How We Work

The Polyglots teamPolyglots Team Polyglots Team is a group of multilingual translators who work on translating plugins, themes, documentation, and front-facing marketing copy. https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/. is organized into translation teams (localesLocale Locale = language version, often a combination of a language code and a region code, for instance es_MX denotes Spanish as it’s used in Mexico. A list of all locales supported by WordPress in https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/) focused on specific languages, in addition to the global Polyglots team which organizes translation efforts more generally. Each localeLocale Locale = language version, often a combination of a language code and a region code, for instance es_MX denotes Spanish as it’s used in Mexico. A list of all locales supported by WordPress in https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/ has its own team leads and team reps to oversee and help  with the day-to-day work. For more information on the roles within the Polyglots team, see the Roles and Capabilities page.

Communication channels

There are three main types of channels for Polyglots communications: the Polyglots P2p2 "p2" is the name of the theme that blogs at make.wordpress.org use (and o2 is the accompanying plugin). When asked to post something "on the p2" by a member of the Polyglots team, that usually means you're asked to post on the team blog https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/., WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/., and locale-based Slack instances. In addition to these communication channels, some locales also utilize their RosettaRosetta The code name of the theme for the local WordPress sites (eg. bg.wordpress.org is a “Rosetta” site). All locale specific WordPress sites are referred to as “Rosetta sites.” The name was inspired from the ancient Rosetta Stone, which contained more or less the same text in three different languages. Site’s team or O2 to collaborate asynchronously.

Top ↑

The Polyglots P2

The heart of Polyglots communication is our blog. This P2 is the place for all of our asynchronous communication. It is  where you’ll find all discussions, announcements, archives from weekly meetings and where you can request a new locale site or new project translation editorsTranslation Editor Translation editors can approve translations for projects. The GTE (General Translation Editor) and LM (Locale Manager) roles can add new users with the "Project Translation Editor" role that can approve translations for specific projects. There are two different Translation Editor roles: General Translation Editor and Project Translation Editor for your plugins/themes.

In order to post to this site, you will need to log in with your wordpress.org account. Note that your very first post may take a while to show up, as it is moderated; please don’t create duplicates. Also, make sure to follow our tag policy when posting.

Top ↑

Who can write on the Polyglots blog? 

  • Members of the WordPress coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. team and other WordPress projects (Mobile Apps, BuddyPress, bbPressbbPress Free, open source software built on top of WordPress for easily creating forums on sites. https://bbpress.org.)
  • team reps of any locale team
  • General translation editors (GTEs), project translation editors (PTEs) and translation contributors
  • people, who want to request a new locale site
  • people, who want to overtake an existing, but abandoned locale site
  • pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party and theme authors
  • everyone who needs help getting started with translating WordPress in their own language

Top ↑

What do we communicate on the Polyglots blog? 

  • Release announcements and notifications for General Translation Editors
  • Global announcements
  • Meeting summaries
  • New sets of stringsString A string is a translatable part of the software. A translation consists of a multitude of localized strings. to translate
  • Translation changes and string freezeString freeze The term "string freeze" is used by the core team to mark the end of changes to the strings of an upcoming release. A string freeze also means that there will be no more strings added to the core project. Sometimes a string freeze has two phases a soft freeze and a hard freeze. A string freeze is announced on the Polyglots blog by the current release lead. dates
  • General discussions
  • Event announcements

Top ↑

WordPress.org Slack channels

Synchronous communication (or, in real time) happens primarily in the WordPress.org Slack. There are three main channels that are relevant for Polyglots contributors:

#polyglots: This is our main channel. This is where we hold our weekly meetings and where contributors can ask general questions. This is a shared channel among all locales, so anyone from anywhere can participate and ask questions in this channel.

#polyglots-events: This is where we post announcements about upcoming events, like Global Translation Days. Contributors can communicate updates, share announcements, and coordinate the organization of events in this channel.

#polyglots-warnings: This channel acts as a log for errors or warnings submitted in translations. This may be helpful for GTEs and PTEs who want to catch errors in their locales quickly. 

Top ↑

Locale-based Slack

Many language teams have their own Slack instances for the local WordPress community. It is here that many day-to-day discussions happen around translations. Check this list to see if your language team already has a local Slack and how you can join.

Once you’ve joined your locale’s Slack, check to see where translations take place. Many teams have a #translations or #polyglots channel where you can introduce yourself, ask questions, and coordinate with other volunteers.

Top ↑

Release cycles

Before every new version of WordPress is released (approx. every 4 months), the core team adds a set of new strings for translation to the WordPress, WordPress Administration, and WordPress Network Administration projects. This happens in two main stages – a soft string freeze and a hard string freeze.

After each stage is announced by the core team, the General Translation Editors for all locales get a notification from the Polyglots leadership team with a request to translate the new strings and prepare their locales for the release.

Last updated: