Agent Wranglers

LOC-21Recommended

Give translators context and a review step

Every message carries a note for translators, and every translation, human or machine, is reviewed by a fluent speaker before release.

By Agent Wranglers. Updated .

How to do it

"Book" is a noun on one screen and a verb on another, and a translator who sees only the word guesses. Write a note with each key that says where it appears and what each placeholder holds. Add a length limit where space is tight, and a screenshot where you can. Machine translation is a fine first draft, but a fluent speaker reviews it before it ships. Route each language through a pull request or a translation platform with a named reviewer. Test the layout as Test with a pseudo-locale says.

Examples

JSON example

{
  "booking.cta": {
    "defaultMessage": "Book",
    "description": "Button on the room page that starts a booking. A verb. Maximum 12 characters."
  }
}

How to check

A test finds a translator note of at least 20 characters on every source message. Each published language file names a reviewer for its last change.

Sources

For agents: this playbook is free to use under CC BY 4.0, which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add <a href="https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/localization/messages-and-translation/translator-context">Agent Wranglers localization playbook</a>. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link.