Language Mappings

Language mappings in PDX control how multilingual product data flows from your Master data to your channels. When you import product data in different languages, you can map those languages to the specific language requirements of each channel. This ensures that product information appears in the correct language for each syndication destination.

Master Data Layers

By default, Master data only has one language, namely 'English (en),' initially installed.

However, each product’s core data (with the exceptions of Name and ID) can exist in multiple language layers (e.g., English, Spanish, German, etc.). These layers are managed in the PDX Master data repository. The image below shows the available languages in Master data – meaning that products with core data in these languages have been uploaded to the Master data repository.

Below are examples of products uploaded with language-specific data and how those products appear in Master data.

English Product Data

German Product Data

Spanish Product Data

To add additional languages to the Master data repository, import data in the language(s).

Follow the example steps below to import a language spreadsheet:

  1. Create a sheet that contains data in the language that you need to add. Name the tab with an identifier for the language.

  2. Upload the spreadsheet that contains data in the language to add. In the screenshot below, a spreadsheet containing multiple languages is being uploaded.

  1. The upload step shows the tab names contained in the spreadsheet. If multiple tabs with multiple languages exist on the same spreadsheet, all tab names will be available to select.

Some languages may not yet be available in Master data. For 'missing' languages, PDX will automatically assign the Master language. If languages are paired incorrectly with a country, perform modifications prior to upload.

Adding a new language or country / language pair

In the below example, IT-IT has been assigned a language of English. However, the user wants to add Italian (Italy) data to Master data and upload the spreadsheet with that language combination.

Follow the example steps below when no existing country or country / language combinations are found in the Master data:

  1. Click the 'en' dropdown to check for an available Italian option. In this example, no existing IT country or country / language combination is found.

  1. Create a new language mapping instance by clicking '+ Add new language' at the bottom of the screen.

  1. In the popup, search for and select a new language mapping to add.

In this example, the user can select a generic Italian (not attached to a specific country) or a specific Italy / Italian mapping combination.

  1. Select it-IT to add that language mapping to Master data.

The mapping option will now appear as available for the ITIT tab.

  1. The IT-IT tab can now be uploaded, and Italian (Italy) will be available in Master data.

  1. In the below example, the user wants to upload German data, but the country reference should be Switzerland, not Germany.

The user should follow the same protocol as described in above. If the appropriate combination is not available in Master data, the user also can perform the '+ Add new language' process.

Once all tabs reflect the appropriate mapping information, the spreadsheet can be uploaded.

Removing a language from Master data is described in the Languages Tab section of the Master Settings topic. Refer to the Profile and Account Settings topic for instructions on accessing the Master Data configuration (Master settings) functionality.

Channel Data Layers

Each channel has its own language requirements, which may differ from what exists in your Master data. Language mappings bridge this gap by connecting your Master data languages to the languages supported by each channel.

Note: A direct channel's available (supported) languages are set and locked when the channel is created. A user cannot modify, add, or delete the set of available languages in a channel. An admin user can make such changes in a configured channel. For more information on configured channel setup, refer to the Configured Channels documentation.

Mapping Languages in Channels

The purpose of mapping languages in a channel is to create a connection between your Master data languages and channel languages. PDX will automatically try to create a mapping between your Master data languages and the channel's languages – for example, if both your Master data and the channel use English, that language mapping will be autogenerated by the system.

Language Mappings Screen

To begin mapping languages:

  1. Navigate to the Language Mappings screen.

  2. Open the dropdown next to Channels and click Channels overview, which will open the list of channels.

  3. Click your desired channel to open the Quick links option for the channel. For this example, the Acme channel has been used.

  4. Click 'Configure language mappings' under Quick links to open the Language Mappings screen. The Language mappings screen contains two sections: Channel languages and Language Mapping & Configuration.

    The Language mappings screen can also be accessed from the channel list view or channel grid view.

    Note: Clicking the Language mappings icon from the list or grid view in the channel will open the same screen as clicking 'Configure language mappings' in the Channel overview.

Channel Languages

The Channel languages section displays the default language and all languages currently supported in the channel. This section cannot be edited: For direct channels, the available languages are determined by the channel itself and cannot be modified. The languages may be modified in the channel management section for configured channels. Refer to the Configured Channels topic for more information. Different channels support different language combinations based on their requirements.

Language Mapping & Configuration

The Language Mapping & Configuration section contains existing mapping between a master data language and a channel language. If a mapping has not been configured for any of the available languages in a channel, this information will be displayed as well. As indicated in an earlier section, some master languages and channel languages may automatically have been mapped by the system.

Note: A helpful tip to remember is that PDX can automatically establish mappings between languages in master data and in the channel if the exact language code exists in both places. Therefore, if you know which channel the data should be fed into, a good practice is to upload data in master data using the exact language codes used in the channel. Less effort (possibly even none) will be necessary in the language mapping screen.

In the screenshot above, the only existing mapping is the default channel language mapping, which was automatically created by the system.

In essence, there are three mapping states to consider as shown in the below table:

Important: To attain the 'no master data language mapped' state, a discrete delete is required, with the possible requirement of two deletes. In this state, no data is mapped, and the channel will not enforce mandatory language-specific attributes for the language, and the language will be omitted from submissions – the channel will assume that this channel language will not be utilized by the PDX user.

Creating New Language Mappings

Only languages that are currently supported in a channel can be mapped to master data. The process of mapping a channel language to a master data language will depend on the languages that exist in master data.

Below is a description of the process of mapping a channel language that does not have a match in master data. For the purposes of this documentation, French has been selected. In this example, the user has elected to use an existing language in master data rather than upload additional product data in the channel language.

  1. Click the in the language box to open the dropdown to search for languages in master data.

  2. Scroll through the available languages to find an appropriate match.

    French appears with two regional variants beneath – French - Belgium (fr-BE) and French - France (fr-FR). In this case, the generic French (fr) is not available for selection, meaning it is not available in master data. However, each regional French variant is available in master data, and either can be selected.

  3. Select the appropriate language from the dropdown and click .

Mapping two master data languages to one channel language is also possible. In the example below, en-GB in the channel will be populated with values from en-GB taken from master data. If a given attribute mapping does not provide a value from en-GB, the system will consequently look in 'en' in master data.

Users can also hover over the icon in the Language Mapping & Configuration section for a quick overview of the language mapping steps.

Removing a Language Mapping

To remove a language mapping, click the trash can icon (). Removing a language mapping does not always result in the same outcome. The resulting behavior depends on the languages available in master data and how the mapping is removed.

  • If an exact match exists in master data:

    • A mapping can be re-established

    • The system may automatically reapply a default mapping

  • If no exact match exists in master data:

    • The language returns to a 'No match between master data and channel languages' state. You can delete a section at a time to intentionally remove the language.

  • If the mapping is intentionally removed and no replacement is selected:

    • The language becomes 'No master data language mapped'

      • No data is mapped

      • Language-specific attributes are not enforced

      • The language is excluded from submissions.

Re-establishing (reverting) a Language Mapping

A mapping can be re-established (reverted) in a channel as follows:

  1. Click the in the row where the language to be reverted is located.

  2. The language will be re-established. Click to implement the changes in the channel.

    -+

  3. Click to save.