Welcome to the official blog of the translator team for the WordPress open sourceOpen SourceOpen Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. project. This is where we discuss all things related to translating WordPress. Follow our progress for general updates, status reports, and debates.
We’d love for you to help out!
Translate WordPress
You can help translate WordPress to your language by logging in to the translation platform with your WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe 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/ account and suggesting translations (more details).
We have meetings every week on SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. in polyglots (the schedule is on the sidebarSidebarA sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme. of this page). You are also welcome to ask questions on the same channel at any time!
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We are excited to announce a new functionality designed to enhance the WordPress translation experience: Bulk Pre-Translations. This feature allows GTEs to pre-translate stringsStringA string is a translatable part of the software. A translation consists of a multitude of localized strings. using three different technologies:
Translation Memory (TM) – Leverages our internal translation database to suggest the most accurate matches.
DeepL – Utilizes DeepL’s machine translation APIAPIAn API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. for supported languages, ensuring high-quality results.
With this new tool, strings are automatically imported into the “Waiting” status, where they await your review. This means you can focus on evaluating, modifying, or approving translations, saving significant time and effort.
How to Use Bulk Pre-Translations
To access this feature, you must be a General Translation EditorGeneral Translation EditorA 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. (GTEGeneral Translation EditorA 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.). Here’s how you can start:
Navigate to the translation table of the project you wish to translate.
Select your preferred translation engine:
Translation Memory
OpenAI
DeepL
Choose the strings you want to pre-translate—either select all or pick specific ones.
Click the “Apply” button to initiate the pre-translation process.
Understanding the Translation Engines
Translation Memory: Uses the first suggestion from our internal memory with 100% of accuracy. While it’s fast and often accurate, occasional inconsistencies may occur, especially if multiple translations with similar accuracy exist. We hope we can reduce the number of incorrect translations when we will release the Bulk update tool for the GTE in the Translation Consistency improvement.
OpenAI: Relies on your custom API prompt, offering flexibility but requiring fine-tuning to achieve the best results.
DeepL: Limited to the languages supported by its API but known for high translation quality.
Limitations to Keep in Mind
While this tool offers numerous benefits, it’s essential to understand its limitations:
Translation Memory prioritizes the first 100% match, which may not always be the most appropriate translation.
OpenAI and DeepL make external requests for each translation, which can lead to 504 (Gateway Timeout) errors if too many strings are processed simultaneously. Future updates may introduce limits to mitigate this issue.
Benefits of Bulk Pre-Translations
This functionality brings several advantages to the WordPress translation workflow:
Faster translation process: Automate bulk translations to handle large projects more efficiently.
Improved consistency: Leverage Translation Memory to maintain uniform terminology across projects.
Flexibility and customization: Use AI-based engines like OpenAI and DeepL to tailor translations based on your needs.
Suggestions for Optimal Use
To maximize the potential of Bulk Pre-Translations, consider the following tips:
Limit the number of strings per request: Especially when using OpenAI or DeepL, this helps avoid timeout errors and ensures smoother operation.
Manually review translations: While these tools provide significant assistance, automatic translations may still contain errors or context mismatches. Always review before approving.
We encourage all GTEs to explore this new feature and share feedback on your experience. Your input is invaluable in refining and enhancing the WordPress translation ecosystem.
A lot of translators don’t know that we have a translation memory help, using the translations proposed by OpenAI and DeepL. To give it more visibility, I have just added a link to the OpenAI and DeepL configuration and another link to the post with a more detailed explanation.
This link only appears if the translator has not entered any APIAPIAn API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. key in the settings area.
We have just added a new tab in the right sidebarSidebarA sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme. with the content we already have in the translation memory, in the bottom of the row. The main purpose of this new tab is to avoid having to scroll to access the current TM. The current TM remains as you already have, and we do have short-term plans to remove it.
Another improvement added is to remember the last tab opened in a row, so you will have the same tab opened in the next row you will open.
And we have resolved a bug we have that sometimes produced the same request to the OpenAI and DeepL APIs a few times in the same translation.
