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Olly

Posted on Originally published at json-translate.com

Localizing Nested JSON Locale Files Without Losing Structure

Large locale files are usually grouped by feature, screen, or domain. The problem is not translating the values. The problem is preserving a predictable file shape so developers can diff, merge, and validate changes safely.

Recommended workflow

  • Keep one source locale as the canonical file for structure changes.
  • Translate after key additions are settled, not while the file shape is still moving daily.
  • Review output by feature area so checkout, onboarding, and settings can be signed off separately.
  • Validate the translated JSON with schema checks or app-level smoke tests before merge.

What makes review faster

Diff-friendly output matters more than perfect first-pass translation quality. If engineers can quickly verify that keys, nesting, and protected language survived, the team can iterate on wording without fighting broken JSON.

For a translator that keeps keys, nesting and placeholders intact, try JSON Translate. To catch broken placeholders or missing keys in CI, there's the free @json-translate/check CLI.

Originally published on the JSON Translate blog.

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