Online Editor

The Editor is the main place in Crowdin where project members can suggest, vote, and approve translations online. It can be viewed in Comfortable, Side-by-Side, or Multilingual mode. The Comfortable mode is enabled by default.

Using the Main menu in the upper-left corner, you can switch between files for translation, change translation languages, contact a manager, change the view, and access help materials.

Comfortable Mode

Comfortable mode is primarily used for translation and consists of four main sections:

1. Left sidebar
2. Middle-top area
3. Middle-bottom area
4. Right sidebar

Section 1 - Left Sidebar

This section displays the list of strings, with the active one highlighted. Strings are text elements that are either individual words, phrases, or sentences. Some strings might have replacement tokens (e.g., {0}, {1}, %1, etc.) or elements of the ICU message syntax. Such items themselves should not be translated but are used by the website code to dynamically insert some information into strings. To work with such strings, you should copy the source string and translate only the real words.

Strings can have the following statuses:

• - untranslated
• - partially translated (if some of the plural forms are not translated)
• - translated
• - partially approved (if some plural forms are not approved)
• - approved
• - hidden (visible only for project managers and proofreaders)

There also might be the following icons besides strings:

• - the string has comments from contributors
• - the string has an unresolved issue

When translating the content of an HTML, XML, TXT, DOCX, XLSX, HAML, Web XML, Markdown, MDX, DITA, FLSNP, Wiki, ADOC, Coffee, FTL, JS, TS, and FTLH file formats, a list of strings is displayed as a file preview. The string status is indicated by the following colors:

• Red - untranslated
• Blue - translated
• Light-green - approved
• Gray - not for translation

An active string is highlighted in yellow.

The following options are available to manage the above view:

• - Load basic list view. Use it to switch to a standard mode and see a list of strings.
• - Highlight untranslated, translated, and approved strings. Use it to toggle the color highlighting of strings on and off.
• - Show translation preview. Use it to toggle the translation preview mode on and off.

String Search

You can search for strings by source text, translations, context, or all at once. Depending on the content you open in the Editor, the system will search for matches within the currently open file or across all strings in the project.

To search for strings in the file or the whole project, type your search phrase in the Search in file (Search strings) field. You can also use a keyboard shortcut to switch to the search field (by default, Ctrl+F).

To refine the search results, you can use the following options:

• Match case – with this option, you will find only the strings written in the same case: for example, if you search for Work and select Match case, the system will find Work, Works, Working but not work.
• Match whole phrase – with this option, you will find the strings containing the search phrase only in the original order: for example, if you search for Machine Translation and select Match whole phrase, the system will find Machine Translation, Machine translation, machine translation but not Translation Machine. When Match whole phrase is not selected, the system splits the search phrase into separate words and searches for matches in the strings in any order.
• Exact match – with this option, you will find only the strings that exactly match the search phrase: for example, if you search for Work and select Exact match, the system will find Work, work, but not Works or Working.

You can combine Match case with Exact match and Match case with Match whole phrase. Match whole phrase and Exact match are mutually exclusive options.

The search phrase is limited to 128 characters. If you use a search phrase longer than 128 characters, it is automatically truncated to the maximum allowed.

To search for strings by a numeric identifier, type the number without quotation marks, such as 34354, to find the exact match. To search for the occurrences of the number in the text or context, enclose the number in quotation marks when typing it in the search box, for example: “34354”.

Filtering Strings

To filter the strings displayed in the left sidebar, click and select the preferred filter option.

Available filter options:

• Show All – Show all strings from the open file/folder in their original order.
• All, Untranslated First – Show all strings from the opened file/folder. Untranslated strings are displayed at the top of the list, followed by translated strings, and then approved ones are displayed at the bottom of the list.
• Untranslated – Show only strings without any translations.
• Need to Be Voted – Show already translated strings.
• Not Approved – Show strings that are already translated but not yet approved by a proofreader.
• Approved – Show only strings with approved translations.
• QA issues – Show strings with no QA issues or with unresolved QA issues in the current language.
• Machine Translation – Show strings that are translated by TM or MT suggestions without changes. Often these strings require additional review.
• With Comments – Show strings that have comments.
• With Unresolved Issues – Show strings with unresolved issues in the current language or all languages.
• Hidden – Show strings that are hidden from translators. Strings can be hidden by project managers or automatically hidden by Crowdin when they are marked as duplicates.
• Advanced Filter – Filter that allows you to configure custom filtering and sorting parameters.

Verbal Expressions

The Verbal Expression section of the Advanced Filter implements a regular expression search. You can set specific search parameters for strings in your project. For example, you can search for all strings that begin with uppercase letters and have no periods at the end or contain a date.

For example, if you want to extract all strings that start with an uppercase letter and have a period at the end, your expression might look like this: start "true", range "A,Z", anything, range "a,z,A,Z,0,9", limit "1,50", then ".", end "true"

Let’s break down the above expression:

start "true" – indicates the beginning of the string.
range "A,Z" – means that your string starts with characters in the range A-Z.
range "a,z,A,Z,0,9" – means that your string can contain characters in the range a-z and/or A-Z and/or 0-9.
limit "1,50" – means that the length of the string is between 1 and 50 characters.
then "." – means that your string ends with a period.
end "true" – indicates the end of the string.

Here are some other use case examples of how you can use Verbal Expressions:

• Strings containing URLs: then "http", maybe "s", then "://", maybe "www.", anythingbut " "
• Strings with %s and %d placeholders: then "%", anyof "s,d"
• Strings with variables enclosed in double curly brackets: then "{{", range "a,z", then ".", range "a,z", then "}}"
• Strings that contain a floating point number: start, range "0,9", multiple, then ".", range "0,9", multiple, end

To configure a verbal expression, use the following expression syntax.

Section 2 - Middle-Top Area

The main working area with the source string at the top and the translation section below. To add a translation, you need to select a string from the left section, and it will appear in the middle-top Source String field.

This area also displays the context of a string. Context can include the technical details, an explanation of where the line appears in the actual product, or a screenshot showing the location of the string in a user interface. If the source string has no context and it’s not clear how to translate it, click Request and the project manager will be notified that additional explanation is needed.

Some strings may have underlined words or phrases. This means that the word or phrase is part of the project terminology and should be translated according to the term description. You can view additional explanations added to the specific term for accurate translation. This can be done by hovering over the underlined text or by going to the Terms section in the right sidebar.

Some terms may have translations. Previously translated terms increase the consistency of project texts. To reuse the term translation, click on the underlined term, and its translation will appear in the translation field.

Enter the translation in the field below the original text in the middle section and click Save. You will be automatically redirected to the next string.

Plural Forms

Some strings may have plural forms. Depending on the language, the number of plural forms may vary. For example, Chinese has one plural form, English has two plural forms, and other languages may have up to six plural forms. Crowdin works with plural forms according to the CLDR Language Plural Rules.

Read more about CLDR Language Plural Rules.

If a string has multiple plural forms, all variants of the string are displayed in the section where you type in translations. Enter translations in the appropriate tabs that display the plural forms of the target language.

You might also get automatic Quality Assurance (QA) check pop-up messages to avoid some translation inaccuracy. For example, you can see notifications about inconsistency in punctuation, space mismatch, missing variables, and more.

Clicking in the upper-right allows you to:

• Copy String URL to access a specific string using its unique link or share it with colleagues.
• Copy Source Skeleton to copy untranslatable elements to the translation section. Useful when translating strings with ICU message syntax and strings with HTML tags.
• Access Translation History to see all the modifications done to the string.
• View String In Context to display a string along with other strings surrounding it in the source file, which gives a better understanding of how the string should be translated.

In the translation window, you will also see the Maximum length of translation limit if it’s exceeded.

Additional buttons available in the translations section:

- Copy Source. Use it to keep the initial string structure while translating messages with replacement tokens or elements of ICU message syntax.
- Clear. Use it when you need to erase the whole suggestion quickly.
- Text selection mode. Use it when you want to copy a part of the translation from Translation Memory (TM) or Machine Translations (MT).

Section 3 - Middle-Bottom Area

This section contains the resources that might be useful:

• Translations by other project participants
• Translation Memory (TM) suggestions
• Machine Translation (MT) suggestions
• Translations to other languages

Click on one of the suggestions, and it will automatically appear in the translation field. Refer to it as a basis for your own suggestions.

To quickly copy the TM or MT suggestion to the translation field and save it, click Use and Save on the desired suggestion.

Other Languages section allows you to check the string translations into other target languages. This can be a useful tip for multilingual people and while translating dialects of a language.

If you see that there is already a correct suggestion, vote for it. To vote for multiple translations it would be more convenient to switch to Side-by-Side Mode.

If you are a proofreader and plan to review and approve more than one translation — switch to Side-by-Side Mode.

Section 4 - Right Sidebar

Comments

Using the Comments tab, you can discuss the meaning of the source string or other related questions. It is recommended to use a source language of the project so other translators can understand it. Use “@” and a username to direct your message to the specific person.

Reporting Issues

Additionally, in the Comments tab, you can report the issues regarding the source strings or translations to the project managers by selecting the Issue checkbox.

Available issue types:

• General question – General question related to the source string or its translations.
• Current translation is wrong – The translation added to the source string is incorrect and requires correction.
• Lack of contextual information – The meaning of the string isn’t clear and requires additional clarification.
• Mistake in the source string – The source string text contains typos or any other mistakes.

All strings with unresolved issues could be filtered using the With Unresolved Issues options.

Read more about Filtering Strings.

The issues are reported to the project managers to correct mistakes or add context and resolve the issues. You can also Edit, Resolve, or Delete your issue by hovering over it.

If the project owner or managers configured the integration with Jira, all reported issues will be directed to the Jira dashboard for further processing and resolution without the need to visit Crowdin Editor.

Read more about Jira Integration.

Search TM

Using the Search TM tab, you can check for all the available translations from Translation Memory, which is the vault of translations uploaded to the system by project managers.

The Search TM tab provides the following options:

• Source – Search for matches in a source language.
• Target – Search for matches in target languages.
• Guess translation – Highlight probable translation of a search phrase.
• Numeric equivalence – Match digits from a search phrase with any other digits.

Additionally, to maximize your search results, you can use the following wildcards with your search phrase:

Type an asterisk (*) to find words where the end or beginning may be different.
Example: any* finds any, anyway, anything
Example: *way finds way, anyway, highway

Type a plus sign (+) to find words where the end or beginning must be different.
Example: any+ finds anyway, anything, anywhere, except any
Example: +way finds anyway, highway, someway, except way

Type a minus sign (-) to exclude words from your search.
Example: Save -as

Use quotation marks to find the exact combination of words.
Example: “Save as”

Terms

Terms tab can be used to see the existing glossary available for the string (if any). You can also search for the terms in the project glossary.  If the specific term is not available in the project’s glossary, the system will show you Wikipedia explanations.

Side-by-Side Mode

In Side-by-Side mode, translators can also translate, although this mode is mostly intended for comfortable voting for multiple best translations in a row, while managers and proofreaders can approve the best translations.

To switch to the Side-by-Side mode, click on the Main menu in the upper-left corner and choose View > Side-by-Side.

For Translators

To vote, click on the plus sign if you like the translation or minus - if the translation doesn’t seem correct. Translations that get the most positive votes will then appear on the top of all the translations available for the string.

For Proofreaders

Review the translations to make sure they are ready for export, and click Approve icon next to the suggestion to approve each translation separately.

To approve all or a couple of the strings at once, check the boxes on the left and then click Approve.

Suggesting Translations

To suggest another translation, сlick on the text you want to change, and when done, click Save. Your translation will be added to the list of other suggestions.

Multilingual Mode

The multilingual mode provides similar features as the side-by-side mode and allows multilingual translators and proofreaders to work with multiple languages at the same time. You can select up to ten languages to work with simultaneously. The right panel shows the string’s translations of the language you’re entering a translation for or the one that was selected last.

To switch to the multilingual mode, click on the Main menu in the upper-left corner, choose View > Multilingual, select the languages you’d like to work with and click Apply.

To add new languages or remove some of the earlier selected ones, click on the Main menu in the upper-left corner, choose Language, alternatively click on the Languages in the upper-left corner, then do the necessary modifications to the language list and click Apply.

When working in multilingual mode, you can switch between two possible views: List View, Grid View.

The List view is enabled by default. To switch to grid view, click in the upper-left corner. To adjust the columns displayed in the Grid view, click on the drop-down toggle in the upper-right corner and select the preferred ones.

For Proofreaders

The proofreading process works mainly the same way as in side-by-side mode, except when approving or removing approvals for all or a couple of strings at once, the system performs the action for all languages selected for the multilingual mode.

Using Filter in Multilingual Mode

When using filter options in multilingual mode, the system will show strings that meet the selected criteria for at least one of the selected languages.

This behavior applies to the following filter options:

• Untranslated
• Not Approved
• Approved
• QA issues
• Machine Translations
• Advanced Filter > Translations updated
• Advanced Filter > Translations > Partially translated (plurals)
• Advanced Filter > Translations > Same as source string
• Advanced Filter > Votes

Translating RTL Languages

When translating between LTR and RTL languages, some elements in the translation field in the Editor might not be displayed the same way as they will be once exported.

To be sure that RTL translations will be displayed correctly in the exported file, we recommend making translations the following way:

1. Click under the source text (or Alt+C key combination).
2. Translate the source texts into the target language.
3. Leave variables, tags, etc., unchanged in the translation, even if they look wrong. They will be in the right positions in the exported file.

For cases when you need to provide bidirectional translations (e.g., strings with placeholders), we recommend using the Unicode Table app, with the help of which you can copy and paste right-to-left and left-to-right marks to the translation field, changing the direction of text where needed.

Editor Settings

To open the Editor settings, click in the upper-right corner.

Editor Settings include the following setup:

• Translation Memory Suggestions – you can specify the minimum similarity match (in percentages) for translation memory suggestions shown under the translation field.
• Compact strings view – if enabled, only the beginnings of the long strings will be shown in the string list.
• QA checks – if enabled, the pop-up messages with warnings will appear each time you try to save a translation with some inaccuracy (punctuation/tags/spaces mismatch, missing variables, etc.)

• Auto-complete – if enabled, the pop-up with translation prediction and automatic translation completion will appear while you type the translation.
• Auto-approve – if enabled, the translations added by proofreaders or members with higher permissions are automatically approved.
• HTML Tags Displaying – you can choose Show or Hide option that applies to all HTML tags. If you choose Auto, tags will be hidden in HTML, Haml, XML, Web XML, Markdown, and DOCX files but shown in other file formats. When tags are hidden, you can expect the following:

  <a href="https://sample.com">Sample</a>
  

  will be replaced with

  <0>Sample</0>
  

• Color Theme – set the Light or Dark theme, or select Auto to allow the Editor to set the theme based on your device system settings.

Helpful Tips

• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Quick access to menu tabs
• Useful options for source words
• Switching to Another File
• Replace in Suggested Translations
• Advanced Filter
• Hide Context in Side-by-Side Mode

Keyboard Shortcuts

Use keyboard shortcuts to take actions in the editor quickly. Check the list of keyboard shortcuts by clicking the keyboard icon in the upper-right corner. Most of the hotkeys can be customized to your personal preferences. Click on the necessary key combination, and modify it with the help of your keyboard.

Quick Access to Menu Tabs

Easy access to most-used menu items in one click:

• Language – click on the current language (French in the below screenshot)
• Files – click on the current file name (impact.xml in the below screenshot)
  

Useful Options for Source Words

To check Translation Memory suggestions for a particular word or phrase, select it in the source string and choose Search TM from the menu. You can also search for a word or phrase explanation in project terminology and Wikipedia.

Switching to Another File

To translate strings from the other files, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Main menu or click on the current file name in the upper-left corner.
2. Choose File > Open.
   
3. Select the necessary file and click Open. Alternatively, just double-click on the necessary file.
   

To see all strings of the project, click on the Main menu in the upper-left corner, and go to File > All Strings. Alternatively, click on the current file name in the upper-left corner > All Strings.

Replace in Suggested Translations

You can easily find and replace suggested translations using the Replace in Translations feature.

To replace previously added translations with the new ones, follow these steps:

1. In the project Dashboard tab, select the necessary language.
2. Click All Strings > Translation or choose a file for translation.
3. Click on the Main menu in the upper-left corner.
4. Go to File > Replace in Translations.
   
5. Insert the word, phrase, or sentence you want to substitute and the text to replace it with.
   
6. Click Preview to find the strings that will be replaced.
   
7. Select the translations you’d like to replace and click Replace Selected to finish.

While translators can perform replacements only in their own translations, project members with proofreader permissions (or higher) can modify all suggested translations. Authorship of translations is preserved.

Advanced Filter

You can create a custom filter of strings by clicking the Filter strings icon and choosing Advanced Filter.

You can choose multiple filter parameters (e.g., strings added, strings updated, translations updated, Labels, and more) based on your specific needs to sort the strings. This might help to find the necessary information much faster.

In the below screenshot, you may see the strings are filtered by Translations updated interval, the Labels that the filtered strings should be marked with, the Comments, Visibility, and Approved by parameters as well as sorted by Alphabet in Descending order.

Hide Context in Side-by-Side Mode

Context is shown by default. Use the Info icon to hide context and other information like translation or approval date and suggestion authors. Without any context, strings take up less space on the screen.

Tasks in the Editor

Once a translator or proofreader has a task assigned, all the task details are accessible from the editor:

1. The name of the task is displayed at the top of the toolbar.
2. Filters and searches apply to a particular task only.
3. Task details can be accessed by clicking the menu in the upper-left corner.

The task menu consists of the following components and features:

• name, due date, language, and type of the task
• options to download and upload translations for the particular task
• possibility to quit the particular task (“Quit Editor” button) editor and return to the task list