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This article will explain how to contribute translations to ControlShift's translation manager, which controls the default text that is shared by all organizations using the platform in that language. This default text includes things like: the Start a Campaign and Sign buttons, First Name and Last Name, Log In, etc.
It does not include pieces of content that we consider "organization specific." Organization-specific texts are pieces of content that we expect to be different for each customer. These pieces of content include things like: privacy policies, terms of use, automatic emails to signers and creators, etc.
If you're looking to customize the text of organization-specific content, please see that section of our help center.
If you're looking to add a new supported language to your site, you may not need to contribute translations for the default text. Please see our list of already-supported languages for more information about using these supported languages.
If you're interested in contributing translations to ControlShift, you'll first need to get in touch with us. Send us a support email that includes the language you're interested in translating and we'll add you to our Translation manager, Crowdin.
Getting Started with Crowdin
Once you've been added as a new ControlShift translator, you'll receive an email from our translation manager, Crowdin.
If you already have an account on Crowdin, you can accept the invitation and log in to get started. Otherwise, you'll need to create a new account. Once you've created your account, or logged in, you'll either be brought to our ControlShift project's translations homepage or your account page. If you land on your account page, click the ControlShift link to go to our project's homepage.
From this screen, click on the language you'd like to translate. This will take you to an overview of the translation files and what percentage of the translations have been completed.
Translating a New Language
If you're starting a new ControlShift translation – thank you! We know this is a big project, and we appreciate your work!
One important note before getting started: please know that translations in Crowdin are shared among all organizations using that translation. For that reason, we ask that you keep your translations as close to the English source text as possible. We also ask that you not add the name of your organization or other information specific to your organization to the translations.
To begin adding translations, there are two ways to get started. From the locale overview/files page, you can choose to go to a specific translation file or you can choose to view and translate all strings at once.
Translation file are generally grouped by where they appear on the site (though some translations are shared across multiple pages). If, for example, you choose to translate the views > events files, you'll be translating text that appears on public event pages; if you choose views > partnership_mailer, you'll be translating text that's used in partnership emails.
While we hope to have a completed translation for your new language, translating the project by going through each file individually may make the translation project seem more manageable and may provide useful context on where the text appears.
If you'd prefer to work your way through a single larger list, click the Translate All option at the top of this page. This will show you a full list of all strings.
Once you've chosen your view preference, click the first English string and enter your translation. Please keep your translation as close to the English source text as possible and remember that these translations will be shared with other organizations. When entering translations, we also prefer informal translations.
After entering your translation, click Save (or use Ctrl+Enter or ⌘+Enter) to move to the next translation.
See the Tips section of this article for information about special types of translations and useful resources for translators. Go to Tips.
If you decided to translate by file, work your way through the list of translations. When you've completed the file, click the menu button (
) in the upper left corner of the page, then choose File > Open and choose another file (or click Ctrl+O or ⌘+0).
Please note that translations will not appear on the page immediately. We'll release them with our next code deployment.
Adding New Translations to an Existing Language
If your organization has enabled an existing language, you may find that it is not complete and English is being displayed on your site. Even if the translation was previously completed, new translations are often needed for new features. (You can follow our changelog for more information about updates and new feature releases.)
To contribute new translations to an existing language, log into your Crowdin account and go to the locale's overview/files page.
If you're looking for a specific English string
If you spotted English on your site and you need to provide a translation for a specific string, start by going to the locale's overview/files page. From this page, it's usually fastest to click the Translate All button.
From the translations page, enter your search term in the search bar in the top left corner of the page. Your search term can include the English strings that need to be translated or strings that have been translated but need to be updated. If the full string you're searching for doesn't return any results, try searching for only a few key words. (Sometimes text will be split between a few different strings or may include non-obvious variables.)
Once you've entered your search term, you can filter the results to find the right string. Strings searches for the term in the English source strings. Translations searches for the term in the translated text. Context searches the names we assign to strings.
In the results list, the translations with red or yellow boxes next to them need to be translated.
Once you've found the string that needs to be translated, click the string in the left sidebar, enter your translation, and click to Save the translation (or use Ctrl+Enter or ⌘+Enter).
If you're looking to finish a full set of translations
If you're not looking for a specific string, but you want to complete a full translation, you should also start from the locale's overview/files page. From here, click the Translate All button. When you're taken to the full translations page, you should see untranslated strings at the top of the list. (If that's not the view you see, click the funnel button next to the search box to change your view.)
Then, click the first string on the list to start adding translations. When you've entered your translation, click to Save the translation (or use Ctrl+Enter or ⌘+Enter).
See the Tips section of this article for information about special types of translations and useful resources for translators. Go to Tips.
Please note that translations will not appear on the page immediately. We'll release them with our next code deployment.
Editing Existing Translations
If your organization is using the toolset in a language other than English and you see a mistranslation, you can update the text in Crowdin.
To contribute new translations to an existing language, log into your Crowdin account and go to the locale's overview/files page.
From this page, it's usually fastest to click the Translate All link.
From the translations page, enter your search term in the search bar in the top left corner of the page. Your search term can include an English string that needs to be translated or strings that have already been translated but need to be updated. If the full string you're searching for doesn't return any results, try searching for only a few key words. (Sometimes text will be split between a few different strings or may include non-obvious variables.)
Once you've entered your search term, you can filter the results to find the right string. Strings searches for the term in the English source strings. Translations searches for the term in the translated text. Context searches the names we assign to strings.
In the results list, the translations with red or yellow boxes next to them need to be translated.
Once you've located the correct key, click the appropriate English string on the left side of the page. Once it's selected, click into the translation box and type the new translation. After you've entered the translation, click to Save the translation (or use Ctrl+Enter or ⌘+Enter).
Note: Older translations that were migrated from our previous system were automatically marked as "Approved" when they were uploaded. Approved translations will show a green checkmark next to them in the left sidebar. If you're attempting to update one of those "Approved" translations, you'll need to first 'unapprove' the translation by clicking the checkmark next to the string in the area below the editor. After removing the approval, saving your new translation will update the string.
See the Tips section of this article for information about special types of translations and useful resources for translators. Go to Tips.
Please note that translations will not appear on the page immediately. We'll release them with our next code deployment.
Tips for Translators
The following are some guidelines and/or tips that may help as you translate:
1. Shared: Crowdin translations are shared by all organizations using that language. Because these translations are shared, we ask that translators stick as close to the English text as possible. Also, please do not add organization-specific information or terms to the translations.
2. Informal: For languages with formality rules (e.g. tú vs. usted in Spanish, Du vs. Sie in German, etc.), we ask that you use informal pronouns and conjugations.
3. Variables: Some translations include variables which signal that the translation will change based on the context in which it's used. (For example, in the image below, the %{event_title} variable in "Please confirm your RSVP for %{event_title}" will be automatically replaced with the title of the event, making the resulting sentence something like: "Please confirm your RSVP for Action Denver's Phonebank".) Variables are usually wrapped in %{ [variable] } and are highlighted in green in Crowdin.
For translations to work correctly, the variables must remain as-is. Do not translate or alter these variables. Instead, when entering a translation, click the green-highlighted variable in the English key to automatically insert the matching variable into your translation. Note that variables do not contain ending (or leading) spaces, so you'll need to include these in the translation if required.
4. Counts: Some translations include a %{count} variable. For these translations, you'll be asked to provide separate translations that can be used when the count is 1 or more. The number of translations that you'll be asked to provide depends on the language you're translating into. For these translations, you'll see tabs at the top of the translation box. Click the tabs to enter the appropriate text for that count. (For example: "Permanently delete the one associated decision maker" vs. "Permanently delete the 5 associated decision makers")
As with other variables, you can click the green count variable to insert the number variable into your translation. The translation won't be shown as complete until you enter translations for all counts.
5. Glossary: In the source text, some words may have a dotted underline. That underline means that there's a glossary entry for the underlined term. The glossary is used to provide additional context and make translations easier. You can view the glossary entry in the Terms tab in the right sidebar or by hovering your mouse over the underlined word.
6. Suggestions: Once some translations have been entered, you may begin to see suggested translations below the translations box.
This section of the page will show suggested translations, the English text that they've been used for previously, and the percentage match. The differences between the English source and the suggested translation will also be highlighted. To use the suggested translation as a starting point for an updated translation, click on the translation text or source text. To use the suggested translation without any changes, click the floppy disk icon, which will add the translation and save the string.
7. Context: Below the English source, you can expand a Context section. The context section will show you which file the translation is included within. This can be useful for determining where the text appears on the site. If you need more information about the context of the text, click the Request button or add a new comment to the string.
8. Comments: If you have other questions or need other help with a string, feel free to leave a comment using the right sidebar. You can tag a member of the ControlShift team, and choose an issue category if needed.
9. History: If it's useful, you can see the history of a string, including previous translations, comments, etc.
10. Switching between files: If you're viewing text within a specific file (e.g. view_petitions) and need to switch to a different file (or to an all strings view), click the menu button () in the top left corner of the page and go to the File > Open or All Strings.
The keyboard commands Ctrl+O and ⌘+O will also open the files menu. Ctrl+Shift+A and ⌃+⇧+A (Control+Shift+A on Mac) will switch you to the all strings view. Finally, you can also click the breadcrumb name of the file you're currently viewing to open the all files menu.
11. Find recent changes: In the all translations view, you can change the filter and sorting of strings to show recently added or updated strings. To get started, go to the All Strings view, click the filter icon next to the search menu > Advanced filters and enter your criteria.
You can add a filter to only show the strings that were added or updated between specific dates.
Alternatively, you can also change the sort order of the strings to show newer strings first.
12. Keyboard commands: Are you a fan of keyboard commands? We are too! When you're in a translation view, you can click the keyboard on the top right side of your page to see the available keyboard commands. You can also customize these commands to make them more useful for you.
Getting Notified When New Translations are Needed
At ControlShift we're continuously working to improve the platform and make it easier for admins and supporters to use. New features, and updates to existing features, often use new or reworded text strings which require translations. If your organization is using the platform in a language other than English or Spanish, then you may wish to be notified when new translations are needed. There are two ways to keep track of new translations:
- Subscribe to notifications in Crowdin. Crowdin has notification functionality within the app. As a translator, click your user icon in the top right side of the page and click Settings then go to the Notifications tab.
- Check Crowdin on a regular basis. If you'd prefer not to get emails, then we'd recommend checking Crowdin on a regular basis. Crowdin's project overview shows progress bars for each language so you'll be able to see how much is left to translate in your locale. When you click to Translate All strings in your language, the untranslated strings will be shown first.
As always, if you have any questions or need any help with translations, please let us know.
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