Translating AEM content automatically: moving entire websites into new languages efficiently

International websites confront companies with a recurring challenge: content not only has to be translated, it also has to be fed back into the content management system correctly afterwards.

Especially with large Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) installations, this process can quickly become time-consuming. With an automated translation process, AEM content can be translated automatically and then returned to the CMS in a structured way.

Individual subpages can be transferred into a new language just as efficiently as complete websites or larger website sections.

Export, translate and re-import AEM content

The workflow for an automated AEM translation is simple:

1. Export the desired pages or website sections from AEM
2. Automatically translate the exported content into the target language
3. Review the translations and refine them editorially where needed
4. Import the content back into Adobe Experience Manager
5. Publish the translated pages

The structure of the exported content is preserved throughout. After translation, the content can be mapped back to the corresponding pages and components in AEM.

For larger websites in particular, this approach reduces manual effort considerably.

Translating entire AEM websites and subpages

A key advantage lies in scalability.

The process is not limited to individual texts or components. Complete page structures can be carried over as well.

This makes it possible to move, for example:

• product sections
• landing pages
• country websites
• information pages
• extensive subpages
• complete website sections

into additional languages automatically.

Instead of copying content out of the CMS piece by piece, translating it externally and then pasting it back in manually, processing happens in a structured way based on the exported AEM data.

This means you can translate an AEM website without having to edit every single piece of content by hand.

What this looks like in practice is shown in the case study Translating an AEM website: 250,000 words in up to 30 languages: full AEM projects, translated with trained language models and delivered ready for import.

Faster internationalisation with Adobe Experience Manager

Automatic translation is particularly suitable for companies that regularly roll out their website to new markets, countries and languages.

New language versions can be prepared much faster. Existing content forms the basis for the translation, while page structure and content mapping remain intact.

An automated Adobe Experience Manager translation offers benefits such as:

• faster rollouts of new country and language versions
• less manual copy-and-paste work
• more consistent translation processes
• easier handling of large volumes of content
• less effort for editorial and content teams
• faster updates of existing translations
• more scalable multilingualism in AEM

Combining automatic translation with editorial control

Automation does not mean giving up quality control.

After the import, the automatically translated content can still be reviewed and optimised by editors, translators or subject-matter experts.

Companies gain the speed of automated translation while keeping control over:

• tone of voice
• technical terminology
• product names
• brand-specific wording
• local specifics

Especially for large content inventories, a hybrid approach works well: the first translation is automated, while particularly important content is refined editorially afterwards.

Extending AEM translation workflows efficiently

The big advantage of this approach is that the translation works directly with existing AEM content.

There is no need to build a separate manual process. Instead, existing pages are exported, processed and then integrated back into the CMS.

Translation thus becomes a scalable part of the existing AEM translation workflow.

Whether it is a single landing page, an extensive product section or a complete website: AEM content can be translated automatically and then provided back to Adobe Experience Manager in a structured way.

Conclusion

Automatic translation of AEM content can significantly reduce the effort involved in running international websites.

By exporting existing pages, translating the content automatically and then importing it back into AEM, both individual subpages and complete websites can be moved into new languages efficiently.

For companies with large content inventories or many international markets, this creates a fast, scalable and controllable translation process, without having to transfer each piece of content manually.

A real-world example with 250,000 words and up to 30 languages is described in the case study Translating an AEM website. How machine translation works in corporate language and with a quality process is covered in the guide Machine translation for business. Arrange a test run with your own AEM content: 30-minute intro call.