Phrase (software)
Phrase is a proprietary web-based translation management system, also known as Globalization Management System. Phrase partners with open source and commercial software projects and allows the automation of translation workflows through a token-based API.
Phrase is offered as a software as a service for commercial products and is free of charge for open source projects.
Description
The Phrase platform provides an all-in-one sharing and collaboration platform for language files, allowing translators and developers to cooperate on software translation projects.The Phrase platform software was written in Ruby and runs on the Rails as API-backend for the OpenSource Rubygem phrase which has been downloaded more than 128.000 times.
History
Phrase started out with the idea of an in-place editor for translations using the Ruby i18n localization library and JQuery named Phrase. It was presented as a techdemo at the Euruco 2012 in Amsterdam. The idea was soon met by requests of early users to store, edit and share locale files online, from which demand the Phrase Translation Center was inspired and released. The company states the motto of Phrase as: "We believe in a world in which software can be used by everyone in their native language. For software creators, translating their products should be natural and effortless." In an interview with the Theguardian.com, its founder stated that " 56% of the internet’s content is in English, but only 27% of its users come from English-speaking countries". Phrase.com is operated by Dynport GmbH in Hamburg, Germany.Translation Workflow description
A software developer uploads a locale source file to a Phrase project. The person in charge of managing the localization process can either assign the translations to their translators or order them from a professional translation service provider directly in Phrase. While translating, linguists have access to screenshots, glossaries and other features that provide context. When translations are ready, the developer downloads the translated content, e.g. by using the command-line client. Designers can connect Phrase to Figma and Sketch and use translated copy in their artboard to create a multilingual UI.Supported document formats
XML Localization Interchange File Format Version 2, Java Properties XML, gettext template POT files, Qt Translation Source, Windows 8 Resource, i18next, XML Localization Interchange File Format, Angular Translate, Symfony YAML, iOS Localizable Strings Resources, INI, gettext-compiled MO files, Zendesk CSV for Dynamic Content, i18n-node-2 JSON, EmberJS, iOS Localizable Stringsdict for pluralized translation keys, Symfony XLIFF, TMX, CSV, Qt Phrase Book, go-i18n JSON, Android XML, Java Properties, Laravel/F3/Kohana Array, Windows Phone ResX, Chrome JSON Messages,.NET ResX, React-Intl Nested JSON, Nested JSON, Symfony 2 YAML, Simple JSON, Objective-C/Cocoa Property List, Excel XLSX, gettext PO files, Episerver XML, Ruby on Rails YAML, Mozilla Properties, Play Framework Properties, React-Intl Simple JSON, PHP ArrayFeatures
Integration and customization- API access: Adapt Phrase to your workflow by using our powerful API.
- Command-line tool: Quickly navigate projects and translations in Phrase using our CLI tool.
- GitHub, Gitlab, and Bitbucket sync: Easily sync your Phrase projects with your GitHub or Bitbucket repository.
- Sketch Plugin: Sync your designs from Sketch with Phrase and integrate localization into your design process.
- Figma Plugin: Access the full functionality of Phrase localization without leaving your design environment in Figma.
- Over-the-air updates: Publish or update app translations in real time without waiting for the next deployment.
- Webhook integrations: Set up Phrase Webhooks to receive Phrase notifications in your chat tool, project management tool, or via an external API.
- Email and in-app notifications: Stay informed about relevant actions in your projects with customizable email notifications.
- User roles and access control: Organize your localization team by assigning dedicated roles and access rights to team members according to projects and languages.
- 40+ file formats: Export and import translation files in a huge variety of formats.
- File format and syntax validation: Eliminate broken language files by using the built-in validation check when uploading files.
- Libraries and tools: Adapt Phrase to your workflows with our integrated tools and libraries.
- 2-factor authentication : Raise your security standards and protect your account with 2-Factor authentication.
- Single sign-on via SAML : Let your team access Phrase easily with a single sign-on.
- On-premise hosting: Run Phrase locally on your own hardware, behind your own firewall, with our on-premise offering.
- Translation editor: Use our user-friendly surface to translate your keys and strings within Phrase and get useful metadata and assistance for translators.
- In-Context Editor for web: Translate your keys with maximum context. See in real-time how translations would look like on your website.
- Simple review workflow: New translations as well as translations for which the source content has changes are automatically marked as unverified. You can filter unverified translations and request verification for translations.
- Advanced review workflow: Implement a workflow that requires content to be reviewed by assigned proofreaders.
- Screenshots: Give translators the necessary context, by attaching screenshots to your translation keys.
- Machine translation: Choose from our trusted Machine Translation providers and speed up your translation process by using our built in Machine Translation feature.
- Translation history: See all previous versions of a translation in the History tab of our Translation Editor and revert the previous state if needed.
- Smart Suggest: Speed up your translation work and improve the overall consistency with real-time suggestions.
- Autopilot: Let Phrase translate new content automatically using Translation Memory and Machine Translation, or use the Autopilot to translate existing keys within seconds.
- Glossary: Define terms that are unique to your business or brand, so that they remain consistent throughout all languages and across all projects.
- Pluralization: Phrase knows about the pluralization rules of each language and can display the correct input fields needed for each language.
- ICU MessageFormat and placeholders: Ensure translation syntax consistency and prevent broken ICU messages in your localization files with built-in ICU MessageFormat support and placeholders.
- Character limits: Define character limits for individual keys so that translators can find a wording that matches your requirements.
- Checks: Improve overall translation quality by making sure that translators adhere to length limits, insert placeholders correctly, and use the correct terminology.
- Assignable jobs: Organize translation tasks by assigning team members, providing briefings, and setting due dates for each locale.
- Translation ordering: Order translations from one of our trusted language service providers in just a few clicks.
- Comments and mentions: Communicate faster with your team without leaving Phrase - there’s no need to switch to other communication channels.
- Activity tracking: Monitor activities and filter them by users, events, or specific time intervals.
- Key search and tagging: Add tags to keys for more refined tracking within your project.
- Reports and statistics: Stay informed about your team members' performance, including the amount of translated words, keys, and much more.
- Branching: Work on multiple releases and versions at the same time, just like in Git.
- Mobile SDK statistics: Get valuable insight into your active app users and their app languages with mobile SDK statistics.
Notable users
- Tutao Tutanota OpenSource Mail Client