AI Translation

LangCTL’s AI translation feature uses advanced AI models to automatically translate your translation keys, saving time and ensuring consistency across languages.

Overview

AI translation in LangCTL provides:

• Individual Key Translation: Translate single keys on demand
• Bulk Translation: Translate multiple keys at once
• Multi-Language Support: Translate to multiple target languages simultaneously
• Context-Aware: Uses your default language as the source for accurate translations
• Review Before Publishing: All AI translations start as drafts

[IMAGE: ai-translation-overview.png - Screenshot of AI translation interface]

Translating Individual Keys

From Translation List

1. Find the key you want to translate
2. Click the AI translate icon (✨) next to missing translation
3. Select target language(s)
4. Click “Translate”
5. Review the AI-generated translation
6. Edit if needed, then save

[IMAGE: single-key-ai-translate.png - Screenshot of AI translate button on individual key]

From Key Editor

1. Open the translation key editor
2. Find the empty language field
3. Click “AI Translate” button
4. Review and save

Bulk Translation

Selecting Keys for Bulk Translation

1. Navigate to Translations page
2. Use filters to find keys needing translation:
   • Filter by “Missing Translations”
   • Select target language (e.g., Spanish)
3. Select keys using checkboxes (or “Select All”)
4. Click “AI Translate Selected”

[IMAGE: bulk-translate-selection.png - Screenshot showing selected keys for bulk translation]

Bulk Translation Options

Choose your bulk translation settings:

• Target Languages: Select one or more languages
• Overwrite Existing: Choose whether to replace existing translations
• Skip Published Keys: Optionally skip already-published translations
• Module Filter: Translate only keys from specific modules

Bulk Translation Settings:

Target Languages: [es, fr, de]
Keys Selected: 45
Estimated Translations: 135 (45 keys × 3 languages)
Remaining Monthly Quota: 865/1000

[ ] Overwrite existing translations
[✓] Skip published keys
[✓] Create as draft (recommended)

Estimated Time: ~2 minutes

Monitoring Progress

During bulk translation:

• Progress bar shows completion status
• Real-time count of completed translations
• Errors are logged and shown after completion
• You can continue working in other tabs

[IMAGE: bulk-translate-progress.png - Screenshot of bulk translation progress modal]

Translation Quality

How AI Translation Works

LangCTL’s AI translation:

1. Context Analysis: Examines the key name and description
2. Source Translation: Uses your default language value as the source
3. Parameter Preservation: Keeps {{parameters}} intact
4. Format Consistency: Maintains punctuation and formatting
5. Cultural Adaptation: Adjusts for linguistic and cultural differences

Quality Factors

AI translation quality depends on:

• Source Quality: Clear, well-written default language
• Context: Descriptive key names and descriptions
• Language Pair: Some language pairs are more accurate than others
• Complexity: Simple sentences translate better than complex ones

Review and Edit AI Translations

Review Workflow

After AI translation completes:

1. Navigate to “Draft” translations filter
2. Review each AI-generated translation
3. Edit any that need improvement
4. Add context or notes for your team
5. Publish when satisfied

[IMAGE: review-ai-translations.png - Screenshot showing draft translations to review]

Common Edits Needed

Brand terminology:

AI: "Aplicación" (generic "application")
Edit: "MyApp" (keep brand name)

Tone and formality:

AI: "Haga clic aquí" (formal "Click here")
Edit: "Haz clic aquí" (informal, matching brand voice)

Technical terms:

AI: "Conexión" (generic "connection")
Edit: "Conexión API" (technical precision)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Use the comparison view to check translations:

• Source language (default)
• AI-generated translation
• Previous translation (if overwriting)
• Other language translations (for consistency)

[IMAGE: translation-comparison.png - Screenshot of side-by-side translation comparison]

Usage Limits and Quota

Checking Your Quota

View remaining quota from:

• Dashboard home page (Usage widget)
• AI translation modal
• Subscription page

AI Translation Usage (April 2024)

Plan: Pro (1,000 translations/month)
Used: 437 translations
Remaining: 563 translations
Resets: May 1, 2024

Recent Activity:
- Apr 15: Bulk translated 120 keys (Spanish, French)
- Apr 12: Bulk translated 45 keys (German)
- Apr 8: Individual translations (12 keys)
- Apr 3: Bulk translated 260 keys (Japanese, Chinese)

What Counts as a Translation?

Each language-key pair counts as one translation:

Translating 1 key to 3 languages = 3 translations
Translating 10 keys to 2 languages = 20 translations
Overwriting existing translation = 1 translation

Quota Exceeded

When you reach your monthly limit:

• AI translation buttons are disabled
• You receive a notification
• Options:
  1. Wait for monthly reset
  2. Upgrade to higher plan
  3. Contact support for one-time increase

Best Practices

Prepare Your Source Content

For best AI translation results:

Write clear source translations:

✅ "Enter your email address to continue"
❌ "Email here pls"

Add descriptions with context:

Key: auth.login.button
Description: "Primary button on login page, calls sign-in API"

Use consistent terminology:

✅ Always use "user" (not switching between user/member/person)

Module-by-Module Translation

Translate one module at a time:

1. Start with critical modules (auth, onboarding)
2. Review and publish before moving on
3. Ensures consistency within related keys
4. Easier to review small batches

Maintain a Glossary

Keep a glossary of brand terms that shouldn’t be translated:

Product names: "LangCTL", "Dashboard Pro"
Features: "Smart Export", "Module View"
Technical: "API Key", "Webhook"

Quality Check Process

1. Translate: Use AI for initial translations
2. Review: Check AI output for accuracy
3. Edit: Fix any issues or unnatural phrasing
4. Compare: Check against other languages for consistency
5. Test: View in your app to verify context
6. Publish: Mark as ready for production

Language-Specific Considerations

Right-to-Left Languages

Arabic and Hebrew require special attention:

• Check text direction in your app
• Verify number/date formatting
• Test UI layout with RTL text
• Review punctuation placement

Chinese and Japanese

• Simplified vs Traditional Chinese
• Formal vs informal registers
• Character limits (shorter than English)
• Font and rendering considerations

European Languages

• Formal vs informal (tu/vous, tú/usted)
• Gender agreement
• Accents and special characters
• Regional variations (es-ES vs es-MX)

Troubleshooting

AI Translation Failed

Common causes:

• Quota exceeded: Check your monthly limit
• Invalid source: Default language translation is empty
• Network error: Try again in a moment
• Unsupported language: Verify language is supported

Poor Translation Quality

If translations are consistently poor:

• Review your source language quality
• Add more detailed descriptions
• Check if parameters are malformed
• Try translating smaller batches
• Report issues to support

Parameters Not Preserved

Source: "Welcome, {{username}}!"
AI Output: "¡Bienvenido, username!"  ❌
Expected: "¡Bienvenido, {{username}}!"  ✅

If parameters are lost:

• Edit translation to restore parameters
• Report the issue to support
• Manually add parameters using same format

Translation Looks Odd

Check these common issues:

• Extra spaces or punctuation
• Missing or doubled parameters
• Inconsistent capitalization
• Unnatural word order

Simply edit the translation to fix any issues.

Future Features

Coming soon to AI translation:

• Custom Glossaries: Define terms that should never be translated
• Translation Memory: Reuse previous human-reviewed translations
• Quality Scores: AI confidence ratings for each translation
• Automatic Retries: Improve low-quality translations automatically
• Context Screenshots: Upload UI screenshots for better context

Next Steps

• Translation Management - Learn more about managing translations
• Publishing Workflow - Understand draft vs published
• Export Translations - Export your translations
• Subscription Plans - Upgrade for higher quotas