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Working with Professional Translators

Rosetta generates machine translations, but some projects need human review — regulatory content, brand-sensitive copy, or high-stakes UI. The XLIFF workflow lets you export translations for professional review and import them back seamlessly.

What is XLIFF?​

XLIFF (XML Localization Interchange File Format) is the industry-standard exchange format for translation tools. Every professional CAT (Computer-Assisted Translation) tool supports it:

  • memoQ — import XLIFF, review in-context, export reviewed file
  • SDL Trados Studio — native XLIFF support
  • Phrase (Memsource) — upload XLIFF jobs for translator teams
  • Smartling — XLIFF ingestion pipeline
  • OmegaT — free/open-source CAT tool with XLIFF support

Rosetta generates XLIFF 1.2 (the universally supported version) rather than 2.0+ for maximum tool compatibility.

The Workflow​

Step 1: Generate Machine Translations​

Run sync first to get a baseline machine translation:

i18n-rosetta sync

Step 2: Export XLIFF​

Export the source + target pair as XLIFF:

i18n-rosetta xliff export --locale fr

This writes .rosetta/xliff/fr.xliff containing:

  • Every source key with its English value
  • The current machine translation (if any) as the <target>
  • Keys without translations marked as state="new"
<trans-unit id="hero.title" xml:space="preserve">
  <source>Welcome to our platform</source>
  <target state="translated">Bienvenue sur notre plateforme</target>
</trans-unit>

Step 3: Send to Translator​

Send the .xliff file to your translator or upload it to your CAT platform. The translator sees source and target side-by-side, and can:

  • Edit machine translations
  • Fill in missing translations
  • Flag quality issues
  • Apply their own translation memory and termbases

Step 4: Import Reviewed File​

When the translator returns the reviewed .xliff, import it:

# Preview what will change
i18n-rosetta xliff import .rosetta/xliff/fr.xliff --dry

# Apply changes
i18n-rosetta xliff import .rosetta/xliff/fr.xliff

Output:

  ✓ Imported 142 translations for fr
    Updated:    23 (changed from existing)
    Added:      0 (new keys)
    Unchanged:  119
    Written to: locales/fr.json

Step 5: Fill Gaps​

If new keys were added after the XLIFF was exported, run sync to translate them:

i18n-rosetta sync

Rosetta only translates keys that are still missing — reviewed translations from the XLIFF import are preserved.

Tips​

Export Custom Paths​

# Export to a specific directory
i18n-rosetta xliff export --locale ja --out ./for-review/

# Export with a specific filename
i18n-rosetta xliff export --locale de --out ./review/german.xliff

Multiple Locales​

Export each locale separately:

for locale in fr de ja ko; do
  i18n-rosetta xliff export --locale $locale
done

Version Control​

Add .rosetta/xliff/ to .gitignore — XLIFF files are transient artifacts, not project source:

.rosetta/xliff/

When to Use XLIFF vs. Just sync​

ScenarioRecommendation
Internal app, 90%+ quality acceptableJust sync — machine translation is fine
User-facing marketing copyExport XLIFF for human review
Legal/regulatory contentExport XLIFF — human review required
50+ locales, tight deadlinesync first, XLIFF export for top 5 locales only
Translator already uses a CAT toolXLIFF is the natural handoff format

See Also​