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

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: typescript 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

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

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