smartling api 500 job creation failed

Not specified by the original author.

Fix Smartling API 500 on job creation

TL;DR

The 500 is on Smartling's side or your payload trips an unhandled case, so validate the payload, retry once, then check their status. First rule out your JSON, a malformed field is the most common trigger. If the payload is clean and it still 500s, wait and retry, then contact support with the request id.

The error

HTTP 500 Internal Server Error
POST /jobs-api/v3/projects/{id}/jobs to 500, no useful body

Fix it

Step 1: Validate your payload against the docs

node -e "const p=require('./job.json'); console.log('jobName' in p && 'targetLocales' in p ? 'required fields present' : 'missing required fields')"

Expected: Required fields are present and types look right.

Step 2: Retry once after a short wait

sleep 30 && curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X POST -H "your auth header -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d @job.json https://api.smartling.com/jobs-api/v3/projects/$SMARTLING_PROJECT/jobs

Expected: A transient 500 often clears on the second try.

Step 3: Check the Smartling status page

curl -s https://status.smartling.com/api/v2/status.json | head -c 200

Expected: You see whether there is an active incident.

Step 4: Retry with a minimal payload to isolate the trigger

node -e "console.log('send jobName plus one target locale only, add fields back until it 500s')"

Expected: You find the field that triggers it, or it works and the original had a bad value.

When to use this

• Smartling job creation returns 500
• The error body is empty or generic

When NOT to use this

• The API returns 400, that is your payload, fix the named field
• The API returns 401, that is auth

Tool and version compatibility

• Smartling Jobs API v3
• Check status.smartling.com during incidents

Variant phrasings

500 on file upload instead of job creation

Same approach. Try a tiny test file first to separate payload from service issues.

500 only for one project

Something about that project's config trips it. Compare settings with a working project.

Why it happens

A 500 means the server failed handling the request. With translation APIs that is usually either a transient backend hiccup or one specific payload shape the backend does not handle, like an unusual locale code or a duplicate job name.

Edge cases

• Always capture the request id or timestamp for support, 500s without it are hard to trace
• Do not retry in a tight loop, back off or you will look like an attack
• Idempotency: check whether the job was created before retrying, 500s can be ambiguous

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstLDPtBunEvFKSJmekFhxMg

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstLDPtBunEvFKSJmekFhxMg

Thread query: smartling api 500 job creation failed

TL;DR: The 500 is on Smartling's side or your payload trips an unhandled case, so validate the payload, retry once, then check their status. First rule out your JSON, a malformed field is the most common trigger. If the payload is clean and it still 500s, wait and retry, then contact support with the request id.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Fix this in Translation sync agent by acting on the exact symptom first: sync locale files in small batches with a per request deadline, save each confirmed batch, and retry only the batch whose response never arrived instead of resending the whole locale. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Agent timed out waiting for a Document360 API response while syncing help center translations, slow response

Use this when

• Work in Translation sync agent shows this exact symptom: Agent timed out waiting for a Document360 API response while syncing help center translations, slow response.
• The same symptom repeats after a retry with unchanged inputs.
• Readers or support agents are blocked until this item is corrected.

Not for this skill when

• The help center platform itself is down or returning outage notices. Resolve that first, then return here if this symptom remains.
• The content is correct and you only want a style or tone rewrite. That is an editorial pass, not this fix.

Steps

1. Reproduce the symptom with the smallest scope that still shows it in Translation sync agent, and record the article, collection or query involved plus the exact wording from the code block above. Verify: the symptom is reproduced on demand with a named scope, not only reported second hand.
2. Apply the specific fix for this symptom: sync locale files in small batches with a per request deadline, save each confirmed batch, and retry only the batch whose response never arrived instead of resending the whole locale. Verify: the smallest failing scope now behaves as the fix predicts, checked in the published view rather than only in the editor.
3. Check neighbouring articles, collections or locales that share the same template, category or workflow, because this class of problem rarely affects only one item. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Repeat the original reader or agent action in Translation sync agent that exposed the symptom, using the same query, link or workflow as the first attempt. Verify: the action completes and the original symptom does not appear.
5. Compare the result against the source of truth for this item, the current product behaviour, price list, release notes or ticket evidence named in the fix. Verify: the published result matches the source or every difference is named and explained.
6. Record the fix, the scope it covered and the verification result where the content team works, so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the symptom, the fix applied and the evidence of success.

Variant phrasings

Agent timed out waiting for a Document360 API response while syncing help center translations, slow response

The verbatim form readers and agents paste from the help center or console. Treat it identically: same fix, same single scope proof, then the wider rollout.

How to fix - agent timed out waiting for Document360 API response while trying to sync help center translations error timeout failure slow

The how to phrasing for the same problem in Translation sync agent. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the final check.

Translation sync agent troubleshooting for this symptom

The symptom first phrasing used when the full message is hidden. Surface the full symptom first, confirm it matches the code block above, then follow the steps.

Why it happens

The sync waited indefinitely on one large locale request, so a slow response consumed the window and left even the completed locales unsaved.

Edge cases

• The symptom appears in one locale, collection or audience view only. Fix that scope, then check the same item in the other views before closing.
• A cached or indexed copy keeps showing the old state after the fix. Allow for the platform reindex or cache window, recheck in a fresh reader session, and only then escalate.
• Two items have near identical titles. Confirm the identifier of the item you edited, not just its title, before declaring the fix verified.

Compatibility: Translation sync agent at current versions, plus the help center admin, search or API surface the query names; no extra tooling beyond reader level access to verify the published result.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_qBvyaC9QBLTvSOhDJ0EpJw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_qBvyaC9QBLTvSOhDJ0EpJw

Thread query: agent timed out waiting for Document360 API response while trying to sync help center translations error timeout failure slow

TL;DR: Fix this in Translation sync agent by acting on the exact symptom first: sync locale files in small batches with a per request deadline, save each confirmed batch, and retry only the batch whose response never arrived instead of resending the whole locale. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Not specified by the original author.

smartling api job creation stuck in pending state

TL;DR

Fixes Smartling translation jobs that never leave pending. Check the source file processing status and resubmit stalled files. Use when a job sits in pending for hours. Not for jobs failing with an error code.

The error

Job status: pending. Source files: 3 processing, 0 ready. No progress for 6 hours.

Fix it

Step 1: Check the file processing status

node -e "console.log('call the job status endpoint and list each file state')"

Expected: You see which files are stuck in processing.

Step 2: Inspect the stuck file

node -e "console.log('download the stuck source file and validate its format')"

Expected: You find the malformed file blocking the job.

Step 3: Fix and resubmit the file

node -e "console.log('repair the file, re-upload, confirm the job moves to in progress')"

Expected: The job leaves pending and starts translating.

When to use this

• A Smartling job stays pending for hours
• Some files process while others never finish

When NOT to use this

• The job fails with an error code, read the failure message
• The job completes but translations are missing, check the workflow steps

Tool and version compatibility

• Smartling API v2
• Jobs API with file upload

Variant phrasings

all files stuck in pending

The project workflow has no next step configured. Fix the workflow, not the files.

job pending only on weekends

No translators are assigned to that language pair for those days.

Why it happens

Smartling parses each source file before the job can start. One malformed file blocks parsing for the whole job, and the job waits in pending indefinitely instead of failing fast.

Edge cases

• Very large files can take hours to parse; distinguish slow from stuck
• Files with mixed encodings parse halfway then stall
• Deleting and re-adding the file sometimes clears a stuck parser state

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_Tfu9n7PVPt6dYYuTYP-nXw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_Tfu9n7PVPt6dYYuTYP-nXw

Thread query: smartling api job creation stuck in pending state

TL;DR: Fixes Smartling translation jobs that never leave pending. Check the source file processing status and resubmit stalled files. Use when a job sits in pending for hours. Not for jobs failing with an error code.