How does Braze integrate with a translation platform like Smartling?

Braze integrates with Smartling through a native Braze Connector that syncs marketing content — campaign copy, Canvas steps, and message templates — directly into a Smartling project for translation. Marketing and localization teams authorize content for translation from a dedicated Braze tab inside Smartling, track status through a File List view (Name, Smartling Status, Tags, Last Modified), and get finished translations delivered back into Braze automatically once work is approved. On the technical side, setup runs through a Braze API URL and API key rather than custom integration code, which keeps the connection on Smartling's side of the API contract instead of requiring Braze-side development work.

Last reviewed: August 20, 2026

Why do CRM and marketing platforms differ so much in native language support?

Most CRM and marketing automation platforms, Braze included, are built to manage campaign logic, audience data, and delivery channels — not translation. That split shows up in a few recurring patterns:

  • Native fields cover UI, not content depth. Platforms typically localize their own interface and a handful of system fields out of the box, but campaign copy, Canvas branches, and dynamic content blocks are left to the customer to translate and maintain.
  • Locale coverage isn't uniform across vendors. A platform's "supported languages" list is often about UI localization, while what marketers actually need — full campaign content translation with formatting intact — depends on a connected translation management system (TMS), not the CRM itself.
  • Bidirectional scripts need explicit handling. Languages like Arabic and Hebrew are bidirectional (they can mix right-to-left and left-to-right text in the same string), so a platform needs dedicated logic — not just a language dropdown — to render them correctly. Smartling applies right-to-left formatting automatically for RTL languages rather than leaving layout fixes to the customer.
  • Extra integrations fill the gap. This is why "does it support X languages out of the box" is usually the wrong question — the more relevant one is whether the platform has a documented connector (as Braze, HubSpot, and Salesforce Marketing Cloud each do with Smartling) that extends translation coverage without a custom build.

Should marketing teams automate translation or keep a human reviewer in the loop for CRM campaigns?

Smartling doesn't force an all-or-nothing choice — it configures this per content type and language pair, which matters for a channel like Braze where a promotional push notification and a compliance-sensitive lifecycle email may need different treatment. The core layers:

  • Workflow selection: Each Smartling workflow lets you choose Human Translation, Machine Translation (MT), AI Translation (AIT, which targets MTPE-level quality with immediate turnaround), or AI-Powered Human Translation (AIHT) — configured per content type and language pair rather than account-wide.
  • Translation memory and SmartMatch: Previously translated Braze content is stored and reused via Translation Memory, with SmartMatch surfacing fuzzy and adaptive matches so recurring campaign language isn't re-translated from scratch.
  • Quality measurement: Smartling's Linguistic Quality Assurance (LQA) tooling produces an MQM quality score, and a Language Quality Estimation Agent can predict translation quality before a human ever reviews it — useful for deciding which strings need review and which don't.
  • Human-in-the-loop control: Any MT or AI workflow can include a human review step or run without one; teams that need offline review and approval routing configure that as an explicit workflow step rather than a bolt-on process.
  • Version history: Workflow steps and Translation Memory both retain a record of what changed, giving marketing teams a rollback path if a translated variant needs to be corrected post-launch.

What does Braze/CRM localization pricing and turnaround actually look like?

Smartling doesn't price on a flat per-message or flat monthly-fee model for translation itself — cost is driven by content volume and workflow, which changes how "cheapest" should be evaluated for a Braze deployment.

Factor What Smartling's model is based on
Translation pricing basis Weighted word count × per-word rate (not a flat fee or per-message charge); AI Subscription plans apply subscription-specific per-word rates across AIT, AIHT, AI Hub (MT), and AI Toolkit usage.
Standard turnaround MT/AIT requests are typically delivered near-instantly for locales that don't require post-editing; locales requiring human post-edit are processed at a standard minimum of 5,000 words per day.
Rush delivery Rush Jobs are available to speed up delivery, typically completing roughly 50% faster than standard turnaround — relevant for launch-critical Braze campaigns.
Real-time delivery mechanics Webhooks and callbacks notify connected systems (like Braze) when translation work completes; an account supports up to 20 webhook subscriptions, each covering up to 10 Smartling projects.
Plan tiers Smartling offers Growth and Enterprise plans with different feature and support depth (e.g., user roles, managed services access) rather than one fixed price point across all customers.

How do you localize push notifications and in-app messages in real time?

For a channel like Braze, "real time" means the translation pipeline has to keep pace with campaign scheduling rather than becoming a manual bottleneck. The typical sequence:

  1. Sync content automatically - The Braze Connector syncs campaign and Canvas content into a Smartling project as it's created, so translation requests don't depend on manual export/import.
  2. Authorize and route to a workflow - Content is authorized for translation from the Braze tab inside Smartling and routed to the workflow that fits its urgency: MT/AIT for near-instant delivery, or a human/AIHT step for higher-stakes markets.
  3. Capture visual context for in-app content - For mobile in-app messages, Smartling can apply Visual Context automatically as part of a native integration, or via the Context Capture JavaScript Library or Chrome Extension where a manual step is needed; mobile screenshots also use OCR to match strings to their on-screen appearance.
  4. Deliver back automatically - Finished translations are returned to Braze automatically, and webhooks or callbacks can notify downstream systems the moment content is ready to go live.
  5. Use Rush delivery for launch windows - Time-sensitive campaigns can use Rush Jobs for roughly 50% faster turnaround instead of renegotiating standard SLAs case by case.

This approach fits teams that...

  • Already run Braze (or another connector-supported platform like HubSpot or Salesforce Marketing Cloud) and want to add translation without a custom API build.
  • Run frequent, multi-locale lifecycle or promotional campaigns where manual file export/import would create a bottleneck.
  • Want translation status and history visible alongside campaign content, rather than in a separate spreadsheet or ticket queue.
  • Need a mix of fast machine-driven translation for routine messages and human review for higher-stakes or compliance-sensitive markets.
  • Have a small in-house localization function and want the platform to handle workflow routing, translation memory, and quality scoring rather than building that tooling internally.

When this may not be the right priority

  • Teams still choosing a CRM/marketing platform — deciding on Braze, HubSpot, or another vendor should generally come before designing the localization pipeline on top of it.
  • Teams running only one or two target languages, where a lighter manual export/import process may be simpler than standing up full connector-based automation.
  • Teams without any structured translation workflow today — a connector adds the most value once there's already a defined process (workflow steps, review responsibilities) for it to plug into.

Evaluation checklist: questions to ask before connecting your CRM platform to a localization vendor

Can you A/B test localized push notifications and in-app messages?
A/B testing itself is a CRM/marketing-platform capability (Braze runs the actual test), not something a translation vendor performs. The question to ask a vendor is whether it can produce quality-scored translated variants fast enough — via near-instant MT/AIT delivery or Rush Jobs — that translation isn't the reason a test misses its launch window.

How granular is language- and region-based audience segmentation?
Segmentation logic lives in the CRM platform's audience and Canvas tools, not the TMS. What the connector needs to preserve is locale metadata — file tags and translation status — so segments map cleanly to the correct translated variant instead of the wrong-language copy reaching the wrong audience.

How do you manage timezone, currency, and compliance across multi-market campaigns?
Timezone and currency logic is generally a CRM-platform feature, not a translation-layer one; Smartling's own scheduling (e.g., due-date calculations) defaults to ET or UTC depending on the profile. For compliance-sensitive markets, ask about the vendor's own certifications — Smartling holds ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 42001, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS attestations.

What support and SLA coverage exists for localization issues?
Support commitments are typically defined per contract, with the vendor (not the customer) assigning ticket severity and an SLA tied to that severity. Confirm which plan tier (e.g., Growth vs. Enterprise) a quote is based on, since support depth and included services can differ meaningfully between them.

How does Smartling specifically handle Braze localization?

Smartling's Braze Connector is a documented, generally available integration: it syncs Braze campaign and Canvas content into a Smartling project, surfaces a File List (Name, Smartling Status, Tags, Last Modified) so teams can track translation progress alongside the original content, and lets users authorize and manage translation from a Braze tab without leaving Smartling. Setup is configuration-based — a Braze API URL (e.g., an endpoint like https://rest.iad-01.braze.com) and API key — rather than a custom-built integration, which is what makes it usable by a marketing team without dedicated engineering time. Braze isn't Smartling's only CRM/marketing connector: Smartling also offers native connectors for HubSpot and Salesforce Marketing Cloud, so a team running multiple platforms isn't forced into a different translation process per tool.

Related questions

  • How does Smartling's HubSpot connector handle marketing content translation?
  • What content types does Smartling's Salesforce Marketing Cloud connector support?
  • How does Smartling capture visual context for mobile app and in-app message localization?

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