There are two types of inactive translations: inactive locales and inactive translation editors.

Inactive locales #Inactive locales

If a locale is two or more major versions behind (for example, WordPress is at version 4.3 and the last released language version is 4.1), the locale is automatically considered “inactive” and Rosetta will note this.

The local sites for these locales display an automatic which states that the translation is inactive. The message cannot be removed manually. It disappears automatically, after the locale releases a language pack for the most current WordPress version.

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Inactive translation editors #Inactive translation editors

Sometimes, individuals start translating WordPress but aren’t able to complete it or keep all the translation projects up to date. In some cases, review requests are left without attention or simply rejected without clear explanation.

When this happens, the contributor might be considered “inactive” and the translation needs to be kickstarted by a new contributor, who can be added as a translation editor.

If you would like to become a translation editor of an inactive translation, please read carefully and follow these steps:

• Step 1: Attempt to contact current General Translation Editor(s).
  • First try to use the contact form of your local site (ex. If you’d like to translate in Bulgarian, use the contact form on http://wayback.fauppsala.se:80/wayback/20191102004524/http://bg.wordpress.org)
  • A quicker way to get in touch is to contact the translation editors directly. On the list of current teams, the “Team” link will lead you to the locale’s page where you will find a list of the current Translation Editors. Look for their Slack names and try to contact them on the WordPress Slack Team in the #Polyglots channel.
  • Some Translation Editors don’t leave contact information on their profiles. If that is the case, go to http://wayback.fauppsala.se:80/wayback/20191102004524/https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots and write a post, mentioning the translation editors’ username (ex. @petya). In that post, explain you’d like to get involved and ask them to add you as a translation editor. The translation editors should get an email notification because you mentioned them in the post.
• It’s possible that the team is not inactive, but simply delayed for some reason. Please be patient and give the translation editors at least a week to respond.

• Step 2: Contact a Polyglots team lead. If you don’t hear back from a Translation Editor after a week, contact a Polyglots team lead (again, by posting on make/polyglots) and let them know the steps you’ve taken so far and that you haven’t heard back, or that you have heard back from a Translation Editor and they are no longer working on translating WordPress.
• Step 3: Polyglots team lead contacts current Translation Editor(s). The Polyglots team lead has a way to contact a translation editor and will make a final effort to get in touch with them.

After these steps have been taken, if no response has been given, a Polyglots team lead will make the translation editors change in the local site, enabling the new contributor to validate their translations and the translations of others.