Help us make Waze better in your native tongue!
Step 1 Download the current complete translation file - an Excel spreadsheet. Last update: Feb. 8th.
Note that the file contains 4 tabs. The first one is large. The other 3 are small but still important.
Important note before getting started: before you translate or work on the following languages, please check with the support team at alpha@waze.com - Italian, German, Spanish (any type of Spanish), French and Portuguese. These translations are done mainly in-house.
Step 2 Starting with the first tab, "client_text", Look for your language in the first row. If you're sure it is not there, you can start a new column for your language. .
Step 3 It is important that you do not edit the spreadsheet file you downloaded. Instead start a new spreadsheet file and only include your additions. That way it is easy for Waze to merge in your changes. For the same reason, use a different new file for each tab you work on.
If you believe there should be corrections to existing translations, please make them in a separate file also and note them as corrections when you submit them by email so Waze can review them more closely.
Step 4 Starting with the first, "client_text" tab, here is how to identify the text that still needs translating.
- Delete from column D to the language column you are working on, just to get them out of the way. So for example, if you are working on Swedish translation in column H, delete columns D-G. This will put your working language in column D. If you're a polyglot you may wish to put multiple languages in E, F, etc if you're going to translate them all as a group.
- Do not sort the original order of the English text. Youc an search for cells in your language (if the column already exists) that have 0 or #N/A - thouse can be deleted and filled out with the proper translation. Also look for the empty cells, and fill those out as well.
- Click and drag to highlight the rectangle of each of these 3 groups in turn, including columns B, C and D. Choose Edit/Copy and then in a new spreadsheet Edit/Paste. Paste each group at the end of the preceding one.
- You now have a spreadsheet with 3 columns. Column A (originally B) contains the English text to be translated in the original order. Column B (originally C) contains any additional comments to help in the translation, but is not to be translated itself. Column C is where you put the translation and will either be blank or have some #N/A or 0. Move on to Step 5 - doing the translation.
For the second tab "scoreboard_text", use the same process, except the English text to translate starts in column D, and the explanation starts in column C.
For the third tab "groups_text" and the fourth tab "ticker_text" use the same process as for the first tab "client_text"
Step 5 Translate the English text in your new file in column A, and type it in column C. Column B will explain the text in column A more clearly but is not to be translated. It is for reference only.
Translation tip - make it short. Since the same text is used on all client devices, some of which have small screens, it is best to keep everything as short as possible. Use abbreviations.
For the fourth tab "ticker_text" make your translations short. 30 character maximum.
Step 6 Email your new spreadsheet file as an attachment to alpha@waze.com with the message subject Translation
Because the language files are held on the Waze server you can see your updates in the client once Waze has processed them. You don't need to wait for a new version of the app.
Step 7 Come back later and check if you can help some more. Or you can email alpha@waze.com and ask to be notified by email when there are new lines of text to be translated.
Every new version of the Waze app has new features with new text that require translating. So even if a language is completed, check back in later to see if we need new translations. If you see English being used in the app, mixed in with another language it's because we don't have a translation for those phrases yet.
Note that these translations are for written text in the client device app. Audio prompts such as "in 200 meters turn right" are not part of this process.
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