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Languages and Translation

Perfion PIM · Complete Feature Guide

Languages and Translation Perfion Localisation Guide

Every language on one product record, machine translation that keeps your terms, spelling checked in every language, and clean files for your translators.

See It on Your Product Data What this guide covers

Languages and translation in Perfion keep product content complete and correct in every market. Each language is identified by a Perfion language code, and localizable features hold a value in each one. A translation service, Google Translate or DeepL, drafts translations for empty fields, and a DeepL glossary keeps brand names and trade terms the way you want them. Spell checking works in every active language against shared custom dictionaries, and XLIFF files carry texts to translators and back.

Written for product content teams · By , Founder and Solution Architect · Last updated BPAS · Exclusive Boyum Practice. India's No.1 Customer-referred Boyum IT Partner.

At a glance

Perfion name
Language Codes, Translations, Spell Checking and XLIFF
Where
Translation settings, the grid, the Item Editor and XLIFF filesTranslationsSpell checkingXLIFF 2.0Translation is off until an administrator activates it
Used by
Product editors, translators and administratorsAdministrators and super users manage dictionaries
Works with
Localizable featuresMain gridItem Editor
Documented services and formats
Two translation services, Open Office dictionaries for spell checking, and one exchange format for translatorsGoogle TranslateDeepLOpen Office dictionariesXLIFF 2.0
How It Works

How languages work in Perfion, held, translated, checked, exchanged

Every language is held on the product. Machine translation drafts what is empty, glossaries keep your terms, spell checking covers every language, and XLIFF files carry the rest to translators.

  1. Hold every language on the item

    Localizable features hold a value in each language on the same product. Each language is identified by a Perfion language code, such as DEU for German or ARU for Arabic (U.A.E.).

  2. Draft with machine translation

    With Google Translate or DeepL activated by an administrator, empty fields get a suggested translation from the master text, in the grid or through an Action. Existing text is never overwritten.

  3. Keep your own terms

    A DeepL glossary for each language combination keeps brand names, product ranges and trade terms the way the business wants them.

  4. Check the spelling in every language

    Spell checking in the Item Editor covers all your active languages at once, against dictionaries stored centrally, including your own custom dictionaries of brand names and trade terms.

  5. Exchange files with translators

    Texts go to a translation agency as an XLIFF 2.0 file for one target language, and the translated file comes back to the right item and feature.

An illustration, not a screenshot: a translation service with glossaries, suggestions filling empty fields, existing text kept, a spelling check, and texts going out as XLIFF.
Files by Email vs Perfion

Files by email vs Perfion languages: what changes when every language lives on the product

By email, each language is a separate file that drifts out of date. In Perfion, every language sits on the product, drafted, checked and exchanged from one place.

Managing translations in spreadsheets and email, compared with Perfion language codes, machine translation, glossaries, spell checking and XLIFF as described in Boyum IT Solutions' Perfion documentation.
Task Files by email Perfion languages and translation
Languages on a product One spreadsheet per market, each a little out of date. Every language is held on the same item, in localizable features.
Language and region “Arabic” or “English”, whichever version the translator used. A Perfion language code for each language and region, such as Arabic (U.A.E.) or English (United Kingdom).
First drafts of translations Every text sent out and paid for, even short and repeated ones. Google Translate or DeepL suggests a translation for empty fields. Existing text is never overwritten.
Brand names and trade terms Translated differently by each translator, or translated when they should not be. A DeepL glossary fixes how each term is translated for each language combination.
Spelling in other languages Checked only in English, if at all. Spell checking in the Item Editor checks all your active languages at the same time.
Brand names marked as errors Every editor ignores the same red lines, and real mistakes slip through. A custom dictionary, for one language or all of them, is shared by every user.
Files for a translation agency Whole spreadsheets emailed, including prices, codes and numbers. An XLIFF 2.0 file with only the localizable texts, for one target language.
Translations coming back Pasted back row by row, sometimes into the wrong row. The XLIFF file is imported, and each text returns to the item and feature it came from.

See how your own languages and markets would be handled in Perfion.

See it on your product data
Capabilities in Depth

Perfion language capabilities: eight ways to get every language right

Each capability shows what it does in Perfion and what it is worth to the business.

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

Perfion identifies each language by its own language code, also called MSCodeXP, listed beside the traditional code: EN and en for English, DEU and de for German (Standard), ARU and ar-ae for Arabic (U.A.E.), HIN and hi for Hindi. Boyum’s list has more than 100 codes, with regional variants such as 16 for Arabic, from Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. to Oman and Qatar, and others for English, French, German and Spanish, and languages such as Urdu, Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese. The Perfion codes are also used when translated XLIFF files come back into Perfion.

  • A Perfion code and a traditional code for each
  • Regional variants of the same language
  • Used when XLIFF files are imported

Executive ROI Value

Each market gets the version of the language its customers actually read, and files exchanged with translators land in the right language.

  • Content written for each market
  • No mix-ups between language variants

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

Translation is off by default. An administrator chooses the active translation service, Google Translate or DeepL, and enters a valid API key from that provider. With DeepL, the account can be on the Free API or the Pro API. Translation is then available in the grid of the web client and the Windows client, and in Actions for automated runs. As guide 03 explains, an empty field gets a suggested translation from the master text, which editors then refine, and an existing text is never overwritten.

  • Google Translate or DeepL
  • In the grid and in Actions
  • Existing text never overwritten

Executive ROI Value

Short and repeated texts no longer wait for a translator, so new products reach every market sooner and translators spend their time on what needs a human.

  • Faster launches in new markets
  • Lower translation spend on routine text

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

With DeepL, a glossary manages how specific words or word combinations are translated: industry, company and international terms, brands and names. Each glossary has a name, a source language and a target language, and lists pairs of a source word and its translation, separated by a tab or a comma. There is one glossary per language combination, and it uses DeepL’s own language codes, not Perfion’s. Boyum’s examples keep the brand Sage from being translated as the herb, keep “state-of-the-art” as it is, and make “brew” come out as the professional Dutch term “brouwen”.

  • Brands, names and trade terms
  • One glossary per language combination
  • Tab- or comma-separated pairs

Executive ROI Value

Brand names and product ranges stay intact in every language, and trade terms are the ones your buyers use, without correcting each text by hand.

  • Brand names protected
  • The same term in every listing

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

Spell checking in the Item Editor works much like Microsoft Word: misspelt words are underlined in red, with suggestions and the choice to ignore the word or add it to a custom dictionary. Because the Item Editor often shows several languages, it checks all the user’s active languages at the same time. It covers localizable String and Text features in the default text editor and the formula editor, in the field being edited, and editors can switch it off. It does not work in the Rich Text editor, though it does in the Rich Text Format editor.

  • Red underlines and suggestions
  • Every active language at once
  • Localizable String and Text features

Executive ROI Value

Spelling mistakes are caught in German, French or Arabic as easily as in English, before they reach a label, a listing or a catalogue.

  • Fewer errors in other languages
  • No separate proofreading round

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

Spell checking uses Open Office dictionaries. A standard dictionary for a language has two files, a word list and a grammar file with the rules of the language, and both are needed to check that language. Administrators and super users upload them, and Perfion stores them centrally in the database rather than on each computer. Licensing prevents Perfion from including them in the product, but Boyum makes a collection available on its knowledge base. Standard dictionaries are read only, so a newer version can replace an old one without losing your own words, which are kept in custom dictionaries.

  • A word list and grammar for each language
  • Uploaded by administrators and super users
  • Stored centrally, not on each PC

Executive ROI Value

Every editor checks against the same dictionaries, managed in one place, so spelling standards do not depend on whose computer the work is done on.

  • One standard for every editor
  • Dictionaries managed centrally

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

A custom dictionary is a list of words your business treats as correctly spelt, such as brand names and technical terms. It can belong to one language, such as English technical terms, or to none, in which case its words are correct in every language: Boyum’s example is a dictionary of coffee brands. Each language also has a default custom dictionary that users fill by adding words in the Item Editor. Because custom dictionaries are stored centrally, a word added by one user helps every user. One dictionary cannot belong to two languages, such as British and US English; the same file is uploaded twice.

  • For one language or for all
  • Words added by editors, shared by all
  • Can be exported, edited and uploaded again

Executive ROI Value

Brand names and trade words stop showing as errors for everyone, so editors pay attention to the red lines that are real mistakes.

  • Real errors stand out
  • Brand names correct in every language

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

XLIFF is an interchange format designed so that any localisation provider can work with it, and Perfion supports XLIFF version 2.0. The contents of any grid can be output as XLIFF for one target language, with existing translations included if wanted. Only localizable features are exported, of the String, Text and Link data types; Number, Date, File, Image, Compound and Search features and remote features are not. Features that allow formulas are exported with a note asking the translator to handle Perfion formulas with care. A Perfion API query can also return its result as XLIFF.

  • XLIFF 2.0 from any grid
  • One target language per file
  • Only localizable String, Text and Link texts

Executive ROI Value

Translation agencies receive only the text that needs translating, in a format their tools already read, so less is paid for and less goes wrong.

  • No spreadsheets to clean for agencies
  • Only translatable text sent

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

Each text in a Perfion XLIFF file carries an ID built from the row in the grid, the feature and, for features with several values, the position of the value. When the translated file is imported, only the target language defined at the top of the file is brought in; translations in other languages are ignored without an error. Perfion ignores the translation status in the file, so every valid translation is accepted, even one the translator marked as needing more work. Files must be XLIFF 2.0; version 1.2 and older do not work.

  • Text matched back to item and feature
  • Only the file’s target language imported
  • Translation status not read

Executive ROI Value

Translations come back into the product record without copying and pasting, so they arrive complete, in the right place, and ready to publish.

  • No re-keying of returned files
  • Translations in the right place
Core Concepts

5 Core Concepts of Product Content in Every Language

The first is about holding languages. The next two are about translating them. The fourth is about checking them, and the last is about working with translators.

  1. Concept 01 · One product, every market

    Hold Every Language on the Same Product

    The product data problem it solves

    Each export market has its own copy of the product file, kept by a different person. A pressure cooker’s capacity changes in the English file, and the Arabic and German files go on showing the old one for months.

    The concept explained

    When every language lives in its own file, every change has to be made in every file, and some never are. Holding all languages on the same product turns a translation into a property of the product, not a separate document. A localizable feature keeps a value for each language beside the master value, so a change is seen in every language at once and gaps are easy to find. A Perfion language code names each language and region exactly, so Arabic for the U.A.E. and Arabic for Saudi Arabia can be held and published separately.

    Everyday analogy

    A railway station display board. One train, one board, and the same information shown in English, Hindi and the local language.

    In Perfion

    Localizable features hold values per language. Each language is identified by a Perfion language code, also called MSCodeXP, with its traditional code beside it, such as DEU and de for German (Standard) or ARU and ar-ae for Arabic (U.A.E.).

    Related:
    Hold every language on the same productLeft: one product record, KC-PC-5L, Kalpa Swift Pressure Cooker, with its name held in five languages, each named by a Perfion language code: EN for English, HIN for Hindi, ARU for Arabic (U.A.E.), DEU for German (Standard) and FRA for French (Standard). Right: four markets fed from the same record: India in English and Hindi, the U.A.E. in Arabic, Germany in German and France in French. Bottom: one record, with a Perfion language code for each language and region.One product, every language, each with its own codeKC-PC-5L · NameA localizable featureENKalpa Swift Pressure Cooker, 5 LHINKalpa Swift प्रेशर कुकर, 5 लीटरARUقدر ضغط Kalpa SwiftDEUKalpa Swift Schnellkochtopf, 5 LFRAAutocuiseur Kalpa Swift, 5 LIndiaEN · HINU.A.E.ARUGermanyDEUFranceFRAOne record, one change, seen in every languageA Perfion language code for each language and region, such as ARU for Arabic (U.A.E.).
    One product record holds every language, each named by its Perfion code, and feeds each market.
  2. Concept 02 · A machine draft, a human finish

    Translate the Master, Then Refine

    The product data problem it solves

    Every product text goes to a translator, including short names and lines repeated across hundreds of products. New products wait weeks for their translations, and the budget goes on routine text.

    The concept explained

    Machine translation is good at a first draft and poor at judgement. Used well, it does the routine work so that people can do the rest. In Perfion, a translation service, Google Translate or DeepL, suggests a translation for empty fields from the master text, and leaves existing translations alone. A person who knows the language then reviews and refines the suggestion. The machine saves time; the reviewer protects the brand.

    Everyday analogy

    A first draft typed by an assistant from your dictation. It saves you hours, and you still read it before you sign.

    In Perfion

    Translation is disabled by default. An administrator chooses Google Translate or DeepL as the active service and enters a valid API key from that provider. Translation is then available in the web client and Windows client grids, and in Actions.

    Related:
    Translate the master, then refineLeft: the English master text, Kalpa Tri-Ply Kadai, 28 cm. Centre: the translation service, Google Translate or DeepL, with the business's own API key. Right: German and Arabic fields were empty and receive suggested translations; the French field already had text, which is kept. Bottom: a fluent reviewer approves the suggestions before release.A machine draft for empty fields, a human finishMaster · ENKalpa Tri-PlyKadai, 28 cmChanged here firstTranslation serviceGoogle Translateor DeepLYour own API keyDEUWas emptySuggestedFRAHad textKept as it isARUWas emptySuggestedA fluent reviewer refines and approvesThe machine saves time on routine text. The reviewer protectsproduct names, safety notes and the brand.Existing translations are never overwritten.
    The master text goes through Google Translate or DeepL. Empty fields get suggestions; existing text is kept; a reviewer approves.
  3. Concept 03 · Decide once, apply every time

    Decide How Your Terms Are Translated, Once

    The product data problem it solves

    A range called Swift comes back in German listings as an ordinary word, and “pressure cooker” is translated three different ways across the catalogue. Each mistake is corrected by hand, text by text.

    The concept explained

    A brand name or a trade term is a decision, not a translation problem. Once the business has decided that Swift stays Swift and that a pressure cooker is a “Schnellkochtopf” in German, that decision should apply to every text. A DeepL glossary records it for each language combination, so the engine applies the business’s choice instead of guessing, and the same term appears in every listing.

    Everyday analogy

    The style sheet a publisher gives every translator on day one: these names stay as they are, and these words are always translated this way.

    In Perfion

    DeepL glossaries manage how specific words or word combinations are translated. There is one glossary per language combination, written as tab- or comma-separated pairs, using DeepL language codes rather than Perfion language codes.

    Related:
    Decide how your terms are translated, onceLeft, without a glossary: the English name Kalpa Swift Pressure Cooker is left to the engine; the range name Swift may come back as an ordinary word, and pressure cooker may be translated in different ways. Right, with a DeepL glossary for English to German: Swift stays Swift, Kalpa stays Kalpa, and pressure cooker is always Schnellkochtopf, giving Kalpa Swift Schnellkochtopf. Bottom: one glossary per language combination, using DeepL language codes.Without a glossaryKalpa Swift Pressure CookerSwiftmay come back as an ordinary wordKalpaleft to the enginepressure cookertranslated in different waysCorrected by hand, text by textWith a DeepL glossary · EN → DEKalpa Swift Pressure CookerSwift→ SwiftKalpa→ Kalpapressure cooker→ SchnellkochtopfKalpa Swift SchnellkochtopfOne glossary per language combination, written with DeepL language codes.
    Without a glossary, names and terms are left to the engine. With one, Swift stays Swift and each term is translated the agreed way.
  4. Concept 04 · One word added, every editor helped

    Let Every Editor Teach the Spell Checker

    The product data problem it solves

    Kadai, tawa and the brand name are underlined in red in every language for every editor. People learn to ignore the red lines, and a real misspelling in the German description goes out with them.

    The concept explained

    A spell checker is only useful when its red lines mean something. Every brand name or trade word it does not know teaches editors to ignore it. Perfion keeps dictionaries in its database, not on each computer, so the work of teaching it is shared. When one editor adds a word, every editor benefits, and a custom dictionary without a language makes brand names correct in every language at once. The red lines that remain are the ones worth fixing.

    Everyday analogy

    A shared office phone book. When one person adds a number, everyone in the office can call it.

    In Perfion

    Standard dictionaries are Open Office dictionaries uploaded by administrators and super users. Custom dictionaries can belong to one language or to all languages. Words added in the Item Editor are stored centrally when the user leaves the Item Editor, whether or not the item is saved.

    Related:
    From BPAS · prodRecord newsletterprodRecordKeeping the record straight.One product data practice every month, written in plain English for product data teams.
    Let every editor teach the spell checkerLeft: three editors each add a word once in the Item Editor: Meera adds kadai, Farhan adds tawa, and Anita adds the brand name Kalpa. Centre: the Perfion database holds the dictionaries centrally: standard dictionaries for English, German, French and Arabic, each a word list and a grammar file, and a custom dictionary of cookware terms for all languages. Right: in every editor's Item Editor, kadai, tawa and Kalpa are no longer marked as errors, in every language, so only real mistakes are underlined.Meeraadds kadaiFarhanadds tawaAnitaadds KalpaPerfion databaseStandard dictionariesENDEUFRAARUWord list and grammarCustom dictionaryCookware termsAll languageskadaitawaKalpaShared by every userEvery Item EditorENdal and kadai recipesDEUfür Kadai-RezepteFRApour la tawaNo red lines onyour own words,in every language
    Three editors add words once. The central dictionaries serve every editor, in every language.
  5. Concept 05 · Out and back, without copying

    Send Translators Only What Needs Translating

    The product data problem it solves

    The translation agency receives a full spreadsheet, with prices, codes and weights alongside the texts. It charges for the lot, and the file that comes back is pasted in row by row, sometimes one row out.

    The concept explained

    A translator should see exactly the texts that need translating, and those texts should come back to exactly where they came from. XLIFF 2.0 is the standard file format translation agencies already work with. Perfion puts only localizable texts into the file, for one target language, and gives each text an ID that leads it back to its item and feature. Because Perfion accepts every valid translation on import, the returned file is checked before it comes in.

    Everyday analogy

    A courier parcel with a barcode label. It goes out, it comes back, and the label takes it to the right desk.

    In Perfion

    XLIFF export comes from any grid, for one target language, with existing translations included if wanted. Only localizable String, Text and Link features are exported. On import, only the target language defined in the file is brought in, and the translation status in the file is ignored.

    Related:
    BPAS method · toolDeploy EnterpriseDesign before configurationThe data model is designed and signed off before anything is configured: the Design phase of toolDeploy Enterprise.
    Send translators only what needs translatingLeft: a grid of cookware with four features: Name, a localizable String, and Description, a localizable Text, go into the file; Weight, a Number, and Product image, an Image, stay out. Centre: an XLIFF 2.0 file from English to Arabic (U.A.E.), each text with an ID made from the row, the feature and the value position. Right: the translator returns the file. Bottom: on import, only Arabic (U.A.E.) is brought in and each text returns to its item and feature; the translation status in the file is not read, so the file is checked first.Only translatable text goes out; each translation finds its way backGrid · CookwareNameLocalizable StringDescriptionLocalizable TextWeightNumberProduct imageImageXLIFF 2.0Source EN → target ARU1_118_0Name1_119_0Description2_118_0NameID: row · feature · valueTranslatorWorks in theirown toolsReturns thetranslated fileImport: only ARU comes inEach text returns to its item and feature.The translation status is not read: check the file first.
    Only the translatable texts leave Perfion in an XLIFF 2.0 file, and each translation returns to its item and feature.
Best Practices

10 Best Practices for Languages and Translation in Perfion

Each practice says what good multilingual content looks like and what it costs to ignore it. Setting them up for your team is what BPAS consultants do.

  1. 01Keep one master language that every translation starts from

    Languages · Source

    The rule

    Every translation starts from one agreed master language, and changes to product facts are made there first.

    Risk if ignored

    Translations made from other translations drift apart, and customers in different markets read different facts about the same product.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your team? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Concept 01Guide 01: Localizable

  2. 02Choose the language variant each market reads

    Languages · Regions

    The rule

    Each market’s language is the regional variant its customers read, such as Arabic (U.A.E.) or English (United Kingdom), agreed before content is written.

    Risk if ignored

    One generic variant is used everywhere, and spellings and terms look foreign in the markets that read a different one.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your team? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Capability: Perfion language codesVocabulary: Language code

  3. 03Have a fluent reviewer approve machine translations

    Translation · Review

    The rule

    Machine translations are treated as drafts and approved by someone fluent in the language before products go live in that market.

    Risk if ignored

    A wrong word in a safety note or a product name is published in every channel for that language, and found by a customer.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your team? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Concept 02Guide 03: Practice on translations

  4. 04Build the glossary before the first bulk translation

    Translation · Glossaries

    The rule

    Brand names, product ranges and trade terms are in a DeepL glossary for each language combination before large volumes are translated.

    Risk if ignored

    Hundreds of texts are translated with a brand or a term wrong, and each one is corrected by hand afterwards.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your team? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Concept 03Vocabulary: Glossary

  5. 05Keep the translation service account owned by the business

    Translation · Service

    The rule

    The Google or DeepL account and its API key belong to the company, with a named owner, and the plan suits the volume translated.

    Risk if ignored

    The key sits in one person’s private account, and translation stops when that person leaves or the key is no longer valid.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your team? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Capability: Machine translationVocabulary: API key

  6. 06Give every published language a dictionary

    Spelling · Coverage

    The rule

    A standard dictionary is in place for every language the business publishes, so spell checking covers all of them.

    Risk if ignored

    Spelling is checked only in English, and mistakes in other languages reach labels, listings and catalogues.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your team? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Capability: Central dictionariesVocabulary: Standard dictionary

  7. 07Keep brand names in one dictionary for all languages

    Spelling · Custom words

    The rule

    Brand and range names are in one custom dictionary with no language, so they are correct in every language at once.

    Risk if ignored

    Each language collects its own partial list of brand names, and editors keep seeing them as errors.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your team? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Concept 04Vocabulary: Custom dictionary

  8. 08Keep a copy of every custom dictionary

    Spelling · Safekeeping

    The rule

    A current copy of each custom dictionary is kept outside Perfion, so the words built up over years are never lost.

    Risk if ignored

    When a standard dictionary is deleted, its default custom dictionary goes with it for good, along with every word editors added.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your team? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Capability: Custom dictionariesFAQ 05

  9. 09Send translators only the texts that need them

    XLIFF · Scope

    The rule

    Each XLIFF file holds one target language and only the items that need translating, with existing translations included when the translator needs the context.

    Risk if ignored

    Agencies are sent text that is already right, and the business pays for it to be translated again.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your team? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Concept 05Capability: XLIFF export

  10. 10Check returned files before they are imported

    XLIFF · Import

    The rule

    Translated XLIFF files are checked before import, because Perfion accepts every valid translation, even one the translator marked as unfinished.

    Risk if ignored

    Unfinished translations go live in a market, under the business’s name.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your team? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Capability: XLIFF importFAQ 06

Self-Audit · 10 Best Practices

Multilingual content self-audit: how many are in place today?

Tick each of the ten practices above that your product team already follows. Your score updates as you go.

Practices in place
0 of 10

Tick the practices that are in place.

Book a translation workflow review

Nothing you tick is stored or sent.

Illustrative scenario · not a client case study A Business Like Yours

Illustrative scenario: an Indian cookware brand, with every language kept in a separate file

A cookware brand makes about 900 products, pressure cookers, kadais, tawas and cookware sets. It sells across India in English and Hindi, and exports to the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia, Germany and France, through distributors, importers, marketplaces and its own web shop. Orders, stock and invoicing are in the ERP. Product texts are kept in spreadsheets, one per language.

The Operational Challenge

Each export season, spreadsheets go by email to two agencies and a freelancer, with prices, codes and weights still in them. The returned files are pasted back by hand. A typo in an English name is copied into German, the Swift range comes back in German listings as an ordinary word, and kadai and tawa are spelt two ways.

Last season, 60 listings went live in the Gulf without Arabic text, and an agency invoice included hundreds of texts that had already been translated the year before.

  • One spreadsheet per language, each out of date
  • Brand and range names translated by mistake
  • Spelling checked only in English
  • Agencies paid to translate text again

The Financial Transformation

In Perfion, every language sits on the product, each named by its language code: EN and HIN for India, ARU and ARA for the Gulf, DEU and FRA for Europe. DeepL suggests translations for empty fields, and a glossary for each language combination keeps Kalpa and Swift as they are and makes a pressure cooker a “Schnellkochtopf” in German. Fluent reviewers approve every suggestion.

Spell checking covers every published language, and kadai, tawa and the brand names sit in one custom dictionary for all languages. Agencies receive XLIFF 2.0 files with only the texts that need them, and returned files are checked and imported to the right item.

  • Every language on one record
  • Brand and range names kept as they are
  • Spelling checked in every language
  • Agencies sent only what needs translating
Illustrative figures for a typical Indian cookware brand of this size. They add up, but they are not a client case study.
Cost line Before (per month) After (per month) Difference (per year)
Agency fees, including text already translated₹ 1,20,000₹ 70,000₹ 6,00,000
Copying returned translations back by hand₹ 60,000₹ 10,000₹ 6,00,000
Correcting wrong terms and spellings in listings₹ 40,000₹ 10,000₹ 3,60,000
Total₹ 2,20,000₹ 90,000₹ 15,60,000
Illustrative saving a year₹ 15,60,000Same figures as the table, not a client result

See your own languages and markets managed from one record in Perfion.

Book a translation workflow review
From BPAS

prodRecord Live

Enterprise product data insights from BPAS

Keeping the record straight, live every month

prodRecord Live is a monthly webinar series on product information management, held on the second Wednesday of every month from January 2027. Each session takes one product data topic and works through it in plain English with time for your questions.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Explore prodRecord Live
12
Live sessions in 2027 Second Wednesday, monthly
Who Benefits

Who benefits from every language on one record: one record, three answers

  • Promoter & CXOs

    How quickly can we sell in a new market?

    Every language is held on the same product, machine translation drafts the routine text, and translators get only what needs them, so a new market opens without a new set of files.

  • Product Data Manager

    Can every language stay complete and consistent?

    Gaps show on the product, a glossary keeps brand names and trade terms the same in every language, and XLIFF files come back to the right item and feature.

  • Product Executive

    Can I translate and check text in one place?

    Suggestions fill empty fields from the master text, and spell checking underlines mistakes in every language at once, without flagging the brand names and trade words your team has already added.

Vocabulary

Languages and Translation Vocabulary and Definitions

From the codes that name each language, to the services, dictionaries and files that keep every language right. Each term shows what it means, why it matters, and a household comparison.

  1. Language code

    Languages · identity

    Also called MSCodeXP

    Operational definition

    Perfion’s own code for a language and region, listed beside the traditional code, such as DEU and de for German (Standard), or ARU and ar-ae for Arabic (U.A.E.).

    Why it matters in Perfion

    Boyum’s list has more than 100 codes, including regional variants. Perfion codes are used when XLIFF files are imported.

    Everyday analogy

    The STD code before a phone number: it tells you exactly which city you are calling.

    See it in action:Concept 01 under Core Concepts →

  2. Localizable

    Features · languages

    A feature setting

    Operational definition

    A feature setting. When it is checked, the feature holds a value in each language.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    Only localizable features are translated, spell checked and exported to XLIFF.

    Everyday analogy

    A bilingual signboard: one board, the same message in two languages.

    See it in action:Guide 01: Localizable →

  3. Translation service

    Translation · engine

    Google Translate or DeepL

    Operational definition

    The machine translation engine Perfion uses, chosen by an administrator: Google Translate or DeepL.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    It is disabled by default and needs a valid API key from the provider. With DeepL, a Free or Pro API account can be used.

    Everyday analogy

    A phrasebook that answers instantly: useful for a first draft, not the final word.

    See it in action:Machine translation under Capabilities →

  4. API key

    Translation · access

    From Google or DeepL

    Operational definition

    The key, obtained from Google or DeepL, that lets Perfion use that provider’s translation service.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    A valid key must be entered before translation works, so its ownership matters to the business.

    Everyday analogy

    The key to a shared office: whoever holds it decides when the door opens.

    See it in action:Practice 05 under Best Practices →

  5. Glossary

    Translation · DeepL

    One per language combination

    Operational definition

    A DeepL list of words or word combinations and how they must be translated, such as a brand name that stays as it is.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    It is written as tab- or comma-separated pairs with DeepL language codes, and there is one per language combination.

    Everyday analogy

    A publisher’s style sheet handed to every translator.

    See it in action:Concept 03 under Core Concepts →

  6. Spell checking

    Spelling · Item Editor

    All active languages

    Operational definition

    Red underlines and suggestions in the Item Editor, with the choice to ignore a word or add it to a custom dictionary.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    It checks all the user’s active languages at once, for localizable String and Text features, but not in the Rich Text editor.

    Everyday analogy

    The red wavy line in a word processor, in every language you write.

    See it in action:Spell checking under Capabilities →

  7. Standard dictionary

    Spelling · dictionaries

    Open Office

    Operational definition

    An Open Office dictionary for one language: a word list and a grammar file, both needed to check that language.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    Uploaded by administrators and super users and stored centrally. It is read only, and can be replaced by a newer version.

    Everyday analogy

    The printed dictionary on the office shelf: everyone uses the same copy.

    See it in action:Central dictionaries under Capabilities →

  8. Custom dictionary

    Spelling · your words

    One language or all

    Operational definition

    Your own list of words treated as correctly spelt, such as brand names and technical terms.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    With no language, its words are correct in every language. Words added by one user help every user, so it should hold no mistakes.

    Everyday analogy

    A shared office phone book that anyone can add a number to.

    See it in action:Concept 04 under Core Concepts →

  9. XLIFF

    Translation · file format

    Version 2.0 only

    Operational definition

    The XML Localization Interchange File Format, a standard file for exchanging texts with translators and their tools.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    Perfion exports and imports XLIFF 2.0 for localizable String, Text and Link features. Versions 1.2 and older do not work.

    Everyday analogy

    A standard courier form: any courier can read it and deliver the parcel back.

    See it in action:Concept 05 under Core Concepts →

  10. Target language

    Translation · direction

    One per XLIFF file

    Operational definition

    The language a text is translated into. The source language is the language it is translated from.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    A Perfion XLIFF file has one target language, and only that language is imported when the file comes back.

    Everyday analogy

    The destination on a train ticket: one ticket, one destination.

    See it in action:XLIFF import under Capabilities →

FAQ

Languages and translation: questions product teams ask

Short answers, each with a link to the part of this guide that explains it.

  1. By a Perfion language code, also called MSCodeXP, with the traditional code beside it, such as DEU and de for German (Standard) or ARU and ar-ae for Arabic (U.A.E.). Boyum’s list has more than 100 codes, including regional variants of Arabic, English, French, German and Spanish, and languages such as Hindi, Urdu and Thai.

    More on Concept 01

  2. Google Translate and DeepL. Translation is off by default. An administrator chooses one as the active service and enters a valid API key from that provider; with DeepL, a Free or Pro API account can be used.

    More on Machine translation

  3. No. As guide 03 explains, an empty field gets a suggested translation from the master text, and an existing text is never overwritten. Suggestions are best treated as drafts for a fluent reviewer.

    More on Concept 02

  4. With a DeepL glossary. It lists words and how they must be translated, so a brand or range name can stay exactly as it is. There is one glossary per language combination. Google Translate glossaries are not described in Boyum’s documentation.

    More on Concept 03

  5. In every language that has a standard dictionary uploaded, and for all the user’s active languages at once. It checks localizable String and Text features in the Item Editor, but not in the Rich Text editor. Brand names and trade terms go into custom dictionaries shared by every user.

    More on Spell checking

  6. Yes, as XLIFF 2.0 files, which translation agencies’ tools can read. Each file has one target language and holds localizable String, Text and Link texts. On import, only that target language is brought in, and the translation status in the file is ignored, so check the file first.

    More on Concept 05

  7. Yes. Languages, machine translation, spell checking and XLIFF are part of Perfion itself, so this guide applies whichever ERP your product data comes from. What changes from one ERP to another is the integration that brings ERP data into Perfion.

    More on ERP integration

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