Translating Content in the Content Management System
Release Feature (LPD-17564) Liferay DXP 2026.Q1+
Liferay provides integrated tools for translating content to create engaging, localized experiences for your global users. With these tools, you can translate content manually (1) or export (2) and import (3) translations from XLIFF files.
You can also translate specific fields while creating/editing files in the CMS, as well as other elements like vocabularies and categories.
Additionally, you can enable a custom workflow to manage the review and publishing process for translations.
The languages available for translation are determined by your instance’s localization settings. See Initial Instance Localization and Virtual Instance Localization for more information.
Manually Translating Content
Use the manual translation interface to create localized versions of your content directly within the CMS.
Activate the headless CMS using release feature flags. See Activating the Liferay CMS for more information.
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Open the Global Menu (
) and click CMS. -
Navigate to the All or Contents sections.
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Click Actions (
) for the content you want to translate and select Translate (
).The translation interface appears, where you can view the content’s original text alongside your translation.
The left column displays the language you’re translating from, and the right column provides editable fields for your translation.
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Select the language you want to translate.
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Enter the translation for the available fields. The number of translatable fields appears next to each language, including Title and Friendly URL. When all fields have translations, the language is marked as Translated.
NoteTranslations work regardless of whether the language is marked as translated. Fields with translations appear in the selected language; fields without translations appear in the default language.
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Choose how to apply your translations:
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Click Publish to apply your translations immediately.
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Select Schedule Publication by clicking
next to Publish to set a publication date and time. -
Click Save as Draft to store your changes without publishing.
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After publishing, the localized content becomes available to users or enters the review process if a workflow is active.
Exporting and Importing Translations
You can export content for translation as .xliff or .xlf files, send them to translators, and then import the completed translations individually or as a .zip file.
Liferay supports both XLIFF 1.2 and 2.0 files. However, it may not support all features and capabilities those formats provide.
Exporting Content for Translation
Generate industry-standard files to provide external translators with the necessary context and source text for your content.
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Open the Global Menu (
) and click CMS. -
Navigate to the All or Contents sections.
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Click Actions (
) for the content you want to translate and select Export for Translation. -
Select an export format: XLIFF 1.2 or XLIFF 2.0.
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Select the content’s language.
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Choose the language(s) for the translation(s).
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Click Export.
Once the export process completes, you receive a ZIP archive containing an XLIFF file for each selected experience. You can then use these files with compatible translation software.
Importing Content Translations
Bring completed translations back into the CMS to update your assets with localized content.
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Open the Global Menu (
) and click CMS. -
Navigate to the All or Contents sections.
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Click Actions (
) for the content you want to translate and select Import Translation. -
Upload your
.xliff,.xlf, or.ziptranslation files by dragging and dropping them into the upload area or clicking Select Files.
ImportantLiferay supports importing XLIFF files created using the Export for Translation action, but it cannot guarantee the successful import of files generated by other tools.
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Click Import.
If the import is successful, Liferay displays a success message with the imported files, and the translations are applied to the content. If workflow is enabled, the translations must be approved before they are applied.
If errors occur during import, Liferay lists the failed files and provides a downloadable CSV error report.
Translating Files, Vocabularies, and Categories
You can also translate other assets and elements in the CMS, including specific fields for files, content structures, vocabularies, and categories.
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Start by creating or editing a file, content structure, vocabulary, or category.
See Creating Assets and Folders, Creating Content Structures, and Categorizing Assets to learn more.
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Click the flag + language icon at the top of the page (1).
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Select a language to translate. The number of translatable fields appears next to each language, including Title (3) and Friendly URL (4). When all fields have translations, the language is marked as Translated.
NoteTranslations work regardless of whether the language is marked as translated. Fields with translations appear in the selected language; fields without translations appear in the default language.
-
Choose how to apply your translations:
-
Click Publish to apply your translations immediately.
-
Select Schedule Publication by clicking
next to Publish to set a publication date and time. -
Click Save as Draft to store your changes without publishing.
Publishing your translations applies them to the content and saves a draft.
If a workflow is enabled, publishing starts the review process before the translations are applied.
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