Understanding Integration Import Modes and Settings

Overview

When setting up integrations in Smartcat, you can configure how existing translations are handled during import and how the workflow processes confirm content. These settings directly impact your translation workflow efficiency and Smartwords consumption.

💡If you are on one of Smartcat’s current pricing plans, (Adapt, Accelerate, Anticipate, or Autonomous), TM matches of 100% or higher do not consume Smartwords; fuzzy matches of 50-99% still consume Smartwords. Repetitions, including cross-file repetitions, do not draw from your smartword balance. On Smartcat’s legacy pricing plans, TM matches still consume 1 Smartword for each source word.

Requirements and Limitations

• Integration must be configured and connected before import settings take effect

• Import mode settings apply to content with existing translations in the source system

• Confirmation settings affect workflow status, not translation quality

• Smartwords are consumed based on source word count, regardless of integration type

⚠️ Changing import settings after initial sync may require re-importing content to apply new rules.

How it works

Import mode options

Import modes control how Smartcat handles content that already has translations in your source system:

Confirmation settings

Confirmation settings control the workflow status of imported translations:

Smartwords consumption in integrations

Smartwords consumption in integrations follows the same rules as standard projects:

Salsify:

• Smartwords are consumed when product content is translated

• Only selected properties are translated (you choose which)

• Consumption is based on total word count of selected properties

Figma:

• Smartwords are consumed for text within frames

• Each text object is counted

• Automatic translation mode consumes Smartwords immediately

• Human review mode consumes Smartwords when translations are confirmed

Troubleshooting

Problem: Existing translations are not being imported

Solution: Verify that "Import existing translations once" is selected in your integration settings. If you changed this setting after initial sync, you may need to re-import the content.

Problem: Imported translations require review when they shouldn't

Solution: Check your confirmation settings. Select "Confirm at the last stage" if you want imported translations to bypass all review stages.

Problem: Higher than expected Smartwords consumption

Solution: Review which content types are being translated. Image translation (1,000 SW per image) and AI dubbing (10 SW per word) consume significantly more Smartwords than standard text translation.

FAQs

What's the difference between "Skip existing translations" and "Import existing translations once"?

"Skip existing translations" ignores anything already translated in your source system and treats all content as new. "Import existing translations once" brings in existing translations on the first import and only translates new or changed content afterward.

What does the "Confirm at the last stage" setting actually do?

It marks imported translations as confirmed at every workflow stage, so they're immediately ready for export without going through additional review.

Why would I choose "Confirm at the first stage" instead of "Don't approve" or "Confirm at the last stage"?

It's the middle ground — imported translations are trusted enough to skip the initial translation stage, but still pass through subsequent stages like Review, useful when you trust the translation itself but still want a proofread.

Do Smartwords get consumed differently depending on which integration I use?

The core rule is the same everywhere (1 Smartword per source word for AI translation or TM match insertion, 0 for human translation), but a few integrations have special cases — e.g. Figma consumes Smartwords per text object, and image translation is a flat 1,000 SW per image regardless of integration.

If I change my import mode after the initial sync, does it apply automatically to already-synced content?

Not necessarily — you may need to re-import the content for the new import mode rules to take effect on that content.