Xcstrings Localizer

XCStrings Localizer

Translate Xcode String Catalog (.xcstrings) files directly in Claude Code.

When to Activate

Use this skill when the user says things like:

• "localize my app"
• "translate my strings"
• "add Spanish translations"
• "translate Localizable.xcstrings"
• "find untranslated strings"
• "add German to the Widget strings"
• "translate strings in the Login folder"
• "translate error messages only"

Workflow

1. Determine Scope

Ask the user to clarify scope if not specified:

2. Find .xcstrings Files

# Find all xcstrings files in project
find . -name "*.xcstrings" -type f

Or use Glob: **/*.xcstrings

3. Read Target Languages

Check the Xcode project for configured languages:

grep -A 30 "knownRegions" *.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj | grep -E '^\s+"[a-z]{2}(-[A-Z]{2})?"'

Common language codes:

• en - English (usually source)
• es - Spanish
• fr - French
• de - German
• ja - Japanese
• zh-Hans - Chinese Simplified
• zh-Hant - Chinese Traditional
• ko - Korean
• pt-BR - Portuguese (Brazil)
• it - Italian

4. Understand XCStrings JSON Structure

An .xcstrings file is JSON with this structure:

{
  "sourceLanguage": "en",
  "version": "1.0",
  "strings": {
    "string_key": {
      "extractionState": "manual",
      "localizations": {
        "en": {
          "stringUnit": {
            "state": "translated",
            "value": "English text"
          }
        },
        "es": {
          "stringUnit": {
            "state": "translated",
            "value": "Texto en español"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Key fields:

• sourceLanguage: The base language (usually "en")
• strings: Object keyed by string key
• localizations: Object keyed by language code
• stringUnit.state: Translation state
• stringUnit.value: The translated text

Translation states:

• translated - Has a valid translation
• new - Newly added, needs translation
• needs_review - Source changed, translation may be stale
• stale - Marked as outdated

Special metadata:

• shouldTranslate: false - Skip this string (e.g., brand names)
• comment - Context for translators

5. Identify Strings Needing Translation

A string needs translation if:

1. The target language is missing from localizations
2. The state is new or needs_review
3. shouldTranslate is NOT false

6. Preserve Format Specifiers

CRITICAL: Format specifiers must be preserved exactly in translations.

Positional arguments: Languages may reorder arguments. Use positional form (%1$@) to allow reordering.

7. Handle Pluralization

Plural strings have a special structure:

{
  "item_count": {
    "localizations": {
      "en": {
        "variations": {
          "plural": {
            "one": {
              "stringUnit": {
                "state": "translated",
                "value": "%d item"
              }
            },
            "other": {
              "stringUnit": {
                "state": "translated",
                "value": "%d items"
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Plural categories by language:

• English: one, other
• French: one, many, other
• Russian: one, few, many, other
• Arabic: zero, one, two, few, many, other

8. Translation Process

1. Report findings first:

   Found 3 .xcstrings files:
   - Localizable.xcstrings (245 strings, missing: es 12, fr 245)
   - InfoPlist.xcstrings (5 strings, fully translated)
   - Widget.xcstrings (18 strings, missing: es 3, fr 18)
   
   Target languages from project: en, es, fr
   
   Which would you like to translate?
   

2. Confirm target language(s) if not specified

3. Translate in batches (suggest 10-20 strings at a time for large files)

4. Show translations for review before writing:

   "welcome_message":
     en: "Welcome back, %@!"
     es: "¡Bienvenido de nuevo, %@!"
   
   "item_count" (plural):
     en.one: "%d item"
     en.other: "%d items"
     es.one: "%d elemento"
     es.other: "%d elementos"
   

5. Write back with state set to translated

9. Writing Back

When updating the file:

• Preserve the original JSON structure and ordering
• Set state: "translated" for new translations
• Keep existing translations unless explicitly updating
• Maintain proper JSON formatting (2-space indent)

Tips for Quality Translations

1. Read the app context: Look at surrounding code to understand usage
2. Check for comments: The comment field provides translator context
3. Maintain consistency: Use same terminology across strings
4. Respect placeholders: Never translate %@, %d, etc.
5. Handle HTML/Markdown: If strings contain markup, preserve it
6. Consider length: Some languages expand significantly (German ~30% longer)

Example Session

User: "Add Spanish translations to my app"

1. Find .xcstrings files: Localizable.xcstrings
2. Check knownRegions: en, es, fr
3. Read file, find 15 strings missing Spanish
4. Show: "Found 15 strings needing Spanish translation. Shall I translate them?"
5. Translate with format specifiers preserved
6. Show translations for review
7. Write back on approval