Export files to XLIFF

Learn how to export Adobe FrameMaker documents, structured FrameMaker documents, DITA, and any other XML-based content to XLIFF for translation.

To export your document to XLIFF, perform the following steps:

1. Open the document that you want to export.

2. Select File > Translation > Export to XLIFF 1.2.

   Depending upon the type of document you are exporting, one of the following dialogs will appear.

   The following dialog appears when you are exporting an FrameMaker book or document.

   Figure 1. XLIFF Export Settings dialog when exporting FrameMaker documents
   
   

   The following dialog appears when you are exporting a structured map or topic.

   Figure 2. XLIFF Export Settings dialog when exporting structured documents
   
   

3. In the XLIFF Export Settings dialog, configure the translation settings:

   Package Filename

   By default, the name of the source file is used to create the package ZIP. The package file contains the converted XLIFF files. You can change the filename and location by clicking the browse icon.

   XTS File

   All settings in the XLIFF Export Settings dialog are saved in a .xts file. This file can then be reused for subsequent translation projects.

   Select an existing XLIFF Translation Settings (XTS) file to use or use the default settings file available at the following location:

   C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe FrameMaker 2020\Translation\XLIFF\config\default.xts

   For more information about configuring XTS file, see Advanced configurations for XLIFF conversion.

   Note: Ensure that the XTS file location does not contain any Unicode character, else the export process might not work as expected.

   Source Language

   Select the source language of your document that you are converting.

   Embed Skeleton to XLIFF (recommended)

   A Skeleton file is the original source document, embedded or linked in the XLIFF header. This helps to ensure that the file can be converted back after translation. Embedding is recommended, so that the XLIFF file can always be converted back even if the original files are lost.

   Apply XLIFF Segmentation Rules

   Segmentation is a process of breaking down content into smaller translatable segments. Segmentation is used to split a longer text passage, such as a paragraph consisting of multiple sentences, into multiple segments to get smaller, and therefore better reusable translation units. You can define rules to create segments at a sentence, paragraph, or a phrase level. Use this option to apply the segmentation rules defined in the SRX in your XTS configuration file.

   The following additional settings are available when exporting FrameMaker or custom structured (non-DITA) documents:

   Expose Text on Reference Pages

   Select this option to include text from the reference pages.

   Expose Text on Master Pages

   Select this option to include text from the master pages.

   Expose Hidden Conditional Text

   Select this option to include conditional text that is currently hidden in the document.

   Expose Text in Insets

   If you have text insets, you can select this option to include the text of those insets, which are copied into the document. This does not include the referenced text insets.

   Expose Document Information

   Select this option to include document information or metadata.

   Expose Variable Format Definitions

   Choose the variable formats that you want to include. You can choose to omit all formats, include all formats, or include only those variable formats that are used in the document.

   Expose Cross-Reference Format Definitions

   Choose the cross-reference formats that you want to include. You can choose to omit all formats, include all formats, or include only those cross-reference formats that are used in the document.

   Expose Content of External Cross-References

   Select this option to include any external cross-reference that you have used in your document.

   Expose Numbering Styles

   Choose the numbering styles that you want to include. You can choose to omit all numbering styles, include all numbering styles, or include only those numbering styles that are used in the document.

   Expose Prefix/Suffix Rules

   Select this option to include the prefix or suffix rules that you have used in your structured documents.

   Expose Attribute Values

   Select this option to include attribute names and their values.

   Remove Discretionary Hyphen

   Select this option to remove discretionary hyphens that you have added manually to enforce a certain hyphenation. These discretionary hyphens usually are interpreted differently in different languages.

   Split Multilevel Index Markers

   Select this option to split index markers with multiple levels or multiple index entries into separated segments and translation units.

   Move Index Markers to Beginning of Paragraph

   Select this option to move all index markers from the respective word/phrase to the beginning of the paragraph.

   You should only use this option if you have index marker with index entries. Do not use this option if you are using empty index markers, as the index generation depends on the position of the index marker in front of a word/phrase.

   Process Soft Returns

   Choose how to process soft returns in your content. You can choose to process them as line feed characters, inline tags, or segmenting hard returns.

4. Click Export.

FrameMaker now converts the documents into XLIFF and creates the translation package (ZIP). On completion of the process, FrameMaker displays the XLIFF Conversion Report.