Translations and multilingual volumes

Where to find the translations

Open the volume in the editor and select Translations. You set the original language under Publish in the metadata, the default is German. On the page you create a target language with Add language, for example English. Owners and co-authors edit the translations. Editors can read them and run the check.

What is translated and what stays the same

Translated are the title, blurb, titles and texts of the sections, choices, puzzle questions and hints, names of opponents, names of stats, weapons, items, statuses, scars, quests and relationships, the labels of the action sheet as well as subtitle, description and edition note from the metadata. References, conditions, effects, dice checks and section numbers apply to all languages. The numbers in print are the same in every language.

Status of an entry

Every text has a status. Missing: There is no translation yet. Draft: The text is translated but not yet confirmed. Done: You have confirmed the translation. Outdated: The original has changed since the translation. For this the Spielbuchschmiede stores the hash value of the original text. If the original changes, a finished entry switches to outdated by itself. If you restore the original, the entry is done again.

Working in the view

The original is on the left, the translation on the right. With the filter you show only entries with a certain status. The progress per language is shown at the top in the buttons of the languages.

• Alt+N jumps to the next open entry. Open entries are missing and outdated entries.
• Ctrl+Enter in the text field saves the entry as done and jumps to the next open entry.
• An empty text field deletes the translation. The entry is then missing again.
• The Check shows findings with a link. A click jumps to the entry.

Translating with AI

For each section and for all open entries there is the Translate with AI button. The button shows the maximum price. One unit is one section, and title, metadata, rule texts and action sheet together count as one further unit. You are charged only when a result is there. The result is always a draft. Drafts and finished entries are never overwritten. For many entries the Spielbuchschmiede automatically saves a version of the volume beforehand. You find it under the versions of the volume.

Glossary of the series

In the glossary you define what names and terms are called in each language. The glossary applies to all volumes of the series. The check reports every text in which the term of the original appears but the defined translation is missing. The AI receives the terms of the glossary.

The check

The check reports missing translations as errors. Outdated entries, differing numbers, a violated glossary and a length that is clearly different from the original are warnings. Drafts are notes. Errors are also changed placeholders in curly brackets such as {lamp} and missing or non-matching speaker markings (@Name: and „Text“{Name}). In every language @Narrator: also counts as the narrator.

Exporting and importing Markdown

With Download as Markdown you get a language as a file. Each text begins with a heading that contains the key, for sections the section identifier. Below it is the original as a quotation, then the translation. With Import Markdown you read the changed file back in. Only texts are taken over, always as a draft. The structure of the volume never changes. The file may be at most 5 MB in size.

Output in a language

Print package, EPUB and web book are only available for languages without missing entries. When exporting you choose the language. The EPUB carries the language in dc:language and xml:lang. The fixed texts of the book (rules, random table, notes for combat and check, action sheet) are available in German and English. For other languages they appear in English. The web book gets an address of its own for each language, for example /lesen/mein-buch/en, with hreflang references and language selection. The QR code of a translated book opens the phone companion in the same language. When publishing, all complete languages are published as well. Incomplete languages appear as a note.

Limits

Answers of word puzzles are not translated, because in print the sum of the letters gives the section number. The interface of the reading mode and of the phone companion is available in German and English. Messages of the game rules in the reading mode, such as the combat log, continue to appear in German. Restoring a version of the volume does not restore translations.

Publication is explained by the Publishing assistant. Notes on the files are described under Export and KDP package.