual users the ability to switch languages: specific links in the output or is there a way to provide a drop-down type menu? 

Help would be appreciated!

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

You're into "merged projects" territory there - have a look a Peter's site about it - grainge.org - he's got sample projects to play with to master the concepts.

[EDIT - message from Peter:

For some reason the forum will not let me reply but that answer is wrong. Can you post this for me pleasee?

****************************************

This is not merged help. If you look in Explorer you will see the main language project plus folders for each language. Each will have an RHPJ file. Generate each one separately.

If you want users to be able to access any one, either your developers need to include each output and a link to each one or you could create a single topic project with links. However, the user would then have to close each one they access.]

[RoboLobo]

Hello Mr. Coatsworth,

My questions are not for three separate projects trying to be be united. The spanish and portuguese are machine translated children of the original english parent. I edited my posting in case I used terminology that confused from merged projects. My case they are not merged. Plus I suspect that my issue is related to another multi-lingual questions I had. For that issue, it appears I need to wait for an update. 

I did not see topics for RH2020 and translation\publishing on the site suggested in your post. Thank you though!

[Peter Grainge]

@jedwards

Sorry about the confusing replies but the forum would not let me reply for some reason. Is your question now answered?

[RoboLobo]

Hello Peter,

I was having tech issues with the forum yesterday too. Anyway, I do not have an answer yet. It addtion to the assest issue for the translated "children" I raised last week that will be addressed with an update, I was thinking that perhaps the 'children' need to be treated as separate projects after the machine translation. Meaning, I need to create a new publish profile for each child and manually connect the three separate language outputs. This would give users the ability to switch languages if they choose.

I'll give that a try and see what happens. 

[Peter Grainge]

Isn't that what I spelled out? You generate the translated projects separately and either your developers create a link or you create a single topic project that lists the foreign languages and opens them.

[RoboLobo]

If you did spell that out. I did not see it (and still do not) on the forum. Your suggestion must have made it telepathically.

I'm not done testing, but it seems that is the way to go for now. I also am testing the manually assets between Parent and Child. Learning some interesting tricks in the process. I think I can configure the language switch links in the skin's header based on the published output's navigation structure. We'll see. 

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Peter's reply was stuck in my response since it wasn't allowing him to post:

"This is not merged help. If you look in Explorer you will see the main language project plus folders for each language. Each will have an RHPJ file. Generate each one separately.

If you want users to be able to access any one, either your developers need to include each output and a link to each one or you could create a single topic project with links. However, the user would then have to close each one they access."

[RoboLobo · Accepted solution]

Thank you Jeff and Peter! We arrived to the same solution. 

For those interested, below are the specific answers to my posted questions (or at least what seems to work for my use case).

Questions:

1. What is the procedure to publish a project that has machine translated versions?
   
   • Answer: The source and machine translated versions need to be published on their own. The translated versions cannot be included with the parent when it's published. So, in my use case, I will always have 3 separate publishing events. As a result, you will need Output Presets configured within in their respective 'child' projects. I added a "language" folder at the end of the Quick Generate Output and Publish output file paths to keep it organized: For example, C:/RoboHelp_QuickGenerateResults/ES/ and C:/RoboHelp_PublishResult/ES/).
2. Are the machine translated projects intended to publish along with the "parent" project? If not, how can they be included?
   
   • Answer: No. There is no means to 'attach' a child publishing event to the parent's publishing event. All separate processes.
3. If they need to be published separately, how is that performed?
   
   • Answer: See answer to question 1.
4. What is the recommendation to provide multi-lingual users the ability to switch languages: specific links in the output or is there a way to provide a drop-down type menu?
   
   • Answer: In my use case, I'm using a frameless skin that can include header links. Knowing the intended publishing output paths (navigation) for each language will allow me to configure the links in the skin's output so that a user can select his/her preferred language project output.

[Peter Grainge]

It is in the thread, see below. 

[RoboLobo]

Jeff just posted it 15 minutes ago from my perspective. 

[Peter Grainge]

OK don't believe me. When I saw Jeff's first reply I saw it was wrong so although it was late evening, I tried to reply immediately but couldn't so I emailed Jeff. That reply has been there since about 9pm UK time yesterday. I saw it there myself.

[RoboLobo]

Peter, 

I was reporting what I was seeing is all; no criticism intended. Since you seem upset, I looked through the thread again and now see that Jeff edited his initial posting to include your note. So all credit to you! Mea culpa sir.

[Peter Grainge]

OK. There were two posts that were easily read as saying my advice wasn't there. I had gone to some trouble to get the right information posted quickly so it wasn't well received. Matter now closed.