Translation Job Behavior - UN-localization?

Question

As a follow-up to my question on Translation Manager check out and localize behavior I wanted to confirm additional details for Translation Jobs (and correct any assumptions I might have suggested).

1. I couldn't find mention in the docs, but to be sure, can we create and send Translation Jobs that have checked out items?

2. What happens to the items in Target Publications when a job starts and completes?

Lars explained when starting a Translation Manager Job will:

• Attempt to checkout (target items)
• Localize the target item if needed
• Not prevent the job from being sent (though we'll have issues on retrieval if items are still checked out)

Is there any unlocalization involved?

I think I've misread an implementation suggestion where editors (or the Event System) could synchronize a Target item to its Source (or at least closest localized parent) by unlocalizing the item, but I'm not sure this is the default behavior.

Edit:

Here's what I've read about unlocalizing as an "implementation suggestion" (approach, technique, or option). This could help keep non-translatable parts of items (e.g. permissions or Component Presentations) synchronized with their parents:

• SDL Live Content mentions unlocalizing child Folders or Structure Groups as a way to keep permission settings the same as their parents while still translating their names (or metadata)
• Nickoli Roussakov mentions unlocalizing pages as a way to match their Component Presentations

So unlocalizing can help, but to keep history in Target items, we'd avoid doing so.

Answer 1

The steps you list are indeed what should happen when sending. After replying I was investigating the code due to other reasons and did find that some versions of Tridion might not have the expected behavior and will fail if the item is checked out. If you run into this it is a bug, and if it is having business impact you can follow the standard support procedure to get it fixed.

Translation Manager will only unlocalize if undoing checkout for a versionable item result in the item being version 1 (so basically just a copy of the parent item so no data can be lost by unlocalizing).

I have no idea what is meant by the "implementation suggestion" (a suggestion to solve WHAT?), so can't comment on it being right or wrong.