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# Pootle's howto: how to use it

## About Pootle

The name stands for PO-based Online Translation / Localization Engine, but you may need to read this.
Pootle is a web portal that allows you to translate more easily.
Pootle is GPL licensed Free Software, and you can download it and run your own copy if you like.
You can also help participate in the development in many ways (you don’t have to be able to program).
The Pootle project itself is hosted at translate.sourceforge.net where you can find details about source code, mailing lists etc.

## Registration

While everybody can view the files, only registered users can edit them and receive credit for their effort, so the first thing you should do in order to translate is to register.
You can register following two simple steps, providing you have a current email address:

1. Fill in your User Name, Password and a valid E-mail account, choose “Register” and an activation code will be sent to the E-mail address you’ve provided.
2. When you receive the activation code and login details by E-mail go to the Activation page and fill them in. Choose “Activate Account” and your account will be activated, giving you permission to edit the Pootle translation files.

## Login and User Page setup

Now that you are a registered user, login to Pootle.
Once you have logged in, you will be presented with your User Page, which includes links to your selected languages and projects. Choose “Change options” to edit your User Page, and choose “Home Page” from the “Option Page” to return to your User page.

## Browsing the files tree

Now that your User Page is set up, you can reach the desired files for translation directly through the links in it.
Another way to find the file you wish to translate is through the the main page.
The main page displays two categories - Languages and Projects. Choosing a language will give you the list of projects available for translation into this language; choosing a project will give you the list of languages to which it can be translated.
Once you have choose both the project and the language, you’ll be presented with the files available for translation.

## Online translating with Pootle

Each file available for translation can be accessible in two ways - “Quick Translate” will show only the fuzzy and untranslated entries, while “Translate All” will show all the entries in the file, translated or not. In both cases you’ll be presented with a two-column table, with the strings to be translated on the left, and the current translation on the right. The current edited entry will appear as of a text box with the options “Skip” and “Submit” below it. Naturally you can enter text in the text box and submit it or skip to the next entry. You can also directly access any of the other entries presented by hovering the mouse over the right-hand edge of the text and clicking on the pop-up “Edit” option.

Statistics about translated entries can be found clicking on “Show Checks”.
Assigned goals can be viewed clicking on “Show Goals”.

To retrieve a ZIP compressed file of the project folder, select “ZIP of folder”.

## Other aids from Pootle

The files available for translation sometimes offer you, in addition to the above, the options to download the PO file and/or the CVS version.