Understand Main vs. Translated Languages
Understanding the difference between main and translated languages is essential for managing your multilingual documentation efficiently in Hinto. The main language acts as the single source of truth for your content, while translated languages are the different versions you create to serve a global audience.
What Main and Translated Languages Are
Your documentation project is organized around one main language and one or more translated languages. Each plays a distinct role in your content workflow.
Main Language
The main language is the foundation of your project content. It is the original version from which all other languages are derived.
- Source of Truth: It's the primary version you write, edit, and maintain.
- Translation Origin: All automatic translations are generated from the content in your main language.
- AI Features: When using features like "Remake" to generate content, the AI uses the main language as its source.
- Project Default: This is typically the language you select when first creating your project, but it can be changed in your project settings.
Translated Languages
Translated languages are the additional language versions of your documentation that you add to your project.
- Automatic Generation: They are created by automatically translating the content from your main language.
- Independent Versions: While they originate from the main language, each translated article can be edited manually if you need to refine the wording or terminology.
- Global Reach: Adding translated languages allows you to publish your documentation for different regions and audiences.
Why This Distinction Matters
The main vs. translated language structure is designed to make managing multilingual documentation simple and scalable.
- Maintain Consistency: By having a single main language as the source of truth, you ensure that core information is consistent. When an update is needed, you only have to edit one article.
- Improve Efficiency: When you change an article in the main language, Hinto can automatically update all the corresponding translated versions, saving you significant time and effort.
- Gain Full Control: You have the flexibility to manually edit any auto-translated article. This allows you to correct nuances or use specific terminology that an automatic translation might miss, without altering the original text.
How It Works: Auto vs. Manual Translations
By default, translated articles are set to update automatically. However, you can switch any article to manual control.
- Auto-Translated (Default): Any changes made to the main language article will be automatically reflected in its translated versions the next time content is updated.
- Manual Translation: If you directly edit and save a translated article, it becomes a "manual translation." This locks the article and prevents it from being automatically overwritten. This is useful for protecting specific, carefully crafted translations. You can always revert to an auto-translated version using the article's version history.
Summary
The main language serves as the single, authoritative source for your documentation, from which all translated language versions are generated. This system enables efficient, automatic updates across multiple languages, ensuring consistency while still providing the flexibility to make manual edits. Understanding this structure helps you manage and scale your multilingual content effectively.