We want to make this plugin accessible to as many people as possible. If you speak another language and want to contribute, you are more than welcome to help us translate. Don't worry if you have never translated software before. It is a very straightforward process, and this guide will walk you through everything you need to know. Every little contribution counts!

The Basics: .POT vs .PO Files

To translate this plugin, you will work with files inside the locale folder. Understanding the difference between these two file types is the most important step:

• The .POT file (The Template): locale/simpleui.pot is the master blank canvas — it contains only the original English text. You use this file when you want to translate the plugin into a brand new language that doesn't exist in the project yet.
• The .PO file (The Translation): This is the actual translation file for a specific language (for example, pt_PT.po for Portuguese or es.po for Spanish). You edit this file if your language is already on the list, but you want to fix mistakes or translate missing words.

Note: unlike many gettext-based projects, Simple UI keeps its translation files flat, directly inside locale/ — there is no LC_MESSAGES subfolder. A finished translation lives at locale/<language_code>.po (e.g. locale/pt_PT.po, locale/de.po), nothing more.

Method 1: The Easiest Way (Using Poedit)

If you have never translated software before, Poedit is highly recommended. It is a free program that provides a simple, clean interface for translating.

Step 1: Get Poedit Download and install the free version of Poedit from poedit.net.

Step 2: Start Your Translation

• For a NEW language: Open Poedit, click "Create new translation", and select locale/simpleui.pot from the plugin folder. Poedit will immediately ask you which language you are translating into and set everything up for you.
• For an EXISTING language: Simply double-click the existing .po file inside the locale folder (e.g., locale/pt_PT.po).

Step 3: Translate

• The Poedit screen is split: you will see a list of English sentences at the top, and an empty box at the bottom.
• Click on any English sentence.
• Type your translation into the bottom "Translation" box.
• Bonus: Poedit will automatically warn you if you forget important code symbols or punctuation!

Step 4: Save Your Work When you click Save, Poedit will generate your .po file.