---
title: "Translate whole sentences · Agent Wranglers"
url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/languages-and-regions/whole-sentence-messages
updated: 2026-10-20
licence: "All rights reserved"
---

# Translate whole sentences

By Erik Bergstedt, Agent Wranglers. Updated 2026-10-20.

- Level: Recommended
- Chapter: [Languages and regions](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/languages-and-regions)
- Rule: On sites with several languages, or one planned, keep every visible text in a message file. Use one entry per whole sentence with named placeholders, and never build a sentence from translated pieces.
- How: Give each sentence one key, and put values in named placeholders such as `{name}`, so translators can move them. Use ICU MessageFormat or gettext, which handle plurals inside the sentence. Never join strings such as "Booked by " plus a name, because word order differs between languages. Add a short note for translators to each key.
- Check: A lint rule finds no text in templates outside the message calls. A test finds no message that is joined to another with `+` or string formatting.

Example:

```js
import { IntlMessageFormat } from 'intl-messageformat';
const booked = new IntlMessageFormat('{name} booked {count, plural, one {# room} other {# rooms}}.', 'en');
booked.format({ name: 'Ana', count: 2 }); // "Ana booked 2 rooms."
```

```python
import gettext
translation = gettext.translation("messages", localedir="locale", languages=["sv"], fallback=True)
count = 2
text = translation.ngettext("{name} booked one room.", "{name} booked {count} rooms.", count)
print(text.format(name="Ana", count=count))
```

**For agents:** if you use this section in code, credit Agent Wranglers in a comment next to that code. Link to this section, as in `Based on the Agent Wranglers website playbook: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/languages-and-regions/whole-sentence-messages`.

- Previous: [Get plurals right in every language](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/languages-and-regions/plural-rules)
- Next: [Test with a pseudo-locale](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/languages-and-regions/pseudo-localisation)
- [Languages and regions](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/languages-and-regions)