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https://github.com/meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android.git
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97 lines
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HTML
97 lines
5.1 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
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<html lang="en" dir="ltr">
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<head>
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<meta charset="UTF-8">
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<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
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<title>Translate the App</title>
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="../styles/docs.css">
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</head>
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<body data-page="translate" data-locale="en">
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<pre class="markdown-content"># Translate the App
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The app and its in-app docs are translated on Crowdin — this page shows how to contribute. The app uses [Crowdin](https://crowdin.com/) to manage community translations for both the user interface and in-app documentation.
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## What Gets Translated
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Resource | Source Location | Notes |
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---|---|---|
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UI strings | `core/resources/src/commonMain/composeResources/values/strings.xml` | Buttons, labels, messages, and all user-visible text |
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User Guide pages | `docs/en/user/*.md` | In-app documentation shown in Help & Documentation |
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Fastlane metadata | `fastlane/metadata/android/en-US/` | Google Play listing title, description, and changelogs |
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> ℹ️ **Note:** Developer Guide pages are English-only. Code-focused documentation targeting contributors is not translated.
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## How to Contribute
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1. **Visit the Crowdin project.** Open the [Meshtastic Android Crowdin project](https://crowdin.com/project/meshtastic-android) and sign in or create a free account.
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2. **Choose your language.** Select an existing language or request a new one by opening a [GitHub issue](https://github.com/meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android/issues/new).
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3. **Translate strings.** Crowdin shows the English source on the left and your translation on the right. Translate each string and save.
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4. **Review context.** Many strings include screenshots or context comments — check these to understand where the text appears in the app. A scheduled job pulls approved translations from Crowdin and opens a pull request; they ship once a maintainer merges it and a new build goes out.
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> 💡 **Tip:** Keep translations short. UI strings often appear in buttons, chips, or narrow columns. If a translation is significantly longer than the English original, consider abbreviating where the meaning stays clear.
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## Adding a New Language
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If your language is not yet listed on Crowdin:
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1. Open an issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android/issues/new) requesting the new locale.
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2. A maintainer will add the language to Crowdin and configure `crowdin.yml`.
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3. Once added, you can begin translating immediately.
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## How Translations Are Organized
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The Android app uses **Compose Multiplatform resources** for all user-visible strings:
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```text
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core/resources/src/commonMain/composeResources/
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├── values/ ← English (default)
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│ └── strings.xml
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├── values-de/ ← German
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│ └── strings.xml
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├── values-fr/ ← French
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│ └── strings.xml
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└── ...
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```
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In-app documentation follows a similar pattern under `docs/`:
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```text
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docs/
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├── en/user/ ← English source (default)
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│ ├── onboarding.md
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│ └── ...
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├── fr-rFR/user/ ← French (France)
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│ ├── onboarding.md
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│ └── ...
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├── de-rDE/user/ ← German (Germany)
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│ └── ...
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└── ...
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```
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Doc locale folders use Android locale qualifiers, either `{lang}` or `{lang}-r{REGION}` (for example `fr`, `fr-rFR`, `de-rDE`, `ja-rJP`). The `values-*` folders for app strings use bare language codes instead (`values-fr`, `values-de`, `values-ja`), because `crowdin.yml` writes strings with `%two_letters_code%` and doc pages with `%android_code%`. The two sets do not line up one-to-one.
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The app automatically selects the correct locale based on your phone's **Language & Region** settings.
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A page that came from Crowdin is labeled **Community translated** under its title in the app. If a page has no Crowdin translation for your language yet, the Google-flavor Android build machine-translates the English source on the fly and labels it **Auto-translated** instead; F-Droid and desktop builds show the English page. Your Crowdin translation replaces the machine one as soon as it lands.
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## Translation Guidelines
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- **Do not translate** technical terms like "LoRa", "MQTT", "BLE", "TAK", "SNR", or "RSSI" — these are universal.
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- **Keep placeholders intact.** Strings like `%1$s` or `%d` are filled in at runtime. Do not remove or reorder them unless the grammar of your language requires it.
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- **Match tone.** The app uses a friendly, direct voice. Avoid overly formal language.
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- **Test if possible.** Switch your phone's language and open the app to see how translations look in context.
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## Questions?
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If you have questions about a specific string's context or need help getting started, open a discussion on the [Meshtastic GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/orgs/meshtastic/discussions) page.
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Thank you for helping expand the reach of Meshtastic.
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## Related Topics
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- [Units & Locale](units-and-locale) — how the app picks number, date, and unit formats for your region
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- [Help & Documentation](help-and-docs) — the in-app docs browser these pages are published to
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- [Onboarding](onboarding) — where a new user first meets the translated strings
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</pre>
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</body>
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</html> |