Supported Resource File Formats

How to Translate JSON Files with PTC

PTC delivers Better Than Human AI translations for JSON files used in web and mobile frameworks like React, Vue.js, Angular, React Native, Swift, and Kotlin. Learn how to prepare and translate your JSON files using PTC.

Translating JSON Files with PTC: First-Time Setup

Your first setup will take a few steps. You’ll structure your JSON files correctly, connect your repository to PTC, and provide PTC with the context it needs to deliver great translations. Then, PTC will handle the rest.

Step 1: Add All User-Facing Text to JSON Files

Store every UI string in your JSON files as key-value pairs. PTC reads these keys and values and returns translated versions for the selected languages.

Organize related strings into nested objects to keep files manageable and provide valuable context for translation.

Correct – Well-structured JSON file:

.json:

{
  "homepage": {
    "title": "Welcome to our Website",
    "description": "Discover our products and services"
  },
  "form": {
    "submit": "Submit",
    "reset": "Reset"
  }
}

Code:

console.log(t('homepage.title'));

Incorrect – Hardcoded strings in code:

console.log("Welcome to our site");

Don’t hardcode translatable text directly in your source code. Hardcoded text like this won’t be extracted or translated by PTC.

Step 2: Use Placeholders for Dynamic Values

Use placeholders for variable content like usernames, counts, or dates. This helps preserve sentence structure and grammar in each language.

Your placeholder format may vary depending on your localization library. PTC supports all common placeholder formats, such as {userName}, {name}, %1$s, or {{name}}, so your dynamic content is preserved correctly in translation.

Correct – One full string with placeholders:

.json:

{
  "greeting": "Hello, {userName}! Today is {currentDate}."
}

Code:

const message = t('greeting', { userName: 'Alex', currentDate: 'Monday' });

Incorrect – Split string with concatenation:

{
  "greetingStart": "Hello, ",
  "greetingEnd": "! Today is "
}

const message = t('greetingStart') + userName + t('greetingEnd') + date;

Splitting strings can break grammar and word order in other languages, leading to bad translations.

Step 3: Create a Free PTC Account and Connect Your Repository

PTC works by integrating directly with your GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket repository. To start using PTC: 

  1. Create your free 30-day PTC account.
  2. Use the setup wizard to connect your code repository.
  3. Grant PTC read and write access so it can:
    • Detect your JSON resource files
    • Translate them automatically
    • Push translated files back to your repo via a merge request

Step 4: Confirm or Adjust the Output File Paths

PTC shows you each resource file it will translate and the corresponding output file where it will write the translations.

You can:

  • Accept the suggested output path and filename, or
  • Update the path and filename to match your project’s structure

This step ensures your software can correctly locate and load the translations later.

Step 5: Tell PTC About Your Software and Choose Target Languages

PTC uses context to deliver accurate, natural translations. You’ll need to:

  • Provide the name of your software
  • Describe what it does
  • Say who it’s for

This helps PTC choose the right tone, terminology, and phrasing for each language.

After that, choose the languages you want to translate into. PTC supports 33+ languages.

Step 6: Check the Output Files and Accept the Merge Request

When PTC finishes translating your JSON files, it creates a merge request in your repository.

PTC provides Better Than Human, context-aware translations, so you don’t need to review the translations for quality. You just need to:

  • Confirm that the output files are in the right place
  • Check that filenames and structure match what your software expects
  • Make sure placeholders and formatting are intact

Example translated file:

{
  "homepage": {
    "title": "Bienvenido a nuestro sitio",
    "description": "Descubre nuestros productos y servicios"
  },
  "form": {
    "submit": "Enviar",
    "reset": "Restablecer",
    "greeting": "Hola, {userName}! ÂżCĂłmo podemos ayudarte hoy?"
  },
  "footer": {
    "contact": "Contáctanos",
    "terms": "TĂ©rminos del servicio",
    "privacy": "PolĂ­tica de privacidad"
  }
}

If everything looks right, merge the request to add the translated files to your project. If you need to make changes before merging, go to Settings in your PTC dashboard. There, you can update the output file paths, monitored branches, or placeholder formats.

Step 7: Make Sure Your Software Loads the Translated Files

After you merge the translated JSON files, your software needs to load the correct file based on the user’s language.

If your project already uses a localization library like i18next or vue-i18n, and your file paths match its expected structure, you don’t need to make further changes.

If not, check that:

  • Your software’s configuration points to the correct folders and filenames
  • Your language selection logic is working and loading the right file for each language

Once set up correctly, your software will automatically display translations based on the selected or detected language.

Bonus Step: Translate Content That Isn’t Stored in JSON Files

PTC handles all your JSON translation automatically, but if your software includes translatable content that isn’t stored in JSON files, you can translate it manually using Paste to translate.

Common use cases include:

  • Email content
  • App store listings 
  • Release notes
  • Other content not tracked in version control but still part of the user experience

To translate this type of content:

  1. Navigate to your PTC project dashboard
  2. Go to Translations → Paste to translate
  3. Add your text, choose the languages, and get instant translations

These translations aren’t added to your codebase automatically—you’ll need to paste them into your app store listing, release notes, or email configuration.

How PTC Keeps Your Translations Up to Date

After the initial setup, PTC continues working in the background. Whenever you update your source JSON files, PTC:

  • Detects any new or modified strings
  • Translates them automatically
  • Sends a merge request with the changes

You don’t need to repeat the setup or manually update translation files. Your translations stay current without extra work.

Start Translating Your JSON Files with PTC

Sign up for a free 30-day trial. PTC translates your JSON files, keeps them updated, and sends translations via merge requests—so you can focus on development.

Get started with PTC
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