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GET
/
source-languages
Get Source Languages
curl --request GET \
  --url https://client.camb.ai/apis/source-languages \
  --header 'x-api-key: <api-key>'
[
  {
    "id": 123,
    "language": "<string>",
    "short_name": "<string>"
  }
]
This endpoint serves as your gateway to the multilingual capabilities of our platform, providing a complete catalog of all languages that can be used as source languages in translation, text-to-speech, and other language processing operations. By querying this endpoint, you’ll receive detailed information about each supported language, enabling you to make informed choices when implementing multilingual features in your applications.

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Understanding Source Languages

Source languages represent the starting point in language transformation processes. When you translate content, convert text to speech, or perform other language operations, the source language is the original language of your content. Having accurate information about available source languages is fundamental to ensuring your application correctly processes user input.

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How to Use This Endpoint

To retrieve the list of supported source languages, simply send a GET request to this endpoint. No parameters are required, as the response will include all available source languages. The system will respond with an array containing detailed information about each language.

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Understanding Language Identifiers

The language identifiers returned by this endpoint are crucial for other API operations. When you make requests to endpoints like /translate, /tts, or other language-processing endpoints, you’ll need to specify the source language using the id value. This creates a consistent system for language identification across the entire API. Here’s how the language identifiers connect different parts of the API ecosystem:
  1. Fetch available languages using the /source-languages endpoint.
  2. Present choices to your users in a meaningful way using the language property.
  3. Submit requests to other endpoints using the id property as the language identifier.
This workflow ensures that your application always uses valid language values that the API can understand and process correctly.

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Relationship with Target Languages

It’s important to understand the distinction between source languages (provided by this endpoint) and target languages (provided by the /target-languages endpoint):
  • Source languages are languages that your content starts in.
  • Target languages are languages that your content can be translated into.
While there is often significant overlap between these sets, they are not always identical. Some languages may be available as source languages but not as target languages, or vice versa. For comprehensive multilingual applications, you should check both endpoints to understand the full range of language transformations available to you.

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Best Practices

When working with the /source-languages endpoint, consider these recommendations:
  1. Cache the results: Since language lists change infrequently, store the response locally and refresh it periodically (e.g., once a day) rather than making a request every time a user interacts with your application.
  2. Sort languages appropriately: In user interfaces, consider sorting languages alphabetically or by relevance to your user base.
  3. Use appropriate identifiers: Always use the id field when making API requests, rather than the language name or short name.
  4. Provide search functionality: For applications with many language options, implement search or filtering to help users quickly find their desired language.
  5. Consider language variants: Be aware that some languages may have multiple variants (e.g., American English vs. British English) that could be listed separately.
By leveraging this endpoint effectively, you can create truly global applications that serve users in their preferred languages, enhancing accessibility and user experience across diverse audiences.

Authorizations

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x-api-key
string
header
required

The x-api-key is a custom header required for authenticating requests to our API. Include this header in your request with the appropriate API key value to securely access our endpoints. You can find your API key(s) in the 'API' section of our studio website.

Response

Successful Response

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id
integer

The id property represents a unique numerical identifier assigned to each language in the system.

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language
string

The language property represents the full, human-readable name of a language and its associated regional or country variant.

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short_name
string

The short name is a standardized identifier for each language and locale combination, represented in the format of -.