weblate/docs/admin/translating.rst

Translation process
===================

.. _voting:

Suggestion voting
-----------------

Everyone can add suggestions by default, to be accepted by signed in users.
Suggestion voting can be used to make use of a string when more than one signed-in
user agrees, by setting up the :ref:`component` with
:guilabel:`Suggestion voting` to turn on voting, and :guilabel:`Automatically accept suggestions`
to set a threshold for accepted suggestions (this includes a vote from the user
making the suggestion if it is cast).

.. note::

    Once automatic acceptance is set up, normal users lose the privilege to
    directly save translations or accept suggestions. This can be overridden
    with the :guilabel:`Edit string when suggestions are enforced`
    :ref:`permission <privileges>`.

You can combine these with :ref:`access control <access-control>` into one of
the following setups:

* Users suggest and vote for suggestions and a limited group controls what is
  accepted.

  - Turn on voting.
  - Turn off automatic acceptance.
  - Don't let users save translations.

* Users suggest and vote for suggestions with automatic acceptance
  once the defined number of them agree.

  - Turn on voting.
  - Set the desired number of votes for automatic acceptance.

* Optional voting for suggestions. (Can optionally be used by users when they are unsure about
  a translation by making multiple suggestions.)

  - Only turn on voting.

.. _additional:

Additional info on source strings
---------------------------------

Enhance the translation process by adding additional info to the strings
including explanations, string priorities, check flags and visual context. Some
of that info may be extracted from the translation files and some may be added
by editing the additional string info:

.. image:: /screenshots/source-review-edit.webp

Access this directly from the translation interface by clicking the
"Edit" icon next to :guilabel:`Screenshot context` or :guilabel:`Flags`.

.. image:: /screenshots/source-information.webp

.. seealso::

   * :ref:`format-location`
   * :ref:`format-description`
   * :ref:`format-context`

Strings prioritization
++++++++++++++++++++++

String priority can be changed to offer higher priority strings for translation earlier by
using the ``priority`` flag.

.. hint::

    This can be used to order the flow of translation in a logical manner.

.. seealso::

   :ref:`checks`

.. _additional-flags:

Translation flags
+++++++++++++++++

Customization of quality checks and other Weblate behavior, see
:ref:`custom-checks`.

The string flags are also inherited from the :ref:`component-check_flags` at
:ref:`component` and flags from the translation file (see :doc:`/formats`).


.. seealso::

   * :ref:`checks`
   * :ref:`custom-checks`

.. _additional-explanation:

Explanation
+++++++++++

.. versionchanged:: 4.1

    In previous versions this has been called :guilabel:`Extra context`.

.. versionchanged:: 4.18

   Support for syncing explanation with a file was introduced.

Use the explanation to clarify scope or usage of the translation. You can use
Markdown to include links and other markup.

Some file formats support storing explanation within the file, see :ref:`format-explanation`.

.. hint::

   Weblate can also display description present in the translation file for
   some formats, see :ref:`format-description`.

.. _screenshots:

Visual context for strings
++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You can upload a screenshot showing a given source string in use within your
program. This helps translators understand where it is used, and how it should
be translated.

The uploaded screenshot is shown in the translation context sidebar:

.. image:: /screenshots/screenshot-context.webp

In addition to :ref:`additional`, screenshots have a separate management
interface under the :guilabel:`Operations` menu.
Upload screenshots, assign them to source strings manually, or use optical
character recognition (OCR) to do so by pressing the :guilabel:`Automatically
recognize` button.

Once a screenshot is uploaded, this interface handles
management and source string association:

.. image:: /screenshots/screenshot-ocr.webp

You can upload a screenshot from a local file or provide a URL to download an image
from an external source. URL-based uploads may be restricted based on the
:setting:`ALLOWED_ASSET_DOMAINS` setting, which controls which domains are trusted
for downloading external assets, including any redirects followed while fetching
the image, and :setting:`ALLOWED_ASSET_SIZE` which
limits maximal size for the asset.

You can add or update screenshots directly from your
Version Control System (VCS) repository.

To enable this feature, you can either set a screenshot file mask
when creating a component, which will be monitored for updates in
the repository, or you can add or update screenshots when uploading them manually.

When the repository is updated, the system will automatically scan
for changes. Existing screenshots in the repository will be updated,
and new screenshots matching the specified screenshot file mask will
be added to the component.

.. image:: /screenshots/screenshot-filemask-repository-filename.webp

.. seealso::

   :ref:`component-screenshot_filemask`