Import Real-Time Google Translate Data via ODBC in ColdFusion to Build Applications

Dibyendu Datta
Dibyendu Datta
Lead Technology Evangelist
Use CData ODBC drivers to import and use Google Translate data in ColdFusion.

Adobe ColdFusion is a web and mobile application development platform. It uses its own scripting language, ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML), to create data-driven websites as well as generate remote services, such as REST. When ColdFusion is paired with the CData API Driver for ODBC, you can link your ColdFusion web and mobile applications to operational Google Translate data. This allows for your applications to be more robust and complete. This article details how to use the ODBC driver to create a table populated with Google Translate data from within a ColdFusion markup file.

To follow along with this tutorial, you need to install the CData API Driver for ODBC and Adobe ColdFusion.

Configuring the Connection

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (Data Source Name). This is the last step of the driver installation process. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Authentication

Google Cloud Translation API requires OAuth 2.0 authentication to ensure secure access to translation services, datasets, glossaries, and adaptive MT resources. This authentication method allows you to securely connect to your Google Cloud project and manage translation resources with proper authorization.

OAuth 2.0 Setup and Configuration

Step 1: Create Google Cloud Project and Enable API

To set up OAuth authentication:

  1. Visit the Google Cloud Console
  2. Create a new project or select an existing project
  3. Note down your Project ID (required for all API calls)
  4. Navigate to "APIs & Services" > "Library"
  5. Search for and enable the "Cloud Translation API"
  6. Go to "APIs & Services" > "Credentials"
  7. Click "Create Credentials" and select "OAuth Client ID"
  8. Configure the OAuth consent screen if prompted
  9. Select "Desktop application" or "Web application" as appropriate
  10. Set the authorized redirect URI (CallbackURL)
  11. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret for use in your connection

Required Connection Properties

  • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth (required)
  • OAuthClientId: Client ID from Google Cloud Console (required)
  • OAuthClientSecret: Client secret from Google Cloud Console (required)
  • CallbackURL: Redirect URI specified in your OAuth application (required)
  • InitiateOAuth: Set to GETANDREFRESH for automatic token management (recommended)
  • ProjectId: Your Google Cloud project ID or project number (required for queries)

Required OAuth Scopes

The Google Cloud Translation API Profile requires the following OAuth scope:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/cloud-translation - Full access to Cloud Translation API resources including translation, datasets, glossaries, and adaptive MT

Adding a Data Source and Creating a Table

After creating a DSN, follow the steps below to add a new data source, test our connection to it, create a ColdFusion markup file, and, finally, import Google Translate Data and display it in a table in ColdFusion:

  1. From the ColdFusion administrator interface, choose Data & Services.
  2. Here, click "Add New Data Source". The data source name can be any name, provided it conforms to the ColdFusion variable naming conventions. For our ODBC driver, choose "ODBC Socket", then click the "Add" button.
  3. From the ODBC DSN Dropdown menu select CData Google Translate Sys. Under the Advanced Settings section, leave the Connection String blank. Note that any properties specified in this input field will override the ones specified in the DSN Configuration.
  4. Now, test the connection by pressing the check mark to the left of the CDataGoogle TranslateODBC data source you just created. When the data source reports an "OK" status, it is ready for use.
  5. Next, create a new ColdFusion Markup file (.cfm) and place it in the wwwroot directory ("C:\ColdFusion2021\cfusion\wwwroot") for ColdFusion.

    The following code queries the data source:

                
            <cfquery name="Google TranslateQuery" dataSource="CDataGoogle TranslateODBC"> 
              SELECT * FROM SupportedLanguages 
            </cfquery> 
        
    And a CFTable can be used to quickly output the table in HTML:
                
              <cftable  
              query = "Google TranslateQuery" 
              border = "1" 
              colHeaders 
              colSpacing = "2" 
              headerLines = "2" 
              HTMLTable 
              maxRows = "500" 
              startRow = "1"> 
    
              <cfcol header="<b>LanguageCode</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="LanguageCode"/> 
    
              <cfcol header="<b>DisplayName</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="DisplayName"/> 
    
              ...
    
            </cftable> 
        
    Full code, including the HTML portion is available below:
                
            <html> 
            <head><title>CData Software | Google Translate SupportedLanguages Table Demo </title></head> 
            <body> 
            <cfoutput>#ucase("Google Translate SupportedLanguages Table Demo")#</cfoutput> 
            <cfquery name="Google TranslateQuery" dataSource="CDataGoogle TranslateODBC"> 
    
              SELECT * FROM SupportedLanguages 
    
            </cfquery> 
            <cftable  
              query = "Google TranslateQuery" 
              border = "1" 
              colHeaders 
              colSpacing = "2" 
              headerLines = "2" 
              HTMLTable 
              maxRows = "500" 
              startRow = "1"> 
              <cfcol header="<b>LanguageCode</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="LanguageCode"/> 
    
              <cfcol header="<b>DisplayName</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="DisplayName"/> 
    
              ...
    
            </cftable> 
            </body> 
    
            </html>  
        
  6. Finally, run the code in a browser. It produces a table populated with Google Translate data!

As a note, the CData ODBC Drivers also support parameterized queries using the cfqueryparam element. For example:

SELECT * FROM Account WHERE name =  

Get Started Today

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData ODBC Driver for Google Translate and start building Google Translate-connected applications with Adobe ColdFusion. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.

Ready to get started?

Connect to live data from Google Translate with the API Driver

Connect to Google Translate