Brief Overview

Use export and import to move WalkMe translation data between the console and external translation tools. Export your content for professional translation, review, or quality assurance (QA), then import the translated files to apply the changes to your WalkMe content.

You can export and import in 4 file formats: XLIFF, XLIFF Strict, Excel (XLSX), and RESJSON. Each format keeps your content structure intact so translations map back to the right WalkMe items.

Access

You can access these capabilities in the Translations page from the Multi-Language app in the WalkMe Console.

Multi-Language

How It Works

Export translations

To export translations:

1. In the items list, select the items you want to export - You can select items from different folders
2. Select Export
3. Choose the target language (optional), the environment, the status, and the file format
4. Select Export

You can export multiple items into multiple languages in the same export.

Choose a file format

XLIFF

XLIFF is an XML-based format for exchanging translation data between systems. Technical attributes in the file link each translation to its WalkMe item.

An XLIFF file is organized like this:

• Groups: Translation units are organized into groups. Group IDs tell WalkMe which item type and which specific item the translation units belong to. For a Walk-Thru, the first group ID identifies the item type, and the next identifies the specific Walk-Thru
• Translation units: Each translation unit (<trans-unit>) holds 1 piece of text to translate - It has a type, which shows what kind of object the text belongs to, like a step and it also has an ID and a text field name
• Source and target: The <source> tag holds the original text in your default language - Type the translation in the <target> tag

WalkMe uses the types, IDs, and text field names to import the file correctly. You can also use them to see exactly what each piece of text is.

For example, in a Walk-Thru, each step's translation units have the type "Step." Each step has 2 text fields, StepTitle and StepText, so it appears as 2 translation units with the same ID and different text field names.

For items built in the Visual Designer, the group also includes a ContextId that WalkMe uses to match translations to the item. The Id attribute shows the item's ID as it appears in the editor.

XLIFF Strict

XLIFF Strict uses the same structure as XLIFF, with added validation rules:

• A schema reference at the top of the file
• A max-width attribute in each <trans-unit> tag that sets the maximum character length for that translation

Use XLIFF Strict when your translation vendor or workflow requires schema validation.

Excel (XLSX)

Excel shows your content as a table, which makes manual review and translation easier.

Each group of rows is titled with its WalkMe item name.

RESJSON

RESJSON is a JSON-based format that contains translations only, without the source text. Each key stores technical information about the item, like its type, ID, and context. Each value stores the translation.

{
"technical_information_about_item": "translation_value"
}

Import translations

To import translated files:

• On the Translations page, select Import
• Drag your files into the window, or select Upload and choose the files

WalkMe detects each file's language from the custom identifier in the file name. For example, a file named 1729683854841_fr-CA_2905764.xliff imports as French (Canada). Make sure every file name includes the custom identifier for its language.

Technical Notes

• Exports from the Multi-Language API include all WalkMe items for the selected language, filtered only by environment and status. Exports from the console are also filtered by your account configuration, so an API export can include items, like older Smart Walk-Thrus, that don't appear in a console export. To learn more, refer to the WalkMe Dev Hub: Multi-Language API
• Rich text in Visual Designer content can only be edited through export and import