AI Translation for React and NextJS Apps

Getting Started

Interested in AI translation for React and Next.js apps? You've found the right place. Let's implement internationalization (i18n) with AI!

i18nexus provides the AI translation capabilities we need to help achieve precise and contextually accurate translations. It's designed to integrate seamlessly with libraries such as i18next and next-intl.

If you haven’t set up i18nexus yet, you can easily do so by signing up for free and following our NextJS integration tutorial or our React integration tutorial. i18nexus is the essential translation management platform for thousands of developers!

How to Use AI Translation

Step 1: Add a New String to your i18nexus Project

Begin by going to the Strings Management page of your project to add a new string. The languages I have set my project to support are German and Spanish.

Let's say we have the word "Lead" in a banner on our website to show that we are the industry leaders! We'll add "Lead" as the value:

Next, i18nexus will automatically translate our value using Google Translate or DeepL:

Uh oh! 🤦‍♂️ DeepL translated the chemical element "Lead", not the verb as we were hoping for...

Let's correct this with AI!

Step 2: Accessing the AI Translation Feature

To access the AI translation feature, simply click on the note icon in the bottom right corner of the value field. This opens the AI Translation prompt, where you can provide additional context or specific instructions for the translation.

Let's tell the AI, As in: "to lead the way":

Step 3: Save and Review

After entering a prompt, click Save.

Hurray 🎉 Now we can see that OpenAI successfully translated our string in the correct context:

When to Use AI Translation

As we have seen, machine translation services, like Google Translate, are a great starting point, but some phrases and words require a deeper understanding for better accuracy.

Here are a few examples of when to use the AI translation:

Ambiguous Phrases

Just like in our "Lead" example above, phrases with multiple meanings can be challenging for standard machine translators. By providing context, you can ensure that the AI selects the appropriate translation.

Machine translators like Google Translate and DeepL will most likely just select the most commonly used definition, but using AI we can instruct the translator specifically which definition we are referring to!

Technical Terms

Technical jargon or industry-specific terminology often requires precise translation. Using the AI translation feature, you can specify your industry to get more accurate results.

Tone and Style

Ensuring the correct tone and style is crucial, especially for marketing content or user interfaces. Adding instructions, such as "formal tone" or "friendly and casual", helps maintain consistency across all translations.

Length

Sometimes, the length of the translation is important, especially for UI elements or messages with character limits. Using AI, you can specify the desired length to ensure the translation fits perfectly.

Does AI Replace Human Translators?

No machine translator is perfect, including AI. It is always recommended to hire professional translators to review and verify all machine translations.

When you get to the point of hiring translators, you can simply invite them to your i18nexus project where they will see an intuitive Translator interface for editing and confirming translations:

No more emailing your JSON files to your translators 🙂

Is OpenAI a Better Translator than Google and DeepL?

There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. For many everyday translation tasks, Google Translate and DeepL might be more suitable. However, for more nuanced or context-specific translations, especially where interaction and clarification are beneficial, OpenAI can be a better choice.

When researching this topic you will find a lot of mixed opinions. It is likely fair to say that each service's quality and accuracy varies language to language.

To Sum It Up

i18nexus’s AI translation feature provides a powerful solution for achieving more accurate and contextually appropriate translations of your app’s content. Whether dealing with ambiguous phrases, technical terms, varying tones, or specific lengths, the AI translation tool helps you maintain higher quality translations across all languages.

Happy coding! 🌎