Translating

There are other ways of doing google maps translation, but this is most used: Poedit, a cross-platform get text catalogs (.po files) editor.

 

The Formats

 

  • .mo stands for Machine Object
    — compiled export of the .po file which is used by WordPress
  • .po stands for Portable Object
    — editable text file with the translations strings
    — based on the master .pot file, using Update from POT file PoEdit function
    — some folks distribute this as a master file, but it should be used only for translations
  • .pot stands for Portable Object Template
    — editable text file used to grab all the translatable strings from WordPress itself and Themes and Plugins, using Update from Sources PoEdit function

 

The Procedure

 

  • Duplicate the .pot file and rename it to plugin-basename-lang_COUNTRY.po
  • Example for the google maps easy plugin case: gmp_lng-pt_BR.po
    — pt_BR means Portuguese Brazil, but many languages don’t have a country variation…
    — you’ll have to fill in with your own language
  • WPLANG in wp-config.php file must be set to your language, e.g., pt_BR
  • Every time you save the .po file, PoEdit automatically generates a .mo file, which is the one WordPress uses and basically the only one you need to upload

 

Observations

 

  • If you do a full or a decent partial translation, submit it to the plugin, so it could be possible to include it in the Repository and you get credited for it
  • Don’t forget to make a backup of your translation, because if you upgrade the plugin your file will be lost
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