In today's digital commerce, content is everything. More importantly - it needs to be understandable, accessible and localised for each market. And when there are hundreds or thousands of products and several languages, traditional manual translation becomes a serious challenge. This is where artificial intelligence comes in, and more specifically, an AI-based solution developed by the PLANA Solutions team that automates the translation of product descriptions across e-commerce platforms.
The challenge: repeatability, volume and multilingualism
More and more online stores offer products imported from foreign manufacturers. This means that the descriptions mostly arrive in English - and for the Bulgarian consumer this is not always enough. At the same time, product catalogues are updated annually and with each new season, the old translation problem repeats itself.
The traditional approach - manually translating each product, line by line - is not just labour intensive. It is also inefficient in the context of a dynamic trade where speed of publication is critical.
The PLANA Solutions team set out to do just that: automate the translation of descriptions so that the process is fast, scalable, and minimally dependent on human intervention - but at the same time, the results are meaningful and relevant.
The solution: an intelligent AI tool built into the system
Instead of a one-off translation campaign, PLANA creates an ongoing, automated mechanism that relies on artificial intelligence to:
Detect and analyze text fields with product descriptions,
Recognises the original language of each description (no matter what it is),
Translates automatically to Bulgarian using AI models,
And instantly replaces the original text with the translated one in the visual interface of the website.
This is done via an integrated cron script that runs periodically through the products, retrieves the descriptions, passes them to the translation AI, and saves back the translated version - without the need for human intervention.
The result?
The descriptions are translated in real-time, when the catalog is updated or new products are introduced - with minimal latency and excellent readability.
More than translation: localisation with context
One of the solution's greatest strengths is its ability to work contextually rather than verbatim. Translation is not just "word-for-word," but adaptation with an understanding of the content type.
In addition, the system is designed to recognise when a text has already been translated so that it does not undergo processing again. This saves resources and prevents content "dilution" over multiple iterations.
Flexibility for future upgrades
One of the strengths of the solution is that it is not designed as a temporary patch, but as a flexible basis for expansion. The integration is designed so that in the future it can:
Add new languages of translation,
Be used for other text sections - e.g. email templates, product attributes,
To be applied to other internal systems or e-commerce platforms,
To be included as part of a larger AI module for intelligent content.
Advantages for business
The solution brings several direct benefits to online merchants:
Saved time - dozens of man-hours that would otherwise be needed for manual entry.
Faster publishing - new products are on the site translated, literally in minutes.
- Better user experience - customers see descriptions in their own language, which increases trust and conversions.
- Fewer errors - automatic translation is consistent and reduces the risk of omissions or confusion.
Translation of templates and special cases
One additional step that PLANA is currently working on relates to the translation of text templates used in system messages and emails. This content is specific - a mix of code and text - and requires a more precise approach.
A layer is currently being tested that acts as an "interpreter" - filtering the code and passing only the text part for translation. This will allow intelligent processing of complex patterns without the risk of broken HTML or incorrect rendering.
No need for external software - everything is in-house
Another one of the great benefits of this project is that everything has been developed in-house by the PLANA Solutions team. No need for external platforms or additional licenses - everything is under control, easy to maintain and fully customized to the needs of the specific business.
In conclusion: a smart solution for smart trading
The AI-powered automatic translation solution is yet another example of how technology can make real work easier - not just as a trendy concept, but as a working tool that saves time, money and effort.
Instead of relying on manual translation every time, PLANA Solutions offers a systematic approach that grows with the business - intelligently, scalably and efficiently.
For us, this is just the beginning. The potential of AI in e-commerce has yet to unfold - and we're ready to be a part of that transformation.