Translations
Keep your book's text in other languages alongside the original. Translate it chapter by chapter and scene by scene, then export or publish each language on its own.
How translations work
A translation follows your original book. Every scene of the original can have its translated text and title, every chapter its translated title, and the book its translated front and back matter (dedication, foreword, acknowledgements, about the author and your own sections). Your original text is never changed by anything you do in a translation.
Add a language
- Open the title in Writing Studio.
- Open the language menu at the top (it says Original) and choose Add a language.
- Type the language, such as French, or a code such as fr or pt-BR.
Translate scene by scene
With a language picked, each chapter shows its scenes in order. On the left is the original scene to translate from; on the right is the editor for the translation, with a box for the scene's translated title. The chapter's translated title is at the top. A chapter that has no scenes gets one editor for the whole chapter.
Your translation saves on its own a moment after you stop typing. If the same text was changed somewhere else (another tab, or your assistant), we don't overwrite it: you can save yours on top, and the other text stays in History.
Tip
Use the search box above the chapter to find words anywhere in the translated text of that language.
History, deleting and bringing text back
- History on a scene, a chapter or the front and back matter lists every save. Pick one to read it and put it back.
- Deleting a scene's, a chapter's or a whole language's translation always asks first, and you can bring it back from Deleted translations in the language menu.
- If you archive or move a scene in the original, its translated text is kept and shown under "Translated text that doesn't print right now" so nothing is lost. Text whose scene is no longer in the book (for example, its chapter was deleted) is under Kept text in the language menu, and goes back into place if the chapter is restored.
- If you delete the title, its translations stay with it for 30 days under Titles > Recently deleted. Restoring the title brings them all back, with their history and any deleted translations. After 30 days they are removed for good along with the title. Translated text files are listed under Show files, but translated titles, front and back matter and history are not in Download saved details, so restore the title to keep those.
Front and back matter
In the language menu, choose the language's front and back matter to write the translated dedication, epigraph, foreword, preface, acknowledgements, copyright page, about the author, custom back matter and your own sections.
Export and publish a language
- Export: with a language picked, the Export button makes a Word file of that language. Anything not translated yet prints in the original language and is listed in the notes, so this works as a draft at any stage.
- Publish: set a format's language (for example a French ebook) and Publishing Studio builds it from your French text, with your French chapter titles and front and back matter where you've written them. It builds once every scene has its French text, so the story is never part one language and part another; if a scene is missing, it tells you which. A chapter title or front or back matter page you haven't translated prints in the original language, and the build lists it in its notes.
Note
Pages we write for you, such as the title page and the list of your other books, and your pen name's author bio (used when the book has no about-the-author of its own) are not translated automatically. Add a translated about the author in the language's front and back matter to replace the bio.
Working with your assistant
Claude and other connected assistants can add languages and read and write translated chapters and scenes for you. Before your assistant deletes a translation or replaces text with an older version, it asks you first.