Mirela
Dynamic content refers to elements that change based on user interactions or real-time data, such as user-generated comments, personalized greetings, or live stock updates. Unlike static content, which remains constant, dynamic content can vary widely, making its translation more complex.
If you want to effectively localize this type of content, you need to approach it in a way that maintains consistency and accuracy, as well as cultural relevance across different languages. Let’s look at some of the best practices when translating dynamic content.
Externalize dynamic strings
Scalable localization lies in separating content from code. One of the first things to get right when localizing dynamic content is pulling your translatable text out of the code and putting it into separate files—like JSON, YAML, or XML. It might seem like a technical detail, but it makes a big difference.
Translators get what they need without digging through code, and developers can update features without worrying about breaking anything in the UI. It’s a cleaner setup overall, meaning less risk of things going wrong, and a smoother way to keep content and code in sync as your product grows.
Use a logical key structure
If your localization files are going to grow (and they will), you’ll want a key structure that’s easy to read and makes sense at a glance. Instead of something cryptic like msg_1 or abc12, go with keys like checkout.button.submit or profile.greeting.title. It’s like labeling your kitchen drawers—makes it way easier to find what you need when you’re in a hurry.
A well-structured system also helps your translators and developers stay on the same page and avoid duplicating or mistranslating similar content just because it was named inconsistently.
Use placeholders for the elements that change
Dynamic content usually includes some variables: names, numbers, dates, product titles, and so on. Rather than trying to translate every possible version of a sentence, just drop in placeholders like {username} or {count}. This makes your translations way more flexible and avoids issues like grammar mismatches or awkward phrasing.
Just make sure you give translators enough context. If they don’t know what {item} refers to, they can’t make it sound natural. A short comment in your translation files can go a long way here.
Plan for language rules
English is pretty straightforward with plurals—just add an “s” most of the time—but other languages are way more complicated. Some have different forms depending on the exact number. Others change based on gender. A sentence as simple as “You are welcome” might need two or more versions depending on the gender of the person being addressed. And if your system inserts something like a user’s name, the translation around it might need to shift too.
Tools that support pluralization rules or message formatting (like ICU MessageFormat) can handle a lot of this complexity for you. It might take a little setup upfront, but it saves you from a ton of messy edge cases later. It also gives your translators the tools they need to handle complex grammatical rules without hardcoding things.
Keep translations in sync
Because dynamic content updates all the time (new products, new features, changing UI, and so on), it’s easy for translations to fall out of date. Make it a habit to regularly sync your content with your translation process. This doesn’t have to be a big manual task; if you’re using a translation management system, you can usually automate it.
Keeping everything up to date means your users won’t run into untranslated strings or outdated text, and your localization team won’t be left guessing what happened when a feature suddenly disappears from the translation queue.
Wrapping up
As you can see, translating dynamic content isn’t just a technical task, it’s a cross-functional effort that brings together different members of a team. That’s why you need to stay proactive and embrace practices like externalizing strings, using placeholders effectively, and planning for pluralization and gender variations to not only improve the quality of your translations, but also build a more adaptable localization workflow.