There are a number of tools you can use to translate WordPress projects. Each tool has different features and options that may help you to find your ideal translation workflow.
However, please remember that locale packages and language packs are always built from approved translations on translate.wordpress.org. Because of this, no matter which tool you use to translate strings, you will eventually need to import the strings or relevant format files (e.g. gettext files with a .po or .mo extension) to translate.wordpress.org.
For Translators
translate.wordpress.org
translate.wordpress.org is our main translation management system powered by GlotPress, a plugin for WordPress. This is a place where the WordPress polyglots team translates the core software, plugins, themes, various meta projects, and mobile apps.
Translation Consistency Tool
Translation Consistency Tool is a tool to help analyze if an original string is translated consistently throughout projects in your locale. You can enter a term and you will see a list of its different uses in your language. Ideally, a term should be added to a locale’s Glossary and used consistently across the whole project.
Glossaries
Each team needs to have its own glossary to help new translators get started and keep the translations of WordPress, plugins, and themes consistent. GlotPress has a built-in glossary feature that allows translators to see the proper translation of an original term while translating. See the list of glossaries and style guides per locale and how to create one.
Browser Addons
These are third-party browser add-ons (extensions) that extend translate.wordpress.org developed by active WordPress translators.
- GlotDict: Glossary integration, alert for missing placeholders and punctuation, and custom shortcuts.
- WordPress Translation Filler: Indication of the quality of the translations, machine translation integration.
- WPGP Tools: Consistency tools, Translation history lookup, missing punctuation alert and other general checks.
- SPTE: Detects style guide and glossary errors for French locale.
For Translation Teams
Translation Stats Overview
Translation Status Overview is a page that shows you an overview of the progress of each locale for WordPress, the WordPress meta projects (like the plugin and theme directories and the Rosetta sites), and mobile apps.
Third-Party Products/Services
- WP Polyglots facilitator by Jesús Amiero makes it possible to use an existing translation of a plugin or theme in a different locale as a template for your own locale. As an example, you could import a translation for es_ES to es_AR and then just adjust for the differences in the new target locale. It’s described more in detail in a post made by the author.
- Gutenberg String Comparator is a consistency checker specific to core and Gutenberg plugin. It lets you find out if there are any differences in those two projects.
For Translators and Managers of Non-English Sites
WP-CLI commands
WP-CLI wp language is a handy command for Installing, activating, and managing language packs.
The wp i18n command can help you generate a PO, MO, POT, or JSON file,
Not a part of official WP-CLI distribution, but there is a third-party add-on called PO Merger for merging PO files, created by the SatelliteWP team. It lets you bring in the translations of a similar locale when your locale’s translation is not complete.
Third-Party Products/Services
Translation Tools (plugin)
Translation Tools is a plugin created by Pedro Mendonça, which allows you to change your site language to any locale that exists, even if a language pack has not yet been generated for that locale. This is particularly helpful for translators or developers who would like to use existing WordPress core, plugin, or theme translations, even if the projects haven’t met the related threshold for a language pack.
This tool also allows you to manually update, on-demand, any translations you want in WordPress core, plugins, or themes. With one click, you can download all the .po translation files and generate all the needed .mo and .json files, in just a few seconds. The plugin also adds some WP core translations tests and debug info to Site Health.
Translation Stats (plugin)
Also created by Pedro Mendonça, the Translation Stats plugin adds a column that shows translation stats in the plugin list screen.
Force Update Translations (plugin)
Force Update Translations plugin by Mayo Moriyama downloads theme/plugin translation files (note: JSON files are not supported yet) with existing Waiting and Current translations.
String locator (plugin)
String locator plugin by Marius L. J. can help you find a piece of text used in all theme/plugin/core files within your install.
Other Translation Tools and Platforms
There are a number of other tools that can be useful in various ways for the translation of WordPress projects, some of them are listed below. Keep in mind that if you translate outside our main platform then after you finish your translation, you will need to go to translate.wordpress.org and import the relevant gettext files, as the language packages are built from there.
Also note: a translation editor must perform translation review directly in translate.wordpress.org and never in external systems. The reason for this is to correctly preserve translation credit for the user who submitted the translation.
- GNU gettext: The official gettext tools package contains command-line tools for creating POTs, manipulating POs, and generating MOs. This tool is for those comfortable with a command shell.
- Poedit: An open source program for Windows, Mac OS X and UNIX/Linux which provides an easy-to-use GUI for editing PO files and generate MO files.
- Loco: A PO file editor that works directly in your browser.
- Transifex: A localization platform which offers a free version for open source projects.
- OmegaT: An open source translation memory desktop app.