AI Translation Tooling

AI-assisted translation workflow for SD Maid SE Android application with 64+ supported languages.

Quick Start

The script supports these main operations:

Cleanup: Remove obsolete entries from target files
Extract: Generate translation batch files for missing strings
Apply: Insert completed translations into target files
Cleanup-backups: Remove old backup files from target directories

Files

ai_translate.py - Main translation script
batches/ - Directory containing translation batch files (batch_*.json)
README.md - This documentation

Workflow Steps

1. Cleanup Obsolete Entries

First, remove any strings/plurals from the target file that no longer exist in the source:

bash

python3 tooling/translation/ai_translate.py --source app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml --target app/src/main/res/values-lv/strings.xml --cleanup

This will:

Create a backup of the target file
Remove obsolete entries
Report how many entries were removed

2. Extract Missing Translations

Generate batch files containing strings that need translation:

bash

python3 tooling/translation/ai_translate.py --source app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml --target app/src/main/res/values-lv/strings.xml --extract

This creates multiple batch_lv_XXX.json files with 50 entries each. Each batch file contains:

Original source text
Context information (nearby strings, category)
Structure for both regular strings and plurals

3. Translate Batch Files

Open each batch file and add translations. For example, in batch_lv_001.json:

For regular strings:

json

{
  "type": "string",
  "name": "onboarding_privacy_continue_action",
  "source_text": "Continue",
  "context": "...",
  "translated_text": "Turpināt"
}

For plurals:

json

{
  "type": "plural",
  "name": "tasks_activity_active_notification_message",
  "items": {
    "one": "%d active task",
    "other": "%d active tasks"
  },
  "context": "...",
  "translated_items": {
    "zero": "%d aktīvu uzdevumu",
    "one": "%d aktīvs uzdevums", 
    "other": "%d aktīvi uzdevumi"
  }
}

4. Apply Translations

After translating a batch file, apply it to the target:

bash

python3 tooling/translation/ai_translate.py --source app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml --target app/src/main/res/values-lv/strings.xml --apply batch_lv_001.json

This will:

Create a backup of the target file
Insert the translations into the XML
Report how many translations were applied

5. Repeat for All Batches

Continue translating and applying batch files until all are processed.

6. Clean Up Backup Files (Optional)

The script automatically removes backup files after successful operations. To manually clean up old backup files:

bash

python3 tooling/translation/ai_translate.py --source app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml --target app/src/main/res/values-lv/strings.xml --cleanup-backups

Tips for AI Translation

When using AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) to translate the batch files:

Prompt Template:

Please translate the following Android app strings from English to [LANGUAGE]. 

Context: This is for "SD Maid SE", an Android storage cleaning application. 

For each entry, please:
1. Add a "translated_text" field for string entries
2. Add a "translated_items" field for plural entries (maintaining proper plural forms for the target language)
3. Preserve any formatting like %d, %s, %1$s placeholders
4. Keep the meaning consistent with the app's context

Here's the batch file to translate:
[PASTE BATCH FILE CONTENT]

Important Translation Notes:

Preserve all placeholder formats (%d, %s, %1$s, etc.)
Maintain proper plural forms for the target language
Consider the app context (storage cleaning, file management)
Keep technical terms consistent
Use the context provided to understand the string's purpose

Batch File Structure

Each batch file contains:

language: Target language code
batch_id: Sequential batch number
source_file: Path to source strings.xml
target_file: Path to target strings.xml
entries: Array of translation entries

Error Recovery

If something goes wrong:

The script automatically creates backups before any changes
Backups are named with timestamps: strings.backup_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.xml
Simply restore from backup if needed

Validation

After applying translations, verify the XML structure:

bash

xmllint --noout app/src/main/res/values-lv/strings.xml

If the XML is malformed, restore from backup and try again.