/localization

name: localization
description: Use when implementing localization (i18n/l10n) — TranslationServer, CSV/PO translation files, locale switching, RTL support, and pluralization in Godot 4.3+

Localization in Godot 4.3+

All examples target Godot 4.3+ with no deprecated APIs; GDScript first, then C#.

> **Related skills:** **godot-ui** for Control nodes and theme management, **save-load** for persisting language settings, **responsive-ui** for layout adjustments per locale.

---

1. Core Concepts

How Godot Localization Works

1. **Wrap all user-facing strings** in `tr()` — Godot's translation function 2. **Create translation files** (CSV or PO) mapping keys to translated strings 3. **Import translation files** as `Translation` resources 4. **Switch locale at runtime** via `TranslationServer.set_locale()`

All `Control` nodes with `text`, `tooltip_text`, or `placeholder_text` properties auto-translate when the value matches a translation key.

Translation Key Strategies

| Strategy | Example Key | Pros | Cons | |----------|-------------|------|------| | Semantic keys | `MENU_START_GAME` | Clear intent, easy to find | Needs a default language fallback | | English-as-key | `Start Game` | Readable code, no mapping file for English | Breaks if English text changes |

> **Recommendation:** Use semantic keys (`MENU_START_GAME`) for production; English-as-key only for prototypes or solo projects.

---

2. Translation Files

CSV Format

The simplest format. First column is the key, subsequent columns are locale codes.

keys,en,cs,de,ja
MENU_START,Start Game,Začít hru,Spiel starten,ゲームスタート
MENU_OPTIONS,Options,Nastavení,Optionen,オプション
MENU_QUIT,Quit,Ukončit,Beenden,終了
PLAYER_HEALTH,Health: %d,Zdraví: %d,Gesundheit: %d,体力: %d
ITEM_COLLECTED,%s collected!,%s sebráno!,%s gesammelt!,%sを入手！

Save as `translations.csv` in your project. Godot auto-detects the format on import.

**Import settings** (Import dock):

• **Delimiter**: Comma (default), Semicolon, or Tab
• **Compress**: on by default — stores an `OptimizedTranslation`, skipped for files that use `?context`/`?plural` (§10)

PO Format (Gettext)

Industry-standard format, preferred by translation teams and tools like Poedit, Weblate, Crowdin.

**Create a POT template** (`messages.pot`):

msgid "MENU_START"
msgstr ""

msgid "MENU_OPTIONS"
msgstr ""

msgid "MENU_QUIT"
msgstr ""

msgid "PLAYER_HEALTH"
msgstr ""

**Create locale files** (e.g., `cs.po` for Czech):

msgid "MENU_START"
msgstr "Začít hru"

msgid "MENU_OPTIONS"
msgstr "Nastavení"

msgid "MENU_QUIT"
msgstr "Ukončit"

msgid "PLAYER_HEALTH"
msgstr "Zdraví: %d"

Registering Translations

**Project Settings → Localization → Translations → Add...** → select your `.csv` or `.po` files.

Or register at runtime:

var translation := load("res://translations/cs.po") as Translation
TranslationServer.add_translation(translation)

var translation = GD.Load<Translation>("res://translations/cs.po");
TranslationServer.AddTranslation(translation);

> ⚠️ **Changed in Godot 4.7:** `OptimizedTranslation.generate()` now returns `bool` (was `void`). GDScript- and C#-source-compatible, but binary-incompatible — recompile precompiled C# plugins calling it. See the [4.7 migration guide](https://docs.godotengine.org/en/latest/tutorials/migrating/upgrading_to_godot_4.7.html).

POT Generation Hooks (Godot 4.7+)

A custom `EditorTranslationParserPlugin` can override `_customize_strings()` — called once after all files are parsed during POT generation — to add or remove entries from the final extracted-string list:

@tool
extends EditorTranslationParserPlugin

func _customize_strings(strings: Array[PackedStringArray]) -> Array[PackedStringArray]:
    strings.append(PackedStringArray(["Test 1", "context", "test 1 plurals", "test 1 comment"]))
    # Drop internal strings that begin with "$".
    return strings.filter(func(s): return not s[0].begins_with("$"))

#if TOOLS
using System.Linq;
using Godot;

public partial class CommentAwareParser : EditorTranslationParserPlugin
{
    public override Godot.Collections.Array<string[]> _CustomizeStrings(Godot.Collections.Array<string[]> strings)
    {
        strings.Add(new[] { "Test 1", "context", "test 1 plurals", "test 1 comment" });
        // Drop internal strings that begin with "$".
        return new Godot.Collections.Array<string[]>(strings.Where(s => !s[0].StartsWith("$")));
    }
}
#endif

> **Godot 4.7+:** The POT generator also extracts `Control.accessibility_name` and `accessibility_description`, making accessibility strings translatable without manual listing. ([GH-117134](https://github.com/godotengine/godot/pull/117134))

---

3. Using tr() in Code

GDScript

# Basic translation
var label_text: String = tr("MENU_START")  # "Start Game" or translated equivalent

# With format arguments
var health_text: String = tr("PLAYER_HEALTH") % current_health
# "Health: 85" or "Zdraví: 85"

# With string arguments
var collected_text: String = tr("ITEM_COLLECTED") % item_name
# "Sword collected!" or "Meč sebráno!"

# Pluralization (Godot 4.x)
var count := 5
var msg: String = tr_n("ONE_ENEMY", "MANY_ENEMIES", count)
# Needs plural forms in the translation: PO, or CSV `?plural` rows on Godot 4.6+ (§10)

C#

string labelText = Tr("MENU_START");
// string.Format ignores GDScript-style %d — substitute it yourself.
string healthText = Tr("PLAYER_HEALTH").Replace("%d", currentHealth.ToString());

// Pluralization
string msg = TrN("ONE_ENEMY", "MANY_ENEMIES", count);

Automatic Control Translation

`Label`, `Button`, `RichTextLabel`, and other Control nodes auto-translate their `text` property when it matches a translation key. Set the text to the key:

Button.text = "MENU_START"   → displays "Start Game" (en) or "Začít hru" (cs)

> **Tip:** To disable automatic translation on a specific Control, set `auto_tra