Translation Wizard and Validation Warnings

MetalGlot has two main ways to translate content inside a workspace: a bulk Translate All path and a manual Translation Wizard path. The right choice depends on how much control you want during the translation pass and how sensitive your file format is to structural mistakes.

The Center Action Column

Most workspaces place the main translation actions in the center column between the source and target panes.

From top to bottom, that column typically includes:

• The Translation Quality button.
• The Translation Wizard button.
• The Translate All button.
• The swap button.
• A warning button if issues were detected.
• A stop button while translation is running.

This keeps the main translation controls in one place while you work through a file.

How Translate All Works

Translate All is the fast path.

In structured localization workspaces, clicking the right-arrow button opens a confirmation modal first. That modal tells you how many strings or tasks will be translated, then starts a bulk pass over the current file after you confirm.

During the run, MetalGlot:

• Processes every translatable string in the current document.
• Updates the target pane as translations come back.
• Keeps track of translation counts and elapsed time.
• Checks returned text for format-specific issues in structured workspaces.

This is the best option when you want the fastest first pass over a file.

How The Translation Wizard Works

The Translation Wizard is the manual review path. It is opened with the wand button in the same center action column.

The wizard opens a modal that shows:

• The current original string or segment.
• The translated output for that one item.
• The active source and target language pair.
• Controls for Translate string, Accept, Reject, and previous or next navigation.

In Structured Localization Workspaces

For JSON, ARB, YAML, Fluent, XLIFF, PO, XCStrings, Laravel, and ICU-style workspaces, the wizard builds a review list from the strings that are actually translatable in the current file.

That makes it useful when you want to:

• Inspect one string at a time before accepting it.
• Work more cautiously on fragile localization files.
• Review tricky messages before writing them into the target output.

In Raw Text

Raw text uses the wizard differently. Instead of building a review list from localization keys, it splits long input into smaller chunks and lets you translate those chunks one by one.

That is helpful for long passages, but it is not a structure-preserving i18n workflow.

Translate All Versus Translation Wizard

Workflow	Best for	What to expect
Translate All	Fast first-pass translation of an entire file	Bulk processing, confirmation modal, automatic issue detection in structured workspaces
Translation Wizard	Higher-control review before accepting each translation	One item at a time, manual accept or reject, slower but safer for delicate files

As a general rule:

• Use Translate All when you want speed.
• Use the Translation Wizard when you want more control.

How Validation Warnings Are Surfaced

In structured localization workspaces, MetalGlot checks translated output for formatting and structure problems after bulk translation.

When issues are detected:

1. a warning state is recorded for the affected translations
2. a red warning button appears in the center action column
3. clicking that button opens an issue dialog

The issue dialog shows:

• The original source text.
• The translated output that triggered the warning.
• A list of detected issues.
• An editable text area for corrections.
• Autofix and Undo when an automatic cleanup is available.
• Save changes and Dismiss warning actions.

For some suspicious formatting issues, Autofix can remove inserted line breaks or strip unexpected parenthetical notes. For token or syntax problems, the dialog mainly guides you to correct the translation manually.

What Gets Checked By Format

The validation rules depend on the workspace you are using.

i18next JSON And Generic JSON Localization

The JSON localization workflow checks protected content such as:

• Placeholder tokens such as {{placeholder}}.
• Nested $t(...) references.
• Interval-style patterns.
• Suspicious inserted line breaks.
• Suspicious inserted parenthetical notes.

These warnings are designed to catch translations that look readable but quietly break the file’s runtime behavior.

ICU MessageFormat JSON

ICU-based workflows check ICU structure directly. That includes issues with message syntax, selectors, plurals, and other ICU formatting rules.

Flutter ARB

ARB translation checks focus on placeholder integrity and ICU-style message logic. This is especially important for ARB entries that include descriptions, variables, or rich ICU expressions.

YAML Localization

YAML translation checks focus on YAML placeholders and ICU-like message logic where present.

Fluent

Fluent validation focuses on structural mismatches in Fluent patterns, terms, and attributes.

Laravel PHP, Apple XCStrings, And Gettext PO

These workspaces focus mainly on placeholder integrity and token preservation so translated output does not break variable injection or formatted strings.

XLIFF 2.2

XLIFF validation focuses on inline tags and other protected translation tokens that must survive the translation unchanged.

Important Limitation To Understand

The Translation Wizard is the safer manual path, but the structured warning dialogs are most strongly tied to the bulk Translate All flow. In other words, the wizard helps you catch problems by reviewing each item before acceptance, while the warning dialogs are the main automatic safety net for bulk translation.

Related Guides

• Getting Started.
• Translation Pages and Workspaces.
• Inference Settings.