AI Translation: Auto-translate Odoo Content

Overview

• Content rules — each rule is a model + translatable field + optional domain filter and defines what gets scanned. The module ships rules for product names and sales descriptions (product.template), website pages (qweb views, ir.ui.view.arch_db, filtered to website views) and blog post titles and content (blog.post). Add your own rule for any model and field — e-commerce categories, attribute values, mail templates, your custom module. Rules pointing at models that are not installed, at non-translatable fields or with a broken domain are skipped silently, so one set of rules works on every database.

• Engines (AI providers) — bring your own key. An engine is either an OpenAI-compatible chat API (OpenAI, Google Gemini via its /v1beta/openai endpoint, OpenRouter, Azure, a local Ollama…) with a configurable base URL and model, a DeepL account (free or pro endpoint), or the built-in Demo engine, which needs no key and no network: it prefixes each term with the target language code so you can rehearse the whole workflow for free. Per engine you can add extra prompt instructions (tone of voice, formality, audience).

• Batches (jobs) — a batch is source language → target language × selected rules × engine. Its lifecycle is Draft → Scanned → Review → Done: Scan Content collects the terms, Translate sends them to the engine in chunks of 40, then the review queue takes over.

• Only missing translations — on by default: terms that already have a value in the target language are skipped, so re-running a batch only picks up new content. Switch it off to re-translate everything.

• Glossary — per target language, source term → imposed translation. A term that exactly matches a glossary entry skips the AI entirely and is proposed with your translation verbatim (note: glossary); for all other terms the glossary lines are injected into the prompt so the model respects them mid-sentence. To keep a term untranslated, repeat the source as the translation.

• Quality guards — after each batch, every proposal is checked against the source's placeholders (%s, %(name)s, {{ … }}, {name}) and HTML tags: a proposal that lost one is marked Failed with the missing pieces named, instead of silently corrupting your site. An engine that returns the wrong number of items raises a clear error instead of mismatching terms, and a failed API call marks only its own chunk Failed with the error text.

• Review queue — each term is a line with source and editable proposal side by side and its own state: To translate → Proposed → Approved → Applied (or Rejected / Failed). Approve or reject per line, Approve All for the whole batch, Apply Approved to write the approved terms.

• Native storage — applied terms are written through Odoo's own update_field_translations API into the standard field translations (JSONB), exactly where a hand-typed translation would live. Term-based fields (qweb arch_db, blog HTML) are updated term by term; simple translated fields are written in the target language context. Per-website languages, the language switcher and exports keep working — and uninstalling never removes an applied translation.

• Auto-pilot — flag a batch Auto-approve and the daily cron BambooForge AI Translate: auto jobs re-scans and re-translates it, applying the proposals immediately: content published later is translated overnight without anyone pressing a button. Recommended only with a glossary in place; a failing batch is logged and rolled back without blocking the others, and the run stops after 15 minutes and resumes on the next night, so one slow provider can never hold the scheduler.

• Access rights — AI Translate / User runs batches and manages the glossary; AI Translate / Manager additionally configures the content rules and the AI providers. The API key is readable by Managers only: translators run batches normally without ever being able to read the key.

• Tested — 13 automated tests, including a real-browser tour, green on each of Odoo 18, 18 and 19.

Getting started

1. Install BambooForge AI Translate (Community or Enterprise; only the standard base and the common Python requests library are needed).

2. Make sure the target language is activated in Odoo (Settings ▸ Translations ▸ Languages — or Add languages on your website).

3. Open AI Translate ▸ AI Providers (Manager) and create your engine — see Configuration below for the exact base URLs. Or skip this step: the Demo engine ships ready to use, needs no key and lets you rehearse everything.

4. Open AI Translate ▸ Batches and create a batch: source language, target language, engine — the shipped content rules are pre-selected.

5. Press Scan Content: every term without a translation in the target language appears in the Terms list.

6. Press Translate: the terms go to your engine in batches of 40, glossary applied, and come back as Proposed.

7. Review the queue — edit, approve or reject — then press Apply Approved. Open your website in the target language: the translations are live.

Usage

Configuration

FAQ

Do I need an API subscription from BambooForge?

No. This is bring-your-own-key: you configure an engine with your key from OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, Azure or DeepL — or run a local Ollama with no key at all — and pay that provider directly at their rates. The module itself is a one-off purchase with no per-word fees; the Demo engine lets you try the workflow without any account.

What happens to my translations if I uninstall?

They stay. Applied terms live in Odoo's native field translations (written via the standard update_field_translations API — the same JSONB storage a hand-typed translation uses). Uninstalling removes the batches, rules, glossary and engines, but every applied translation keeps working untouched.

Which languages are supported?

Any language Odoo supports — source and target are simply your activated Odoo languages. Translation quality depends on the model you choose: current LLMs and DeepL are strong on major languages; for rarer ones, keep the review queue on and pick the engine that reads best.

Is my content sent to third parties?

Yes — to the one AI provider you configured, and nobody else. The scanned terms are sent in batches of 40 to your chosen endpoint, together with your glossary lines; nothing is routed through BambooForge or any middleman, and nothing else in your database is transmitted. For zero egress, use a local Ollama — or the Demo engine, which makes no network call at all.

Who can see my provider API key?

Only AI Translate / Manager users. The key is stored on the provider (engine) record, as before, but the field itself is restricted to the manager group and masked in the form, so it is not readable by a plain translator — not in the form, not through an export or an RPC read. Translators can still select the engine and run batches: the module reads the key internally when it calls the provider. The key never leaves your database except in the request to the endpoint you configured.

Does it work on Odoo Community?

Yes — CE and EE alike. It depends only on the standard base plus the common Python requests library. The shipped rules for products, website pages and blog posts activate when those apps are present and are skipped silently when they aren't.

Why are some items marked Failed?

Three honest reasons, each named in the Note column: the proposal lost a placeholder or HTML tag the source had (the guard refuses it rather than corrupt your site), the API call failed (wrong key, network, quota — the error text is stored), or the record was deleted before applying. Fix the cause, set the batch scanning again, and only the missing terms are re-sent.

Can I translate fields of my custom module?

Yes — add a content rule with your model, your translatable field and an optional domain. Both simple translated fields and term-based fields (qweb arch_db, HTML content) are handled.

Is it tested?

Yes: 13 automated tests — the full scan → translate → review → apply cycle on simple and qweb fields, glossary short-circuit, placeholder guard, auto-approve cron, OpenAI payload, and the API key staying hidden from plain users — including a real-browser tour, on each of Odoo 18, 18 and 19.

Support

• E-mail — support@bambooforge.dev. Every request is answered within 24 hours, setup help included.

• What to send — your Odoo version and edition, the provider type and base URL of the engine (never send the API key), and for translation issues the Note of a failed item or the server log around AI translate.

• Money-back guarantee — report a bug within 2 months of purchase; if we cannot resolve it within 15 days, you get a full refund.

• Source — the complete OPL-1 source is included; extend it your way.

Changelog