Translating:How to start

How to start

 * Get an account

To get started, the first thing you need is a user account on translatewiki.net. Creating an account is done in less than a minute and is used to keep track of what you have worked on.

When creating an account you go through some test translations to make sure that you have a basic understanding of the languages. These translations are not live but are instead compared to older translations by trusted users before giving you the rights to start translating live messages. That means that the messages you translate will be used in the next update of the program/website!

Keep in touch
Support is where you can ask or propose anything.

The portal in your user interface language, e.g. portal:fi, is a central place where you can see some information and activity statistics about the language community. It is also the place to communicate with other translators of the same language and discuss terminology and so on.

Special:WebChat allows you to connect to our IRC channel using your web-browser. More help about IRC at IRC. In short, you can discuss in real time with the developers and staff of translatewiki.net, assuming we are active there at that time.

Start translating
After you have been given permission to translate, your entry point is most likely going to be the translation tool. It lists all the available groups of messages that we have. Most of the translations happen using this tool, see the tutorial.

Recommended process for translating MediaWiki
Translators of other projects can ignore this list.


 * first translate the
 * complete the
 * check if you should translate any
 * do a consistency check (terminology, formal/informal) on your localisation
 * translate special page names, magic words and namespaces on Special:AdvancedTranslate
 * translate the
 * translate the
 * do a consistency check (terminology, formal/informal) on your localisation between core messages and extension messages
 * start maintaining your language's localisation on a regular basis. At least once per month is recommended.

Read on if you want to know more. Reading on is not required, although advised for a proper understanding of more advanced localisation features. You could spend a few days translating, though, and come back when you think you need more information.

Remember: translate links, namespaces, and messages as they are and do not deviate from the source message more than needed!