Voyant Tools Translation Hub

An AI-driven, reproducible workflow for translating digital humanities tools for underrepresented languages.

Getting Started Guide

A visual, step-by-step walkthrough for every role in the Translation Hub. Whether you're a Reviewer, Translator, or Approver — this guide has you covered.

📚 Overview 🔎 Reviewer ✎️ Translator ✅ Approver 💡 Tips & Shortcuts

How the Translation Workflow Works

Every Voyant Tools UI string goes through a three-stage human review before it can be exported. AI generates the initial draft, but only human-approved translations ship.

AI
Machine Draft
NLLB-200 generates a draft translation with back-translation and similarity score.
➔
1
Reviewer
Accept, edit, or reject the AI draft. First human eyes on every string.
➔
2
Translator
Handles rejected or flagged strings. Rewrites from scratch if needed.
➔
3
Approver
Final gatekeeper. Picks the best version and marks it export-ready.

What you'll see on every translation

  • Source text (English) — the original Voyant UI string
  • AI draft — the machine-generated translation
  • Back-translation — the AI draft translated back to English
  • Similarity score — how close the back-translation matches the source (0 to 1)
  • QA flags — automated warnings (missing placeholders, broken tags, etc.)
  • Status badge — current state: machine_draft, in_review, flagged, or approved

Reviewer Guide

You are the first human eyes on every AI draft

Your job is to evaluate AI-generated translations for accuracy, fluency, and correctness. You can accept good drafts, make small edits, or reject drafts that need a full rewrite.

1

Open the Review Queue

After logging in, click "Review Queue" in the navigation bar. You'll see a paginated list of all translations waiting for review in your assigned language.

What you'll see: A table with columns for Key, Source Text, AI Draft, Status, and QA Flags. Strings with QA warnings are highlighted so you can prioritize them.
2

Click any row to open the Review Detail

The detail page shows everything you need on one screen:

Left panel — Context
  • English source text
  • AI-generated draft
  • Back-translation (round-trip to English)
  • Similarity score (0.00 – 1.00)
  • QA flags, if any
Right panel — Your Action
  • Editable text area (pre-filled with the AI draft)
  • Decision dropdown: Accept / Reject / Flag
  • Save button (or Ctrl+Enter)
3

Review the AI draft

Compare the AI draft against the English source. Use the back-translation to check if the meaning was preserved.

Accept
The AI draft is accurate and natural. You can accept it as-is, or make minor edits (fix a word, adjust phrasing) before accepting.
Reject
The draft is wrong, misleading, or unnatural. Rejected strings go to the Translator Queue for a full rewrite by a translator.
Flag
You're unsure, or the string needs discussion (ambiguous source text, domain-specific term, etc.). Flagged strings are visible to all team members.
4

Save and move to the next string

Click Save (or press Ctrl+Enter) to submit your decision. Use the Prev / Next buttons or arrow keys to navigate without returning to the list.

Pro tip: The position counter (e.g. "42 / 903") shows your progress. Work through strings in order for the most consistent results.

Translator Guide

You handle the strings that need human expertise

When a Reviewer rejects an AI draft, it lands in your queue. You rewrite the translation from scratch or improve the existing draft, then submit it for final approval.

1

Open the Translator Queue

Click "Translator Queue" in the navigation bar. This shows strings that were rejected or flagged during review — they need your attention.

Note: Your queue only shows strings for your assigned language. If your queue is empty, all rejected strings have been addressed!
2

Open a translation detail

You'll see the same context as the Reviewer — source text, AI draft, back-translation, and QA flags. Plus you'll see the reviewer's decision and any notes.

3

Write your translation

Type your translation in the text area. You can start from scratch or edit the existing draft.

Important — preserve placeholders! If the source contains {count}, %s, or HTML tags like <b>, your translation must include them in the same positions. Missing placeholders can crash the application.
4

Submit for approval

Click Save to submit your translation. It will move to the Approver Queue for final sign-off.

Approver Guide

You are the final gatekeeper

Only translations you approve get exported into Voyant Tools. You compare all available versions and pick the best one — or send it back for more work.

1

Open the Approver Queue

Click "Approver Queue" in the navigation bar. You'll see translations that have passed review and are ready for final approval.

2

Compare all versions

The detail page shows you:

  • English source — what the string means
  • AI draft — the original machine translation
  • Reviewer text — edits made by the reviewer (if any)
  • Back-translation and similarity score
3

Make your decision

Approve
The translation is accurate and ready for production. Choose the best available version (AI draft, reviewer text, or your own edit) and approve it.
Send Back
The translation still needs work. It returns to the review/translator cycle.
4

Approved = export-ready

Once approved, the string is marked approved and becomes available for export into the Voyant Tools interface. Only approved strings are included in the final CSV that gets loaded into Voyant.

Tips & Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + Enter Save and advance to the next string
← Left Arrow Previous string
→ Right Arrow Next string
Esc Back to queue list

Best Practices

  • Always preserve placeholders — {count}, %s, and HTML tags must appear in your translation exactly as they do in the source.
  • Check the back-translation — if the meaning drifted, the translation probably needs editing.
  • Watch for QA flags — they catch issues automatically, but they're not perfect. Use your judgment.
  • When in doubt, flag it — it's better to flag a string for discussion than to approve an incorrect translation.
  • Be consistent — use the same term for the same concept throughout. Check how similar strings were translated.

Understanding QA Flags

Missing placeholder

The source has a placeholder like %s or {count} that is missing from the translation. This will cause a runtime error.

HTML tag mismatch

The number of HTML tags in the translation doesn't match the source. Broken tags break the UI.

Low similarity score

The back-translation drifted far from the original meaning (score < 0.75). Review carefully.

Length ratio

The translation is suspiciously shorter or longer than expected. May indicate missing content.

Unbalanced braces

Mismatched { and } in the translation. Potential runtime error.

Empty translation

The engine returned nothing. Needs a manual translation from scratch.

Ready to start?

Log in and open your queue. Every translation you review brings Voyant one step closer to supporting your language.

Review Queue Translator Queue Approver Queue