Connect to Google Translate Data in Ruby

Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Connect to Google Translate data in Ruby with ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc.

The CData API Driver for ODBC makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Google Translate data in Ruby. This article shows how to create a simple Ruby app that connects to Google Translate data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Create an ODBC Connection to Google Translate Data

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. 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

Installing Ruby and Necessary Gems

If you do not have Ruby installed, refer to the Ruby installation page. With Ruby installed, you will need to install the ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc gems:

gem install dbi
gem install dbd-odbc
gem install ruby-odbc

Create a Ruby App with Connectivity to Google Translate Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: APISelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

#connect to the DSN
require 'dbi'
cnxn = DBI.connect('DBI:ODBC:CData API Source','','')

#execute a SELECT query and store the result set
resultSet = cnxn.execute("SELECT LanguageCode, DisplayName FROM SupportedLanguages WHERE ProjectId = 'my-project-12345'")

#display the names of the columns
resultSet.column_names.each do |name|
  print name, "\t"
end
puts

#display the results
while row = resultSet.fetch do
  (0..resultSet.column_names.size - 1).each do |n|
    print row[n], "\t"
  end
  puts
end
resultSet.finish

#close the connection
cnxn.disconnect if cnxn

With the file completed, you are ready to display your Google Translate data with Ruby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

ruby APISelect.rb
Writing SQL-92 queries to Google Translate allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Google Translate data into your own Ruby applications. Download a free trial today!

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Connect to live data from Google Translate with the API Driver

Connect to Google Translate