# Building a translators community

Make it easy for people to start translating, ask questions, and see their work
reach users. Link contributors to [Make your first translation](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/user/basic.md#translator-start) and provide
project-specific instructions alongside it.

## Welcoming translators

Set [Upute za prevođenje](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/admin/projects.md#project-instructions) to explain where to begin, which components
have priority, and how to contact the language team. Include a short style
guide with examples of the tone and terminology you expect. Explain any
contribution agreement and how to request access or a missing language.

Describe your [Radni tokovi za prevođenje](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/workflows.md#workflows): whether contributors save translations or
submit suggestions, who reviews their work, and when translations reach users.
Keep the requirements realistic for small language teams. Welcome useful
partial contributions rather than requiring a complete language translation.

Tell translators about release dates and translation deadlines early. Use
[Objave](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/admin/announcements.md) for timely notices, and keep the translation instructions
up to date. Let contributors know when their work has shipped and acknowledge
their contributions. See [Kontinuirana lokalizacija](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/admin/continuous.md#continuous-translation) for repository
integration and automation.

## Dijagnoza komponente

Guidance is shown in the Diagnostics tab on each
component. These alerts are dismissible and point to the configuration or
documentation needed to make your localization process easier for community
translators.

![image](screenshots/component-diagnostics.webp)

Diagnostics cannot tell whether your instructions are clear or questions get
answered. Regularly try the contribution process with a translator account
and ask newcomers where they got stuck.

## Upravljanje terminologijom

Provide a [Glosar](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/user/glossary.md) for recurring terms, with explanations where a
word has a project-specific meaning. Agree on terminology with each language
team and keep it consistent across components. Record decisions so new
contributors do not need to repeat earlier discussions.

Existing [Prevodilačka memorija](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/admin/memory.md) can help reuse past translations. Review matches
in their new context: identical source wording does not always have the same
meaning.

## Strojno prevođenje

Explain whether machine translation is allowed and how contributors should
review its output. Choose services suited to the languages and subject matter
of your project, and evaluate their output with the language teams. Do not
assume that fluent wording preserves the source meaning or your terminology.

Weblate supports both service suggestions and automatic translation with
human review. Choose a [Machine translation and LLM workflows](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/workflows.md#machine-translation-workflows) configuration that
matches your quality expectations and available reviewers.

## Review translations

When possible, have another speaker review translations for meaning, tone,
and consistency. Explain how to become a reviewer and who handles pending
suggestions. Respond constructively and explain corrections so contributors
can learn from them.

Provide [Screenshots and visual context](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/admin/translating.md#screenshots), [Objašnjenje](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/admin/translating.md#additional-explanation), and access to a
preview or test release so people can check translations in context. A
translation that reads well in isolation can still be wrong for a button or
too long for its layout. See [Uvod u internacionalizaciju](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/devel/starting.md) for writing source strings
that work across languages.

## Structured feedback

Weblate’s [Checks and fixups](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/user/checks.md) help identify technical mistakes while translating.
Explain how to resolve recurring failures, and investigate false positives
instead of encouraging translators to ignore checks indiscriminately.

Translators also find problems in source strings. Monitor [Komentari](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/user/translating.md#user-comments)
and your advertised contact channel, answer questions, and report back when a
problem is fixed. Configure [Preglednik repozitorija](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/admin/projects.md#component-repoweb) so contributors can find
the source code, and [Adresa za prijavu grešaka u izvornom izrazu](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/admin/projects.md#component-report-source-bugs) for reporting source
problems. See [Pregledi izvornih izraza](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/workflows.md#source-reviews) for reviewing source strings in Weblate.

Avoid unnecessary source-string changes that create repeated translation
work. Communicate changes to the workflow and let teams know when a component
is no longer maintained. For broader developer practices, see
[Uvod u internacionalizaciju](https://docs.weblate.org/hr/latest/devel/starting.md).