Translation workflow
Roles and screens
- Translation review tab (owners, team members, and editors — collectively “admins” below) — creating sheets, sending changes, reviewing, and managing the glossary. Editors can do this within their assigned projects. See Team & roles for role definitions.
- Translation tab (translators) — entering translations and requesting review on assigned sheets. Translators see only this tab.
The full cycle:
- An admin runs Create translation sheet (once)
- When the master changes, an admin runs Send changes
- Translators translate in the sheet (AI drafts available)
- Translators press Request review
- An admin approves on the review screen — approval applies to the master immediately
- The next Sync brings it to Figma (Figma Sync)
Creating a translation sheet
Create translation sheet opens a 5-step wizard: Collection → Modes → locale → Task options → Confirm. For variables that already have values, pick a starting state: Done (accept as-is) / Draft (needs review) / Blank (clear and retranslate).
Source language
The sheet has a source-language column marked with a (source) badge — the read-only original that translators work from.
- Change source mode switches the source language. Unsent master changes must be sent first, and modes without values can’t be selected.
- Language settings maps each mode to a locale code — AI translation uses this mapping. Locales are inferred from mode names, and picking one is required when sending a newly added mode.
Send changes (master → translation)
After adding or editing variables in the master, use Send changes to push them to the sheet. For each variable (per mode), assign a task option:
| Option | When | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Use as-is | No translation needed (brand names, …) | Copies the master value and completes automatically |
| Light check | An admin pre-filled the value; it only needs a check | Pre-fills the master value for the translator to confirm and adjust (green dot in the sheet) |
| Translate (default) | A fresh translation is needed | Goes through the translator’s translate → review cycle |
- Shift+click an option cell to apply the same option from the last clicked row through the current one.
- If admins pre-filled values on new variables, the banner’s Set to light check button assigns them in one click.
- Variables whose source-language value is empty are automatically excluded from sending.
Working as a translator (the sheet)
- Track your workload with the status chips All / Light check / Translate / Done and the progress tabs Pending / Edited / In review.
- Cells whose master value changed again show the latest value. Turn on Show previous value to see the old value on hover, or Show all previous values to pin it under every cell.
- When you’re done, press Request review — your edited cells move to In review. Cancel withdraws the request.
AI translation
- The translate button in the sheet toolbar (Jar AI Translate on Pro workspaces) translates everything, selected rows, or specific languages; hovering a cell shows a per-cell translate icon.
- Drafts are generated with your project glossary applied.
- Limits: Free 60 cells/month, Pro 30,000 cells/month (higher volumes on request). On Free, usage is shown next to the button.
Translation review — approving is applying
Admins process items on the Translation review screen with per-row ✓/✕ or Approve all / Reject all.
- Approve — applied to the master immediately (an “Applied to master” toast confirms). There is no separate apply step.
- Reject — the cell is marked Review failed (red dot) and returns to Pending for retranslation.
Approved values reach Figma on the next sync.
Glossary — translation that improves with use
- Manage glossary — add terms to the project glossary directly (+ Add term) or reuse them with Import from another project. Each term shows its origin (AI/user), and editing a term lets you choose whether to update existing translations in bulk.
- Term suggestions — when a translator corrects an AI draft, the correction is captured as a term candidate at the moment the review is approved. Admins review with Add / Dismiss, and accepted terms feed the next AI translation automatically — the more you correct, the better it gets.
