Your First Translation

This guide walks you through translating your first file in Babelize. By the end, you'll understand the basic workflow and see results.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• A Babelize account (create one here)
• A file to translate (JSON, YAML, or Markdown)
• A clear idea of your source and target languages

Step 1: Create a Project

Projects organize related translations and share settings like glossaries.

1. From the dashboard, click New Project
2. Enter a project name (e.g., "Marketing Website")
3. Select your source language (the language your content is written in)
4. Select one or more target languages (the languages you want to translate to)
5. Click Create Project

Step 2: Upload Your File

With your project created:

1. Click Upload File or drag a file into the upload area
2. Babelize detects the file format automatically
3. Review the detected settings:
   • File type (JSON, YAML, Markdown, etc.)
   • Character count
   • Estimated credit usage

Step 3: Configure Translation Settings

Before translating, review these options:

Glossary (Optional)

If you have specific terms that should always translate a certain way, add them to your project glossary first. See Dictionary & Glossaries.

Formality Level

Some language pairs support formality options:

• Formal: Business documents, official communications
• Neutral: General content (default)
• Informal: Casual content, social media

Preserve Placeholders

Enable this to protect content like {{variable}} or {0} from translation.

Step 4: Start Translation

1. Click Translate
2. The job enters the processing queue
3. Progress displays in real-time

For small files (under 1,000 characters), translation typically completes in under 5 seconds.

Step 5: Review Results

Once complete, you'll see:

1. Side-by-side view: Source and translated content
2. Confidence indicators: Segments marked with confidence levels
3. Warnings: Any issues detected during translation

Review the translation, paying attention to:

• Proper noun handling
• Technical terms
• Formatting preservation

Step 6: Download or Export

Satisfied with the results? Export your translation:

1. Click Export
2. Choose your format:
   • Same as source (most common)
   • Alternative formats (JSON, YAML, CSV)
3. Click Download

Example: Translating a JSON File

Here's what the process looks like with a simple JSON file:

Source file (English):

{
  "welcome": "Welcome to our application",
  "login": "Sign in to your account",
  "signup": "Create a new account"
}

After translation (Spanish):

{
  "welcome": "Bienvenido a nuestra aplicación",
  "login": "Inicia sesión en tu cuenta",
  "signup": "Crea una cuenta nueva"
}

What's Next?

Now that you've completed your first translation:

• Explore the dashboard to understand all available features
• Learn about projects to organize your work
• Set up glossaries for consistent terminology
• Use the API for automated translations

Common First-Time Questions

Why does my translation use different phrasing than expected?

Babelize optimizes for natural-sounding translations. To enforce specific phrasing, add terms to your glossary.

Can I edit the translation?

Not directly in Babelize. Export the file, make edits in your preferred editor, and re-upload if needed for future reference.

How are credits calculated?

Credits are based on source character count, not output length. See Usage Limits for details.