The Protected Words feature lets you list terms that must never be translated, keeping brand consistency, technical accuracy and proper nouns intact in JSON localization files.
When to use it
- Brand names & trademarks: Google, Microsoft, iPhone, AWS, Firebase
- Technical terms: JavaScript, Python, React, API, SDK, DevOps, Agile
- Proper nouns: people, places (New York, Tokyo), organizations
How it works
When you add a word: all occurrences in the JSON are identified; they are excluded from translation; original text is preserved exactly; surrounding context and formatting stay intact.
Example. Original JSON:
{
"welcome": "Welcome to our React application built with Firebase!",
"features": "Experience the power of our JavaScript SDK"
}
Protected words: ["React", "Firebase", "JavaScript", "SDK"]. French result:
{
"welcome": "Bienvenue dans notre application React construite avec Firebase!",
"features": "Découvrez la puissance de notre SDK JavaScript"
}
Best practices
- Only protect terms that genuinely need it; consider cultural context per language; review the list regularly.
- Matching is case-sensitive by default: add both "React" and "react" if needed, plus common variations.
- Test protected words in different sentence contexts and review translations for natural flow.
Advanced techniques
- Use protected words for URLs, emails, phone numbers, file paths and system commands.
- Keep code examples, function names, variables and API endpoints in the original language.
Troubleshooting
- Not working: check exact spelling/capitalization, that the feature is enabled in your plan, and that the word appears in the source text.
- Over-protection: review the list regularly and remove terms that don't need protection.
Originally published on the JSON Translate blog.
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