GNU Gettext (.po) Translation

Lingo.dev seamlessly handles GNU Gettext (.po) files, making it perfect for applications using gettext-based internationalization. This includes applications written in C, C++, PHP, Python, Java and others.

Setting Up

First, create an i18n.json config file in your project root:

i18n.json

{
  "version": 1,
  "locale": {
    "source": "en",
    "targets": ["es", "fr", "de"]
  },
  "buckets": {
    "po": {
      "include": ["locales/[locale]/LC_MESSAGES/messages.po"]
    }
  }
}

This config tells Lingo.dev:

1. Your source language is English;
2. You want to translate to Spanish, French, and German;
3. Your .po files follow the standard gettext directory structure.

Available Languages

Lingo.dev supports a wide range of languages. To see what's available:

npx lingo.dev@latest show locale sources  # List available source languages
npx lingo.dev@latest show locale targets  # List available target languages

Use these to pick the right locale codes for your project.

Translating

With your config set, run:

npx lingo.dev@latest i18n

Lingo.dev will:

1. Read your source .po files;
2. Identify new or changed strings;
3. Translate them to your target languages;
4. Update or create the target .po files in their respective directories.

How It Works

Lingo.dev's approach is effective because:

1. It follows the standard gettext directory structure, integrating seamlessly with existing tooling;
2. It understands context, providing more accurate translations than traditional word-for-word methods;
3. It's incremental, only translating what's new or changed, saving time and processing power.

Pro Tips

1. Message Context: Lingo.dev preserves gettext message contexts, ensuring accurate translations:

   msgctxt "Menu"
   msgid "Open"
   msgstr "Abrir"
   
   msgctxt "File"
   msgid "Open"
   msgstr "Abrir archivo"

2. Pluralization: Lingo.dev handles gettext's plural forms correctly:

   msgid "Found %d item"
   msgid_plural "Found %d items"
   msgstr[0] "Encontrado %d elemento"
   msgstr[1] "Encontrados %d elementos"

3. File Exclusions: You can exclude specific files or directories:

   {
     "buckets": {
       "po": {
         "include": ["locales/*/LC_MESSAGES/*.po"],
         "exclude": ["locales/*/LC_MESSAGES/admin.po"]
       }
     }
   }

4. Multiple File Types: You can configure multiple file types:

   {
     "buckets": {
       "po": {
         "include": ["locales/*/LC_MESSAGES/*.po"]
       },
       "markdown": {
         "include": ["docs/[locale]/*.md"]
       }
     }
   }

By leveraging these features, you can maintain a robust, scalable i18n setup using GNU Gettext. Lingo.dev's understanding of .po file formats and gettext conventions makes it an excellent choice for managing translations in gettext-based projects.