This is part 2 of 4 on localization best practices, primarily targeted to developers or studios that are using or are considering using translators for their localization.
- Planning for Localization: Lay the foundation for successful localization.
- Getting the Best Out of Localization Tools: Discover tools that enhance the localization process.
- Human Translation vs. Machine Translation: Weigh the pros and cons of each approach.
- Tips and Tricks for Translators: Insights to optimize the translation process.
In this section, you’ll get a quick rundown on how to access your localization tools, configure your localization settings, and begin adding strings and automated translations.
Accessing Localization Settings Configuration
- Go to create.roblox.com
- Go to “Dashboard” on top of the page, and then “Creations” on the side panel
- Click on your experience
- Click on “Localization” on the side panel
Configuring Localization Settings
Setting locales
- Set Source locales as desired (English in most cases)
- Add all the desired locales under “Supported Languages”
- Enable Auto Translation for each language if you wish
Adding translators
- Click on “Translators” tab
- Click on “Invite Translators” > “By Username”, “By User ID”, or “By Group ID”
In-experience content translation settings
To ensure Automatic Text Capture is enabled:
- Go to “Settings” tab
- Enable “Automatic Text Capture” and “Use Translated Content”
- Set “Clear unmodified auto-captured entries” to “All” and click on “Clear”
Adding Strings for Translation
Automatic Text Capture
With the exception of certain experience objects, Automatic Text Capture (ATC) automatically adds text strings to the localization table once a certain number of users encounter the text in the experience. To speed up the ATC process, do a playthrough of the entire experience using your developer account. The strings are usually added to the localization table and ready for translation within 1-2 minutes of encountering the strings.* Failure to encounter strings will result in unlocalized texts. Remember to follow the same process for any newly added content strings.
Learn more: Automatic Text Capture
Manual string collection
In some cases, it may be better to manually collect all the strings and either add them into the portal or have them translated offline. This is recommended if you’re aiming for 100% localization coverage and all the strings are finalized. Note that this process requires more manual localization project management compared to the Auto Text Capture process.
See instructions here: Manually Adding Source Content
Important Note on Automatic Text Capture
Disable AutoLocalize for usernames, chats, etc.
If you do not want ATC to collect certain text strings, such as custom leaderboards or chat features, disable the AutoLocalize property of the text object. Failing to do so can clutter the localization table considerably with usernames, interfere with the translation process and increase localization expenses.
Clear unwanted auto captured entries
You can remove some auto-captured entries that shouldn’t be translated retroactively, such as usernames, user-generated content, or chat strings. This option only clears auto-captured entries that haven’t been manually edited or translated yet.
To clear unmodified auto-captured entries:
- In your experience’s localization page, click on “Settings”.
- Select the time period for which you would like to clear strings from in the dropdown list (in most cases, select “All”). This clears all entries that were auto-captured from the specified time period.
- Click the “Clear” button.
Strings that were already manually translated will need to be deleted from the localization table manually.
Learn more: Clear Unmodified Auto-Captured Entries
That covers the topic on using and accessing Roblox’s localization tools. Got any additional tips or ideas? Leave them below. To continue on to the next part of the localization best practices series, head on over to Human Translation vs Machine Translation.