MDN is used by people all over the world as a reference and guide to Web technologies, as well as to the internals of Firefox itself. Our localization communities are a key part of the Mozilla project; their work in translating and localizing our documentation helps people around the world develop for the open Web. If you'd like to learn more about localization, or even start a new localization, this is the place to begin.
Types of localization on MDN
Localization on MDN comprises three aspects, which require different systems or access privileges.
- MDN site user interface
- The strings that appear on every MDN page (or most pages) to frame the main article content and provide navigation and user controls. These strings are translated using Mozilla’s Pontoon system, in the MDN project. If your locale is not available for MDN, a administrator must enable it. See Starting a new MDN localization.
- MDN content
- The main body of MDN pages, consisting of reference, guide, or tutorial articles. Articles can be translated using the built-in translation interface of MDN. If your locale is not available in the list of locales to translate into, see Starting a new MDN localization.
- Macro strings
- These strings are output by macro templates that construct certain kinds of navigation, messages, or generated structures. Because templates can have pervasive and potentially destructive effects, changes go through a pull request and review process.
The following pages provide more details about localizing on MDN:
- Localization projects
- All localization and translation work on MDN is done by an amazing community of volunteers. This article lists localization projects, some of their active contributors, and other details.
- Starting a new MDN localization
- Localizations of MDN content help extend MDN’s reach to many more web developers and potential web developers than merely those who can read English. Therefore, localizations are a vital part of achieving MDN’s mission.
- Translating MDN pages
- This article is a basic guide to translating content on MDN, including both the mechanics of translation work and tips on the proper way to handle various types of content.
Localization communities on MDN
Localization activities on MDN are done both by individuals acting independently, and by groups working together, possibly as part of a larger Mozilla localization community. Localization projects on MDN are led by Localization drivers.
Localization tools
There are several useful tools that you'll use during localization work:
- Pontoon
- Used for translation of strings across multiple Mozilla projects, including the MDN user interface (as well as the Firefox user interface).
- Transvision
- A utility provided by the French Mozilla community, which lets you search for occurrences of an English string, finding all the various translations into a target locale that are used throughout Mozilla code. Useful for finding the preferred translations for words or phrases.