Automated Release Packages

Automated release packages are release packages of locales that have no custom changes. #

Cross-locale Project Translation Editor

A Cross-Locale Project Translation Editor is an account owned by a plugin or theme author (or the authoring organization), which uses professional translators to localize their product. The cross-locale project translation editor can import/validate strings on a specific project for more than one locale. This role has the same capabilities as a Project Translation Editor over multiple locales instead of one. Cross-Locale Project Translation Editors need to meet a set of criteria before being appointed by General Translation Editors. #

Forum Administrator

Forum Administrators are active contributors who manage their local support forums. Administrators can be added by other local forum admins or the Polyglots team leads. #

Forum Moderator

Forum Moderators are active contributors who moderate their local support forums. Generally, these contributors get the permission to moderate from a forum admin of their language after contributing to the forums for a while. Moderators can be added by the local forum admins or the Polyglots team leads. #

General Translation Editor

A General Translation Editor (often referred to as GTE) is a person, who has global access to validate strings on all projects for a specific locale. #

GlotPress

GlotPress is the translation management software that powers Translate.WordPress.org. More information is available at glotpress.org. #

Hard freeze

See String freeze. A hard string freeze or a hard freeze is announced when all the strings of the upcoming release are frozen including the strings of the About page. A hard freeze is the final string freeze before a release. #

I18N

An abbreviation, short for “internationalization.” The abbreviation shortens the word by using the first and last letters, along with the number of letters in between them. “I – eighteen letters – N” #

Internationalization

Internationalization (sometimes shortened to I18N , meaning “I – eighteen letters -N”) is the process of planning and implementing products and services so that they can easily be adapted to specific local languages and cultures, a process called localization. This is the process of making software translatable. Information about Internationalization for developers can be found in the Developer’s handbooks. #

ISO 639 code

ISO 639 is a standardized nomenclature used to classify all known languages. Each language is assigned a three-letter (639-2 and 639-3) lowercase abbreviation. Some languages are also assigned a two-letter (639-1) abbreviation. New WordPress locales are added with their ISO 639-3 codes. #

ISO 639-3

ISO 639-3 code is an international standard for language codes in the ISO 639 series. It defines three‐letter codes for identifying languages. #

L10N

Shortened version of Localization. #

Locale

Locale = language version, often a combination of a language code and a region code, for instance es_MX denotes Spanish as it’s used in Mexico. A list of all locales supported by WordPress in http://wayback.fauppsala.se:80/wayback/20211005152015/https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/ #

Localization

Localization (sometimes shortened to “l10n“) is the process of adapting a product or service to a particular language, culture, and desired local “look-and-feel.” #

MO files

MO, or Machine Object is a binary data file that contains object data referenced by a program. It is typically used to translate program code, and may be loaded or imported into the GNU gettext program. This is the format used in a WordPress install. These files are normally located inside …/wp-content/languages/ #

p2

“p2” is the name of the theme that blogs at make.wordpress.org use (and o2 is the accompanying plugin). When asked to post something “on the p2” by a member of the Polyglots team, that usually means you’re asked to post on the team blog http://wayback.fauppsala.se:80/wayback/20211005152015/https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/. #

PO files

PO files are human readable files which contain translations we use. These files are not used by WordPress itself. Each language will have its own PO file, for example, for French there would be a fr_FR.po file, for german there would be a de_DE.po, for British English there might be en_GB.po. #

POT file

POT files are the template files for PO files. They will have all the translation strings left empty. A POT file is essentially an empty PO file without the translations, with just the original strings. #

Project Translation Editor

A Project Translation Editor (often referred to as PTE) is a person, who has access to validate strings on a specific project (for example BuddyPress, WooCommerce or Twenty Fourteen) for one specific locale. A project translation editor can approve strings that are added by translation contributors. Per project translation, editors are appointed by a general translation editor after a request by the project author or by the contributors themselves. #

Release package

A release package is a packaged version of WordPress. That is, a ZIP file consisting of WordPress in its entirety, along with PO and MO files for core, the PO and MO files of default themes and Akismet, and any custom changes a locale has. In the past, most locales built their release package using the form in Rosetta’s dashboard. #

Rosetta

The code name of the theme for the local WordPress sites (eg. bg.wordpress.org is a “Rosetta” site). All locale specific WordPress sites are referred to as “Rosetta sites.” The name was inspired from the ancient Rosetta Stone, which contained more or less the same text in three different languages. #

Site Editor

Site Editors aka Rosetta site Editors are the users who have access to a specific Rosetta site associated with a locale. Site Editors can add General Translation Editors and appoint per project translation editors.

Site Editors also have a complimentary role of a General Translation Editors even though they don’t necessarily handle translations for the locale.

Site Editors can create content on Rosetta sites – write blog posts, create showcase items and manage menu items. #

Soft freeze

See String freeze. A soft string freeze or “soft freeze” is announced when all the strings of an upcoming WordPress release are frozen, except for the strings of the About page. #

String

A string is a translatable part of the software. A translation consists of a multitude of localized strings. #

String freeze

The term “string freeze” is used by the core team to mark the end of changes to the strings of an upcoming release. A string freeze also means that there will be no more strings added to the core project. Sometimes a string freeze has two phases a soft freeze and a hard freeze. A string freeze is announced on the Polyglots blog by the current release lead. #

Team Representative

The Polyglots team rep is responsible for communicating both directions for the polyglots team. That is, they communicate to other teams what’s happening with the polyglots team and communicate back to the polyglots team what’s happening with other teams, especially core #

translate.wordpress.org

The platform for contributing to the translation of WordPress core, themes and plugins. #

Translation Contributor

Translation Contributors (formerly known as Translators) are volunteers that focus on translating projects into their language. They contribute to improving their language either in a small way, like fixing a typo, or a large way, likes translating entire projects. #

Translation Editor

Translation editors can approve translations for projects. The GTE (General Translation Editor) and LM (Locale Manager) roles can add new users with the “Project Translation Editor” role that can approve translations for specific projects. There are two different Translation Editor roles:
General Translation Editor and Project Translation Editor #

Validator

See translation editor. #

WordPress Localization Repository

The WordPress Localization Repository at http://wayback.fauppsala.se:80/wayback/20211005152015/https://i18n.svn.wordpress.org/ is a Subversion repository where official WordPress translations are maintained. See Working with the Translation Repository for details. #

Last updated: August 18, 2020