OneSky Terminology

This is a vocabulary guide for all the terms OneSky uses. Bookmark this guide for quick access to definitions of words, as well as handy links for many of our terms for more information.

Tip: Want to find a particular term quickly? Type Cmd-F (Mac) or Ctrl-F (Windows) to search for a term on this page.

OneSky Terminology Guide 

academy - the OneSky Academy is where we have step-by-step tutorials for both iOS and Android workflows showing how to use the OneSky platform for your specific project needs. It is also a good place to become familiar with the concepts of localization and internationalization.

admin - (a.k.a. administrator) a user role that has full control of a OneSky account and all projects it contains. You can add multiple administrators to an account.

api - provides programmatic access to OneSky's translation management service using a variety of commands and wrappers. Our API is hosted on Github and its documentation can be viewed here. API stands for Application Programming Interface.

app grader - a web-based tool of OneSky to see your mobile app's current localization effort and find out which languages to target next. Available for the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android). See also localization grader.

character limit - see length limit.

collaborator - anyone who assists on a project. Collaborators can have different user roles. Admins can invite collaborators and manage them. Different OneSky plans allow different numbers of collaborators. It is helpful to know how many collaborators an account can have.

deprecate - the process in OneSky Classic of archiving strings so they will not appear in your exports. This is an automated method wherein strings are removed from source files and then no longer available to collaborators or available for translation on orders.

glossary - a quality assurance tool that allows project administrators to create a collection of key terms in their source language that must be translated accurately and consistently. Glossaries can also specify terms that should remain untranslated. Glossary terms can be created manually, uploaded via a spreadsheet, and can be downloaded and moved to other projects.

internationalization - the process of enabling your app, game, website, or other project to be adaptable to different languages, regions, and cultures. Commonly abbreviated as i18n.

i18n - the abbreviation for internationalization, where 18 stands for the number of letters between the first i and the last n in the word internationalization.

length limit - a quality assurance tool that allows project administrators to limit the number of characters that translators must adhere to when translating a phrase, typically used to keep translated phrases from breaking user interfaces in apps and games. Length limits can be customized by percentages and made flexible or absolute (strict).

locale - a method to categorize languages spoken on a regional basis. For example, English has several dozen locals. Two common locales for English are en-US (United States) and en-GB (Great Britain). Locales in OneSky can be customized. The use of locales is recommended in projects. OneSky uses ISO 639-1 locale codes.

localization - The process of rendering the content of your app, game, website, or other project into other languages and customizing your app for each target market that you want to support. It is the the process of adapting your product to a target market. Commonly abbreviated as l10n.

localization grader - similar to our AppGrader, the localization grader examines your website for its current localization effort and to help you find out which languages to target next.

l10n - the abbreviation for localization, where 10 stands for the number of letters between the first l and the last n in the word localization.

moderator - a user role that can translate, vote on, approve, and change translations within a project. Moderators should be responsible for managing the translation process for specific projects.

notes - a quality assurance tool to add relevant, descriptive, and additional contextual information on a per phrase basis in order to provide more context for translators.

notification - an email alert sent out by OneSky based on specific criteria. Different user roles have different notification settings available to them.

on-device testing - a OneSky professional translation service wherein our native testers play through your app or game and filter out all user interface issues related to localization. They then provide a report for you so you can work with your developers to improve your project. On-device testing is highly recommended for developers starting out with localization with their first launch of apps or games.

phrase - a single grouping of words to be translated or tracked using the translation . Also known more formally in programming as a string. A phrase can contain a single word, or many words and paragraphs. It can also contain a number, a line of HTML code (with HTML code included), and many other variations. It's often best to break your project's word groupings into bite-size phrases that you'll want to translate and update individually. Many IDEs and development tools will automatically export your phrases for the purposes of internationalization based upon your codebase.

placeholder - symbols or complex tags that will be replaced by a literal string in the app or website to be translated. Placeholders are highlighted, are easily copied into the translated text, and can be assigned descriptive notes to explain to translators their purpose. If placeholders are forgotten or misspelled, OneSky will warn the translator. Placeholders can be set to optional. Common placeholders include plurals, HTML codes, and user fields.

private project - a project where only your approved users are able to view your strings and contribute to translation.

professional translation services - A OneSky service that allows professional translators to translate your projects with no minimum order and simple per-word pricing. Commonly abbreviated Pro-T. OneSky also offers professional translators that specialize in game translations for larger and complicated games, as well as RPGs and more.

project admin - (a.k.a. project administrator) a user role has full control in specific projects. Project Admins can not create new projects, but they can add new users to their assigned projects. However, they can edit or delete users. Project administrators can not see other projects in the same organization if they are not assigned to those other projects.

quality assurance - various recommended techniques available to project administrators that give context to phrases so translators better understand how they should be translated.

review service - a professional translation service of OneSky when moving from another service that helps our translators amend any existing mistakes, familiarize themselves with your product, and provide a consistent style of translation moving forward. You also order a review service (an additional proofreader) to provide a second opinion on the quality of your professional translations done by OneSky. (You can also crowdsource your translation reviews from your own users).

reviewer - a user role that can translate, vote on, and approve translations. Reviewers should be responsible for reviewing translations made by translators in a specific language for a specific project.

screenshot - a quality assurance tool that enables project administrators to attach images of their app, game, or website project and tag them to specific phrases in order to provide more context for translators.

string - a phrase or group of words to be translated. Strings can have specific characteristics set individually on our platform, such as individual comments using our phrase comment features. See also phrase.

translation management system - an advanced web-based platform for managing translators and internationalization and localization projects. Commonly abbreviated as TMS.

translation tool - the portion of the OneSky web application where collaborators and translators can work through phrases in each language and submit their translations for approval and finalization. The translation tool also allows quick access to phrase comments and translation memory. The translation tool also allows sorting and filtering of phrases. Also known as the translation interface.

translator - a user role that can translate and vote on translations. They are responsible for translating a specific language for a specific project.

user role - a designation for each user on a project that allows (or disallows) specific actions. Common user roles are admin, project admin, moderator, reviewer, and translator. Users working on a project are known as collaborators.