canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/motaword.com/motaword

# MotaWord API

MotaWord is a collaborative human-and-machine translation platform that delivers translation, localisation, certified translation, and document workflow services. The API exposes 242 endpoints covering project lifecycle (quote, post, track, deliver), document and string management, language and format catalogues, payment, glossaries, translation memory, and customer account operations. Authentication uses OAuth 2.0 token grants with basic auth supported for the token endpoint. The platform supports both fully managed translation and self-serve project posting with vendor-side tracking.

## For AI agents

Quote, post, and track translation projects across 100+ languages, manage documents and translation memory, and download finished work via MotaWord's project lifecycle API.

## Scope

Does not handle real-time speech translation, AI-only machine translation without human review, or content authoring - use for project-based document and string translation only.

## Capabilities

- Obtain an OAuth 2.0 access token from /token using client credentials
- Generate translation quotes for documents in supported source and target languages
- Post translation projects and upload source documents for translator pickup
- Track project progress, deliveries, and revisions through the project lifecycle endpoints
- Manage translation memory, glossaries, and style guides per customer
- List supported languages via /languages and supported file formats via /formats
- Process payments and corporate payment configurations through the /payment endpoints

## Use cases

### Automated Document Translation Pipeline

Product teams that ship multi-locale content automate the translate-and-deliver loop end-to-end. The pipeline calls /token for an OAuth bearer, /formats and /languages to validate the input, posts the document to a translation project, polls for delivery, and downloads the translated file. MotaWord's hybrid human-plus-machine model keeps quality stable across long-running batches.

Example prompt: Get an OAuth token from /token, post a new project with the source document and target language fr, poll project status until delivered, then download the translated file.

### Per-Project Quoting for Customers

Agencies and platforms that resell translation generate quotes inline before committing customers to an order. The quote endpoint computes word count, cost, and turnaround for the source document and chosen target languages, returning a quote ID that can later be promoted to a real project. This avoids upfront commit and lets the customer accept or reject the cost.

Example prompt: Submit the source document and a list of target languages to the quote endpoint, return the cost and ETA to the user, and promote the quote to a project on confirmation.

### Translation Memory and Glossary Management

Repeat translation work benefits from translation memory and glossary reuse. The MotaWord API exposes endpoints to upload, list, and update TM entries and glossary terms per customer, ensuring consistent terminology across projects and reducing cost on repeat content. Localization engineers integrate this into their content management workflows.

Example prompt: Upload glossary terms for a customer, list existing translation memory entries, and update a term's preferred translation.

### Localisation Agent via Jentic

An AI agent that needs to translate user-generated content searches Jentic for the MotaWord project posting operation, loads its input schema, and executes - without ever seeing the OAuth client secret. This lets a content moderation or publishing agent route foreign-language content through professional translation in one step.

Example prompt: Search Jentic for 'translate a document with MotaWord', load the project posting operation, and execute it with the source file and target language.

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| POST | `/token` | Issue OAuth 2.0 access token |
| GET | `/languages` | List supported languages |
| GET | `/formats` | List supported file formats |
| POST | `/payment` | Process or configure payment |
| GET | `/cache/{key}` | Read a cached translation entry by key |

## Key resources

- **Languages** — List supported source and target languages.
- **Formats** — List supported source file formats.
- **Token** — Issue OAuth 2.0 access tokens for downstream calls.
- **Payment** — Manage payment methods and corporate payment codes.
- **Cache** — Read and clear translation cache entries by key.

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring MotaWord by hand means choosing between basic auth and the OAuth2 flow, exchanging credentials for a bearer at /token, and finding the right call among more than two hundred endpoints. Through Jentic you install once, import the MotaWord API from the API Directory, store the credentials once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** MotaWord carries its targets in the request body and query rather than a fixed resource path, so limit the agent to the operations it needs, such as listing languages or requesting a quote. You choose the operations it may call, so payment submission is not included unless you add it.
- **Credential handling:** Your MotaWord OAuth client credentials are stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and exchanged for the short-lived bearer at execution time. The raw client secret never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'translate a document' or 'get a translation quote', and Jentic returns the matching MotaWord operation with its input schema, so the agent picks the right call without browsing the docs.

## Related APIs

- **Smartling API** — Smartling provides translation management with stronger CMS integrations and translator workflow control.
- **Phrase API** — Phrase focuses on string-level localization for software releases.
- **Slack API** — Slack notifies localisation teams when MotaWord projects move between states.

## FAQ

### What authentication does the MotaWord API use?

MotaWord uses OAuth 2.0 with the /token endpoint as the token issuer; basic auth is also accepted there for client credentials. Through Jentic, the OAuth client secret lives in the encrypted vault and only the issued bearer token reaches the agent context.

### Can I get a translation quote before committing to a project?

Yes. MotaWord exposes a quote flow that estimates cost and turnaround for a source document and chosen target languages. The returned quote can later be promoted to a real project, so users see cost up front.

### What file formats does MotaWord support?

Use GET /formats to retrieve the live list of supported source formats. The endpoint returns the formats MotaWord can ingest for translation, which include common document, subtitle, and structured-content types.

### What are the rate limits for the MotaWord API?

MotaWord does not publish hard limits in the spec. Treat token issuance as fair-use per OAuth client and cache the access token for its lifetime instead of re-requesting on every call.

### How do I post a translation project through Jentic?

Run pip install jentic, then search 'translate a document with MotaWord', load the project posting operation, and execute it with the source file and target language. Jentic supplies the OAuth token from your vault.

### Is the MotaWord API free?

API access is free; charges apply per translation project based on word count, language pair, and turnaround. Use the quote flow to compute cost before posting a project.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the MotaWord API?

Yes. Because you run Jentic One yourself, your own rules decide which MotaWord operations and credentials the agent can use, so you can grant only the calls it needs, such as listing languages, requesting a quote, or posting a project. Since MotaWord carries its targets in the request body and query rather than a fixed resource path, you scope access at the operation level rather than by URL. Sensitive operations like payment submission at /payment stay off unless you explicitly add them. The OAuth client credentials are held by your own instance and exchanged for a short-lived bearer at execution time, so the raw secret never reaches the agent.