Workflow

Workflow

High-level flow

1. Obtain the source localization files from a game you are allowed to inspect for modding or personal translation use.
2. Inspect or export the localization with your chosen tools.
3. Copy the extracted source files into source/.
4. Initialize the workspace from the source .locres.
5. Keep the extracted Game.json in source/ for future patch comparisons.
6. Translate the target text while preserving keys and placeholders.
7. Rebuild a translated .locres.
8. Generate .locmeta.
9. Package the result into .pak.
10. Convert or package to .utoc and .ucas if the target game uses IO Store.
11. Test in-game.
12. Repeat for playtest fixes and terminology cleanup.

Suggested working files

• working/<target>.<culture>.json
• working/<target>.<culture>.csv
• working/<target>.en.csv

Example:

• working/Game.bg.json
• working/Game.bg.csv
• working/Game.en.csv

Common extracted source example:

• Output/.../en/Game.locres
• Output/.../en/Game.json

Common local working convention inside UELocKit:

• source/Game.en.locres
• source/Game.en.json

Preferred editing file:

• edit working/<target>.<culture>.json

Compatibility file:

• working/<target>.<culture>.csv exists for import/export compatibility, not because it is the preferred editing format

Choosing the output culture

The user chooses the culture through two values:

• CultureTag Used in working file names and usually in the localization folder name
• CultureCode Used when generating .locmeta

Examples:

• bg and bg-BG
• pl and pl-PL
• th and th-TH

In the current toolkit, the easiest place to set them is:

• config/UELocKit.config.psd1

Important:

• LocalizationTargetName is usually the localization file base name, not the title of the game
• for many games it stays Game
• changing it incorrectly will make the scripts look for the wrong files

Editing rules

• Do not change localization keys unless you know exactly why.
• Do not change source text unless you are intentionally repairing your own working copy.
• Preserve placeholders such as [InventoryActionPrimary].
• Preserve meaningful line breaks.
• Prefer JSON for multiline text and heavy narrative entries.

Conversion commands

JSON to CSV:

python .\tools\translation_io.py json-to-csv `
  --input .\working\Game.bg.json `
  --output .\working\Game.bg.csv

CSV to JSON:

python .\tools\translation_io.py csv-to-json `
  --input .\working\Game.bg.csv `
  --output .\working\Game.bg.json

Workspace initialization

If the user starts only with a source .locres, UELocKit can generate the initial working files.

Example:

python .\tools\init_workspace.py `
  --workspace-root . `
  --source-locres .\source\Game.en.locres `
  --localization-target Game `
  --culture-tag bg

This generates:

• working/Game.en.csv
• working/Game.bg.csv
• working/Game.bg.json

That is the missing bootstrap step before normal translation work starts.

Continuing from an existing translation

If the user already has a translation, the goal is different:

• do not start from an empty target
• instead, convert or refresh the existing translation into the row-based working format
• continue editing there

This is the correct path for:

• an existing translated Game.json
• an existing translated .locres
• a game-specific helper that imports another translation format into the standard working JSON

In other words:

• init_workspace is for a new translation
• a refresh or import step is for an existing translation

Patch update checks

When the game updates, extract the new source Game.json again and copy it into source/.

Then compare it against your current working translation file:

python .\tools\check_source_update.py `
  --working .\working\Game.bg.json `
  --source-json .\source\Game.en.json

That gives you a quick report for:

• added keys
• removed keys
• changed source values

This is the safest way to tell whether a new patch actually changed the localizable strings before you rebuild or continue translating.

Build commands

Build .locres:

& .\build-locres.ps1 `
  -ConfigPath .\config\UELocKit.config.psd1 `
  -TranslationFormat json

Build standalone package:

& .\tools\build-standalone-locmod.ps1 `
  -ConfigPath .\config\UELocKit.config.psd1 `
  -TranslationFormat json

Build without automatic deployment:

& .\tools\build-standalone-locmod.ps1 `
  -ConfigPath .\config\UELocKit.config.psd1 `
  -TranslationFormat json `
  -DeployToGame $false