Translation Generation Guide
Payload has two separate translation systems:
Core Translations - for core Payload packages (packages/ui, packages/payload, packages/next) 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:
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', }, }
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
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:
Verify plugin has translations folder
Check if packages/plugin-{name}/src/translations exists If it doesn't exist, see "Scaffolding New Plugin Translations" below
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', }, }
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: types.ts - Define the plugin's translation types index.ts - Export all translations and re-export types languages/en.ts - English translations (the source for generation) languages/*.ts - Other language files (initially empty, will be generated) Generation script to create:
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
Add script to tools/scripts/package.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