How does automatic syncing work?

Learn how Translate Desk automatically syncs with Intercom to keep your articles up to date.

Translate Desk automatically syncs with your Intercom workspace to detect changes to your articles. This ensures your translations stay current when source articles are updated in Intercom.

How Automatic Syncing Works

After you connect your Intercom workspace, Translate Desk runs automatic syncs on a regular schedule. These syncs check for changes to your articles and update Translate Desk accordingly.

Sync Process

When automatic syncing runs:

  1. Detects new articles: New articles published in Intercom appear in Translate Desk
  2. Identifies updates: Changes to existing articles are detected and marked for review
  3. Updates content: Article titles, descriptions, and body content are updated in Translate Desk
  4. Preserves translations: Existing translations that are ready to push are preserved
  5. Updates status: Article statuses are updated to reflect current state

The sync process runs in the background, so you don't need to do anything. Your articles stay up to date automatically.

What Triggers a Sync

Automatic syncing happens:

  • On a schedule: Regular automatic syncs run periodically to check for changes
  • After connection: When you first connect Intercom, an initial sync imports all articles
  • After manual sync: You can trigger a manual sync at any time

You don't need to trigger syncs manually in most cases. The automatic system handles keeping your articles current.

What Gets Synced

During each sync, Translate Desk checks and updates:

  • Article content: Titles, descriptions, and body content
  • Article status: Whether articles are published or drafts
  • Collections: Which collection each article belongs to
  • Deleted articles: Articles removed from Intercom are marked accordingly
  • New articles: Articles published in Intercom appear in Translate Desk

All HTML formatting, links, images, and structure are preserved during syncing.

How Updates Are Detected

Translate Desk detects when source articles change by comparing:

  • Article content and structure
  • Last update timestamps
  • Article metadata

When a change is detected, the article's status is updated to reflect that it may need attention.

Status Changes After Sync

After syncing, articles may move to different statuses:

New Articles

  • Status: Needs Translation
  • Action: Translate the article to your target languages

Updated Articles

  • Status: Needs Sync or Needs Translation
  • Action: Review changes and re-translate if needed

Unchanged Articles

  • Status: Remains the same (usually In Sync)
  • Action: No action needed

Deleted Articles

  • Status: Orphaned
  • Action: Review and remove if no longer needed

Learn more about statuses in What do the translation statuses mean?.

Manual Syncing

While automatic syncing handles most updates, you can trigger a manual sync when needed:

  1. Go to your articles page
  2. Use the sync option to manually check for updates
  3. Wait for the sync to complete

Manual syncing is useful when:

  • You've just made changes in Intercom and want to see them immediately
  • You want to verify that everything is up to date
  • You're troubleshooting sync issues

Preserving Pending Translations

Translate Desk preserves translations that are ready to push, even when source articles are updated. This means:

  • Ready to push translations are protected: If you have a translation ready to push, it won't be overwritten during sync
  • You can push before syncing: You can push existing translations even if the source was updated
  • Re-translation is optional: You can choose when to re-translate after source updates

This ensures you don't lose work when source articles change.

Sync Frequency

Automatic syncing runs regularly to keep your articles current. The exact frequency depends on system configuration, but syncs happen frequently enough to catch most changes within a reasonable time.

If you need immediate updates after making changes in Intercom, you can trigger a manual sync.

Handling Sync Updates

When a source article is updated in Intercom:

  1. Automatic sync detects the change: The next sync identifies the update
  2. Status is updated: The article status changes to reflect the update
  3. You review the changes: Check what changed in the source article
  4. You decide on re-translation: Determine if translations need updating
  5. You re-translate if needed: Create new translations with updated content

Not every source update requires re-translation. Minor formatting changes or small text updates might not affect translations significantly. You can review changes and decide what needs updating.

Troubleshooting Sync Issues

If syncing isn't working as expected:

  1. Check your connection: Verify that your Intercom connection is active
  2. Verify permissions: Ensure Translate Desk has the necessary permissions
  3. Try manual sync: Trigger a manual sync to see if it works
  4. Check article status: Review article statuses to understand what's happening
  5. Review error messages: Check for any error messages that might indicate issues

Learn more about troubleshooting in Why are my translations not syncing?.

Best Practices

  1. Let automatic syncing work: Trust the automatic system to keep articles current
  2. Review status regularly: Check your dashboard to see what needs attention
  3. Push translations promptly: Push ready translations before major source updates
  4. Monitor for changes: Keep an eye on articles that need syncing
  5. Use manual sync when needed: Trigger manual syncs when you need immediate updates

Next Steps

Previous←When should I use formal vs casual translations?NextHow is formatting preserved in translations?→