How to translate technical documentation exported as an XLIFF file

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If you manage technical documentation, the file that needs translating doesn't always look like a document. Sometimes it's a file that ends in .xliff or .xlf, handed to you by whatever tool your team authors in, and it doesn't open cleanly in Word.

This is common for technical writers who need to translate their documentation into 5, 10, or more languages. It happens a lot with MadCap Flare specifically: Flare doesn't export XLIFF itself, but MadCap Lingo, its companion tool, does. That XLIFF file is usually the point where the documentation team's job ends and someone else's translation job begins.

Here's what an XLIFF file actually is, why a tool like MadCap Lingo generates one, and what your options are for getting it translated properly.

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What is an XLIFF file?

XLIFF stands for XML Localization Interchange File Format. It's an open, XML-based standard built specifically to move text between the tool that created it and the tool, or person, translating it, without losing the original structure.

Instead of a translator working directly in the source application, the content is extracted into an XLIFF file: just the translatable text, tagged with enough structure that the receiving tool knows where each piece belongs. A translator, or a translation tool, fills in the target language, and the file, now containing both source and translated text, goes back to wherever it needs to go.

There are two versions in common use: XLIFF 1.2 and XLIFF 2.x. XLIFF 1.2 is the older, more widely supported version, and it's what MadCap Lingo generates.

Where XLIFF files come from in technical documentation

You don't write an XLIFF file by hand. It's generated by whatever tool manages your source content, as an export step before translation happens.

For technical documentation specifically, the most common source is MadCap Flare, by way of MadCap Lingo. If your team creates manuals, datasheets, or compliance documents in Flare, MadCap Lingo is the tool that generates the XLIFF 1.2 file from that content, ready to hand off for translation. If your documentation lives in a different authoring tool, the same underlying problem applies even if the export step looks different: content built for one system doesn't leave it looking like a document, and someone has to know what to do with the file it produces. This guide works through the MadCap Flare and Lingo case in detail, since that's the one worth understanding precisely.

MadCap Flare, MadCap Lingo, and the XLIFF file in the middle

It helps to be precise about which tool does what, since "MadCap Flare" and "MadCap Lingo" often get used interchangeably, and they're not the same thing.

MadCap Flare creates your technical documents. MadCap Lingo is MadCap's separate tool for preparing that content for translation, and it's what actually generates the XLIFF 1.2 file. Flare itself doesn't export XLIFF directly.

Lingo's job stops at generating that file. It doesn't give you a shared space for a translator, an agency, or several translators at once to work on the content. And most teams translating Flare documentation don't have a Lingo licence sitting with every translator they use anyway.

There's also a step on the way back that's easy to miss. Flare can't import a translated XLIFF file directly. The translated file has to go back into Lingo first, and Lingo is what exports the finished, target-language Flare project. In short: Flare creates the content, Lingo generates the XLIFF file, translation happens somewhere else, the translated XLIFF goes back into Lingo, and Lingo exports the translated Flare project. Whatever tool you use to translate the XLIFF file, budget for that return trip through Lingo. It isn't optional.

How to actually translate an XLIFF file

Once you have the file, you have three realistic options.

‍Open it as a text or XML file. Technically possible, since XLIFF is XML underneath. Not recommended unless you enjoy editing raw markup by hand and re-checking that you haven't broken the tag structure afterwards.‍
Use a dedicated XLIFF editor. These exist specifically to open and edit XLIFF files without the raw XML showing. They handle the format correctly, but most are built for a single translator working alone on a single file. They don't give you a Translation Memory, a shared Glossary, or a way for more than one translator to work on the same project at once.‍
Use a translation platform that accepts XLIFF 1.2 directly. This is where a tool like Redokun fits: upload the XLIFF file, invite your translator (or several), and work from a shared Translation Memory and Glossary, the same tools you'd use to translate a Word or InDesign file. Nobody has to touch raw XML, and terminology stays consistent whether one translator is working on the file or five.

Translating your MadCap Flare XLIFF file in Redokun

Upload the file to your Redokun workspace.
Add your target languages and invite your translators.
Translate the content in Redokun's shared editor, with Translation Memory and Glossary running.
Once translation is finished, download the translated XLIFF file.
Import the file into MadCap Lingo.
Export the finished, target-language project from Lingo, and publish it.

Steps 1, 6, and 7 happen in MadCap Lingo. Redokun handles 2 through 5. It doesn't replace Lingo. It fills the gap Lingo leaves for the actual translation work.

Is this a dedicated MadCap Flare integration?

Redokun doesn't have a dedicated Flare or Lingo plugin. You don't need one, because it accepts the XLIFF 1.2 file as one of the file formats it already supports: InDesign, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, XLIFF, XML, JSON, and more. The same XLIFF support works whether the file came from MadCap Lingo or another documentation tool entirely.

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FAQ

What is technical documentation translation?

It's the process of translating manuals, datasheets, compliance documents, and other technical content into other languages, usually for a product sold in multiple markets. It's a different job from marketing translation: the content often comes out of a dedicated authoring tool rather than a standard document format, which is why files like XLIFF show up in the process.

What is XLIFF 1.2?

XLIFF 1.2 is a version of the XML Localization Interchange File Format, an open standard for moving translatable content between the tool that created it and whoever is translating it. It's the version MadCap Lingo generates, and the version Redokun supports.

Do I need MadCap Lingo to get an XLIFF file from Flare?

Yes. MadCap Flare doesn't export XLIFF on its own. MadCap Lingo is the tool that generates the XLIFF 1.2 file from your Flare content.

Can MadCap Flare import a translated XLIFF file directly?

No. The translated XLIFF file has to go back into MadCap Lingo first. Lingo is what exports the finished, target-language Flare project; Flare itself doesn't take a translated XLIFF file directly.

What other file formats does Redokun support?

Beyond XLIFF (.xliff, .xlf), Redokun supports InDesign (.idml), Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Excel (.xlsx), HTML (.html), XML (.xml), JSON (.json), plain text (.txt), and subtitle files (.srt).

Is this a good fit if I only have one documentation project to translate?

If you're translating a single project right now with no ongoing need, Project Pass is built for exactly that: a one-time purchase, no subscription. If your team translates documentation regularly, a free trial of the Workspace Plan is the better starting point.

Ready to try it? If you have one technical documentation project to translate, start with Project Pass. If translation is a recurring part of your documentation work, start a free trial of the Workspace Plan.

Article by

Stefano Bernardi

Stefano Bernardi is the Co-founder of Redokun. For the past 11 years, Stefano has been an active contributor to the InDesign community and the translation management industry.

His work focuses on assisting marketing managers in simplifying complex translation processes, enabling them to speed up the translation of marketing materials up to three times faster.