Translation Generation Guide

Payload has two separate translation systems:

1. Core Translations - for core Payload packages (packages/ui, packages/payload, packages/next)
2. Plugin Translations - for plugins (packages/plugin-*)

Table of Contents

• 1. Core Translations
• 2. Plugin Translations
  • Scaffolding New Plugin Translations
• Important Notes

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1. Core Translations

When to use: Adding translations to core Payload packages (packages/ui, packages/payload, packages/next)

Steps:

1. Add the English translation to packages/translations/src/languages/en.ts

   • Add your new key/value to the appropriate section (e.g., authentication, general, fields, etc.)
   • Use nested objects for organization
   • Example:

     export const enTranslations = {
       authentication: {
         // ... existing keys
         newFeature: 'New Feature Text',
       },
     }
     

2. Add client key (if needed for client-side usage) to packages/translations/src/clientKeys.ts

   • Add the translation key path using colon notation
   • Example: 'authentication:newFeature'
   • Client keys are used for translations that need to be available in the browser

3. Generate translations for all languages

   • Change directory: cd tools/scripts
   • Run: pnpm generateTranslations:core
   • This auto-translates your new English keys to all other supported languages

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2. Plugin Translations

When to use: Adding translations to any plugin package (packages/plugin-*)

Steps:

1. Verify plugin has translations folder

   • Check if packages/plugin-{name}/src/translations exists
   • If it doesn't exist, see "Scaffolding New Plugin Translations" below

2. Add the English translation to the plugin's packages/plugin-{name}/src/translations/languages/en.ts

   • Plugin translations are namespaced under the plugin name
   • Example for plugin-multi-tenant:

     export const enTranslations = {
       'plugin-multi-tenant': {
         'new-feature-label': 'New Feature',
       },
     }
     

3. Generate translations for all languages

   • Change directory: cd tools/scripts
   • Run the plugin-specific script: pnpm generateTranslations:plugin-{name}
   • Examples:
     • pnpm generateTranslations:plugin-multi-tenant
     • pnpm generateTranslations:plugin-ecommerce
     • pnpm generateTranslations:plugin-import-export

Scaffolding New Plugin Translations

If a plugin doesn't have a translations folder yet, ask the user if they want to scaffold one.

Structure to create:

packages/plugin-{name}/src/translations/
├── index.ts
├── types.ts
└── languages/
    ├── en.ts
    ├── es.ts
    └── ... (all other language files)

Files to create:

1. types.ts - Define the plugin's translation types
2. index.ts - Export all translations and re-export types
3. languages/en.ts - English translations (the source for generation)
4. languages/*.ts - Other language files (initially empty, will be generated)

Generation script to create:

1. Create tools/scripts/src/generateTranslations/plugin-{name}.ts

   • Use plugin-multi-tenant.ts as a template
   • Update the import paths to point to the new plugin
   • Update the targetFolder path

2. Add script to tools/scripts/package.json:

   "generateTranslations:plugin-{name}": "node --no-deprecation --import @swc-node/register/esm-register src/generateTranslations/plugin-{name}.ts"
   

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Important Notes

• All translation generation requires OPENAI_KEY environment variable to be set
• The generation scripts use OpenAI to translate from English to other languages
• Always add translations to English first - it's the source of truth
• Core translations: Client keys are only needed for translations used in the browser/admin UI
• Plugin translations: Automatically namespaced under the plugin name to avoid conflicts