You’re an Editor! Now what?

When you become an editor of a 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 or a theme for the first time, it can be a little tricky to figure out what to do with translations with doubts. There’s no check by another editor like before, and you are now responsible also for approving or rejecting others’ suggestions based on your team guidelines. But you are in good company because the Polyglots community is here to share the best way to deal with your concerns. Every day, experienced editors ask for help from each other and find a solution together.

First, remember to follow the general expectations and to respect your locale style guide and glossary. Then if necessary, kindly let other contributors know these rules. Invite them to talk about terms, translations, and consistency throughout the projects within the WordPress ecosystem. Remind them to have users at the center of all projects. Translations are to be good for users, not for the translation itself.

Practice with all the tools that the community has put together: glossaries, the consistency tool, translation memory, 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/. channels, and where to talk to others, and other resources highlighted by other Polyglots.

What’s expected

When you become a GTEGeneral Translation Editor A General Translation Editor (often referred to as GTE) is a person, who has global access to validate strings on all projects for a specific locale. or a PTEProject Translation Editor A Project Translation Editor (often referred to as PTE) is a person, who has access to validate strings on a specific project (for example BuddyPress, WooCommerce or Twenty Fourteen) for one specific locale. A project translation editor can approve strings that are added by translation contributors. Per project translation, editors are appointed by a general translation editor after a request by the project author or by the contributors themselves., you are taking on additional responsibilities as a representative and contributor to your 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/. Without GTE and PTEs, translation quality couldn’t be checked, new translators couldn’t be onboarded, and prioritizing translations (like when new versions of WordPress are released) couldn’t happen. Your work keeps 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/. moving forward!

Even after you become an editor, the general expectations still apply. 

As a PTE, many of your contributions will help to influence other, new contributors who follow your lead. You play an important part in ensuring the translation quality for the projects for which you’re an editor!

GTEs, in addition to having similar responsibilities to PTEs, also help to influence and guide their locale’s progress as whole. They ensure that periodical meetings for the locale happen, encouraging contributors to be new facilitators and note takers for future meetings. GTEs provide feedback to translators and determine who can or should have PTE status, and they take care of PTE requests that come from related P2s, 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. sites, and Slack. GTEs may also be involved with the Global Polyglots community, leading discussions about terms and terminology (especially with regard to what should be included in the locale’s glossary), and helping to inform the locale, as a whole, of any priorities to focus on. They also contribute in leading or organizing participation of the locale Poylgots team in events like Contributors Days and WordPress Translation Days.

For instructions on how to add a new PTE to your locale, check this guide in “Setting Up Your Local Site.”

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Translate platform

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Validating others translations

Now in the translate.wordpress.orgtranslate.wordpress.org The platform for contributing to the translation of WordPress core, themes and plugins. platform you have two new buttons: “Approve” and “Reject.” You can also put others’ suggestions in the “Fuzzy” status.

When you have multiple suggestions and fuzzy entries for the same stringString A string is a translatable part of the software. A translation consists of a multitude of localized strings., you can approve one of them, the most correct one, and others are automatically discarded.

If there are multiple suggestions that are correct, you can approve them one by one or you can select them and use the Approve function from the left top Bulk actions menu.

Also, if there is more than one suggestion with something wrong, you can reject them one by one, or you can select them and use the “Reject” action from the left top Bulk actions menu.

If you are in doubt with a suggestion you can put it in the fuzzy status, but remember, fuzzy is the status that the system automatically uses to highlight original stringsString A string is a translatable part of the software. A translation consists of a multitude of localized strings. that are changed a bit from previous versions, so you can take the current translation and update it without rewriting it from zero.

If you are revising suggestions from a particular user, remember that you can use the filterFilter Filters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. function to see only that user’s suggestions.

When you review new waiting suggestions, remember to check the translation history for that string to be sure to not overwrite the previous version when it is right and better than the new one.

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Your own suggestions

In projects where you are an Editor when you suggest translations you have the Save button in the string main area instead of Suggest button: your translations are automatically approved when you insert them.

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Take a new 360° point of view

As an editor encourage yourself and others to translate continually better and better:

• Consider consistency for the same words and/or expressions in the project you are translating if they are not in the locale glossary. You have an option to create a project-specific glossary too.
• Check other, similar websites to see how other projects have translated similar words and/or expressions
• Visit the sites of the theme or plugin authors where you can find a lot of information on the project functionalities and (sometimes) documentation (sometimes with a lot of screenshots)
• If you are a GTE reviewing translation of the coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress., check the last posts on make.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/ that the Core team release for new versions
• See what other 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/ have done – although every locale is different in the final translation, it could be helpful in understanding what the original string means

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Get in touch with your community on Slack

We have two main channels to communicate between Polyglots: the P2 on wordpress.org and the WordPress.org Slack. Some locale teams also use their Rosetta site and/or their own Slack instance to communicate.

The Polyglots P2 and Rosetta sites are pretty much essential to contact the Polyglots, but please consider to also joining the Global Make WordPress Slack (https://wordpress.slack.com/) via https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ and/or your locale specific Slack, especially if you are a new GTE.

It’s a very useful way to have a conversation with other Polyglots and you have many chances to find someone online in real time! In addition, you can participate in periodic meetings and directly contribute to the decisions that are made.

We are waiting for you!

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Consider getting in touch with plugin/theme authors

During translation, you can bump into strings that you don’t understand very well; you may notice something in the plugin that can be done in a different way to make it more clear or easy for non-English users; or an error in the translated locale.

In these cases you may get in touch with developers to alert or suggest improvements of source texts.

To do that you can head to the specific theme or plugin’s page in wordpress.org repositories and find the “View support forumSupport Forum WordPress Support Forums is a place to go for help and conversations around using WordPress. Also the place to go to report issues that are caused by errors with the WordPress code and implementations.” link to visit the theme or plugin’s individual forum.

They are generally happy to get suggestions on improvements to their project!

Last updated: December 9, 2022