App translation

The NAHPU app shows its labels, buttons, messages, and settings in English, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, or Indonesian. Users choose the language in Settings → Language. English is the source language; the other languages are in beta while they are reviewed.

Start simple

The easiest way to improve the app translation is to use NAHPU in your language and note anything that reads wrong. Leave a comment in the NAHPU translation spreadsheet with:

• the screen where you saw the text,
• the text as it appears in the app,
• your suggested translation, and
• a short reason when the choice is not obvious, such as the term your colleagues or institution use.

A screenshot helps when it does not expose sensitive data. A NAHPU team member will carry the change into the app.

Translation rules

Follow the Translation glossary so the app and the documentation use the same term for the same concept. In addition:

• Keep it short. Labels must fit on phone screens. Prefer the shortest natural wording, especially for buttons, tabs, and chips.
• Keep placeholders unchanged. Text in braces, such as {date} or {count}, is replaced by the app. Copy it exactly; you may move it within the sentence.
• Translate plural forms, not their structure. In text such as {count, plural, =1{1 file} other{{count} files}}, translate only the words inside the inner braces. Keep count, plural, =1, and other as they are.
• Keep names and standards. Keep NAHPU, Darwin Core terms, file formats, and Latin names exactly as written in English.
• Read the description. Many English strings come with a note describing where the text appears. Use it to choose between meanings of the same word.

Edit the translation files

Contributors who work with code can edit the translation files directly in the NAHPU app repository. Read the app code setup guide first.

• Directorylib/l10n/

  • app_en.arb English source, with descriptions and placeholders
  • app_pt.arb Brazilian Portuguese
  • app_es.arb Spanish
  • app_id.arb Indonesian
  • app_localizations*.dart Generated, do not edit

1. Find the key in app_en.arb and read its @key description, if any.

2. Edit the same key in the translation file, for example app_pt.arb.

   "commonRetry": "Tentar novamente",

   Do not rename, add, or remove keys in a translation file. Every translation must contain all English keys with the same placeholders.

3. Regenerate the localization code.

   flutter gen-l10n

4. Run the localization tests.

   flutter test test/localization

5. Run the app, switch to your language in Settings → Language, and check that the text fits and reads naturally on the screens you changed.

6. Submit a pull request with screenshots of the changed screens.

Each translation file starts with "@@x-reviewed": false. Leave it unchanged unless a fluent speaker has reviewed the whole file against the English source.

New English strings

When you add text to a screen, add the English string to app_en.arb instead of writing it in the widget. Add a @key description when the meaning depends on context, then add the same key to every translation file. A first draft may come from a large language model, but mark it for review in your pull request so a fluent speaker can check it.

Add a new app language

A new language needs an ARB file in lib/l10n/, an entry in the AppLanguage enum in lib/services/localization/app_language.dart, and the bundled documentation folders under assets/docs/. Because the bundled Cookbook is generated from this website, a new app language also needs a documentation translation. Please contact a NAHPU team member before starting.