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Documentation: Autolanguage plugin

Microsoft Azure Translator API Key

Getting a Microsoft Azure API key takes a few more steps than other services because of the size of the Azure interface. It's worth it though: the Free F0 Tier lets you translate up to 2 million characters per month for free.

Step 1: Account and login

  1. Go to the Azure Portal.
  2. Log in with your Microsoft account (Outlook, Hotmail, Live, etc.) or create a new one.
  3. You need an active Subscription. If you're new, you can sign up for a free account. Like Google Cloud, Microsoft requires a credit card or debit card for identity verification, even for the free tier.

Step 2: Create the Translator resource

  1. In the Azure Portal, click + Create a resource in the top-left corner.
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  2. In the search bar, type Translator.
  3. Select the result titled Translator (published by Microsoft).
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Step 3: Configure project details

Fill out the form:

  • Subscription: select your subscription (e.g. "Pay-As-You-Go" or "Azure subscription 1").
  • Resource Group: click Create new and give it a name, such as JoomlaTranslation.
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  • Region: this setting matters.
    • Choose Global for the simplest setup.
    • Choose a specific region (e.g. West Europe) if your data must stay within a specific territory for GDPR compliance.
    • Remember your choice, you'll need to enter it in the plugin settings later.
  • Name: enter a unique name, like MySite-Translator.
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  • Pricing Tier: select Free F0 (up to 2M characters...). If you don't see F0, you may already have a free resource elsewhere, Azure allows only one F0 Translator resource per account.

Click Review + create, then click Create.

Step 4: Retrieve the API key

  1. Wait for the deployment to finish (usually about 30 seconds).
  2. Click Go to resource once it appears.
  3. In the left menu, under Resource Management, click Keys and Endpoint.
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  4. You'll see Key 1 and Key 2. Either works. Copy Key 1.

Step 5: Add the key to Joomla

  1. Log in to your Joomla backend.
  2. Go to System > Manage > Plugins and open System - Autolanguage.
  3. Open the Service & API tab and set Translation Service to Microsoft Azure API.
  4. Microsoft API Key: paste the key you copied in Step 4.
  5. Region: if you chose Global in Step 3, leave this blank. If you chose West Europe, enter westeurope (lowercase, no spaces). You can find the exact region code in the Azure portal on the "Keys and Endpoint" screen, under "Location".

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