Contributing Translations

Thank you for your interest in translating the TrucklineMP documentation! This guide explains how to contribute translations, what standards we expect, and how to submit your work.

Why Translate?

TrucklineMP is a global community. Translating our documentation helps players and VTC managers around the world understand how to use the platform in their native language. Good translations make the platform more accessible and welcoming.

Join the Contributors Community

Want to contribute or have questions about translation? Join our dedicated contributors Discord server:

https://discord.gg/jsuGrx4Rbv

This is the place to connect with other translators, ask questions, and coordinate work on the documentation.

Document Versioning

Every documentation page carries two frontmatter fields:

---
title: Example Page
description: ...
version: 1.2.0
lastUpdated: 2026-07-09
---

version identifies the content revision of the page. When the English page changes meaningfully, its version is bumped.
lastUpdated is the date the file was last edited.

When you translate or update a translation, copy the version from the current English page and set lastUpdated to today’s date. A translation whose version matches the English page shows as Current on the Translation Status page; a mismatch shows as Outdated and displays a notice banner on the translated page. Both fields are required - the CI check will fail a pull request that omits them.

Currently Supported Languages

Locale	Language	Status
`en`	English	Source language, always complete
`ru`	Русский (Russian)	Community translations accepted, largely complete
`de`	Deutsch (German)	Community translations accepted
`ta`	தமிழ் (Tamil)	Community translations accepted
`tr`	Türkçe (Turkish)	Community translations accepted
`pl`	Polski (Polish)	Community translations accepted
`fr`	Français (French)	Community translations accepted

Check the Translation Status page for the current state of each locale. You are not limited to the languages above - you can translate the documentation into any language you are fluent in. If your language isn’t listed, follow the “Adding a New Language” section below and contact the team so we can add the locale.

How Translations Work

TrucklineMP documentation is built with Astro Starlight, which has built-in internationalization (i18n) support.

File Structure

Translations live in locale-specific folders under src/content/docs/. Content is organized into modules (web-docs/, web-api/, game-docs/, game-sdk/), each translated the same way:

src/content/docs/
├── index.mdx                     # English homepage
├── web-docs/
│   ├── vtc-programs/
│   │   ├── verified.mdx          # English guide
│   │   └── ...
│   └── ...
└── pl/                           # Polish locale folder
    ├── index.mdx                 # Polish homepage
    └── web-docs/
        ├── vtc-programs/
        │   ├── verified.mdx      # Polish translation
        │   └── ...
        └── ...

URL Structure

English: https://docs.trucklinemp.com/web-docs/vtc-programs/verified/
Russian: https://docs.trucklinemp.com/ru/web-docs/vtc-programs/verified/
German: https://docs.trucklinemp.com/de/web-docs/vtc-programs/verified/
Tamil: https://docs.trucklinemp.com/ta/web-docs/vtc-programs/verified/
Turkish: https://docs.trucklinemp.com/tr/web-docs/vtc-programs/verified/
Polish: https://docs.trucklinemp.com/pl/web-docs/vtc-programs/verified/
French: https://docs.trucklinemp.com/fr/web-docs/vtc-programs/verified/

The language selector in the top-right corner lets users switch between available languages.

What Can Be Translated?

1. Guide Content

All .mdx files under src/content/docs/web-docs/, web-api/, game-docs/, and game-sdk/ can be translated. Each English guide should have a matching file in the target locale folder.

2. Homepage

The index.mdx splash page should also be translated to welcome users in their language.

Sidebar labels are configured per module in astro.config.mjs (via starlightSidebarTopics) and support translations:

starlightSidebarTopics([
  {
    label: 'Web Docs',
    link: 'web-docs/vtc/creating',
    items: [
      {
        label: 'VTC Programs',
        items: [
          {
            slug: 'web-docs/vtc-programs/verified',
            label: 'Verified VTC Program',
            translations: {
              pl: 'Zweryfikowany Program VTC',
            },
          },
        ],
      },
    ],
  },
  // ... Web API, Game Docs, Game SDK
])

When translating, add your language’s label to the translations object.

4. UI Labels

Some Starlight UI labels (like “On this page”, “Edit page”, “Search”) are handled by Starlight’s built-in translation system. If a language isn’t fully supported by Starlight, we can add custom UI translations in the configuration.

Before You Start

Requirements

A GitHub account
Basic understanding of Markdown and MDX
Fluency in both English and the target language
Familiarity with TrucklineMP terminology (VTC, convoy, etc.)

Recommended Tools

A good text editor (VS Code, Cursor, etc.)
Markdown preview extension
Git installed locally (or use GitHub’s web interface)

Translation Process

Step 1: Fork the Repository

Go to the docs repository on GitHub
Click Fork in the top-right corner
Clone your fork locally or work in the GitHub web interface

Step 2: Set Up the Project (Optional)

To preview your translations, open a pull request and use the automatic preview deployment generated for your branch. A preview link appears on the pull request once the build finishes.

Step 3: Choose a Guide to Translate

Check the current translation status and pick a guide that hasn’t been translated yet or needs updating. Priority guides include:

Verified VTC Program
Partnered VTC Program
VTC General Settings
Profile Settings
Account Security

Step 4: Create the Translated File

Find the English source file (e.g., src/content/docs/web-docs/vtc-programs/verified.mdx)
Create the matching file in the target locale folder (e.g., src/content/docs/pl/web-docs/vtc-programs/verified.mdx)
Copy the frontmatter and translate the content

Step 5: Preserve Frontmatter Structure

The frontmatter must keep the same structure. Only translate the values:

---
title: Verified VTC Program Rules
description: Complete guide to the Truckline Verified VTC Program - how to apply, requirements, and rules for maintaining verified status.
---

Polish example:

---
title: Zasady Programu Zweryfikowanych VTC
description: Pełny przewodnik po Programie Zweryfikowanych VTC Truckline - jak aplikować, wymagania i zasady utrzymania statusu zweryfikowanego.
---

Open astro.config.mjs and add translations for the guides you’ve translated:

{
  slug: 'web-docs/vtc-programs/verified',
  label: 'Verified VTC Program',
  translations: {
    pl: 'Zweryfikowany Program VTC',
  },
},

Step 7: Preview Your Work

Open the preview deployment link from your pull request and navigate to the translated page, for example /pl/web-docs/vtc-programs/verified/.

Check that:

All content is translated
Links work correctly
Formatting is preserved
Images display properly
The sidebar labels are translated

Step 8: Submit a Pull Request

Commit your changes with a clear message:

docs(pl): translate verified VTC program guide

Push to your fork
Open a pull request to the main branch of the original repository
Describe what you translated and any notes for reviewers

Translation Standards

Accuracy

Translate the meaning, not word-for-word
Preserve technical accuracy
Keep formatting, links, and structure identical to the source

Tone

Match the original tone (professional but approachable)
Use inclusive language
Avoid overly casual expressions unless used in the source

Terminology

Use consistent translations for key TrucklineMP terms. When in doubt, keep the English term in parentheses on first use:

English	Polish Suggestion
Virtual Trucking Company (VTC)	Wirtualna Firma Transportowa (VTC)
Verified	Zweryfikowany
Partnered	Partnerski
Member	Członek
Role	Rola
Recruitment	Rekrutacja
Profile	Profil
Two-Factor Authentication	Uwierzytelnianie Dwuskładnikowe

Code and URLs

Do not translate:

URLs
File paths
Code snippets
Email addresses
Discord invite links
Technical parameter names

Images

Do not translate image filenames
Alt text should be translated
If a screenshot contains text, consider providing a localized version

Quality Checklist

Before submitting your translation, verify:

The frontmatter is preserved and translated
All headings are translated
All body text is translated
Links point to the correct locale
Code blocks and URLs are unchanged
Sidebar labels are updated in astro.config.mjs
The page renders correctly in the pull request preview
No broken formatting or Markdown errors
Terminology is consistent throughout

Updating Translations

When the English source is updated, translations may become outdated. Help keep them current by:

Checking the English source for changes
Applying the same changes to translated files
Updating the frontmatter if needed
Submitting a pull request with a clear description

Adding a New Language

You can translate the documentation into any language. If your language isn’t currently supported, you can add it.

Steps

Contact the team on Discord to let us know you’re working on a new language
We’ll add the locale to astro.config.mjs
Create the locale folder under src/content/docs/ (e.g., de/ for German)
Translate the core guides
Submit a pull request

There is no strict requirement on how many guides to translate before adding a new language, but we recommend starting with at least:

Homepage (index.mdx)
Verified VTC Program
Partnered VTC Program
VTC General Settings
Profile Settings

Locale Configuration

New locales are added in astro.config.mjs:

locales: {
  root: {
    label: 'English',
    lang: 'en',
  },
  pl: {
    label: 'Polski',
    lang: 'pl',
  },
  de: {
    label: 'Deutsch',
    lang: 'de',
  },
  fr: {
    label: 'Français',
    lang: 'fr',
  },
  ru: {
    label: 'Русский',
    lang: 'ru',
  },
  ta: {
    label: 'தமிழ்',
    lang: 'ta',
  },
  tr: {
    label: 'Türkçe',
    lang: 'tr',
  },
},

Make sure to use the correct BCP 47 language tag for your locale.

Common Mistakes

Translating URLs

No /pl/przewodniki/zweryfikowany-program-vtc/
Yes /pl/web-docs/vtc-programs/verified/

Forgetting Frontmatter

No Missing title or description
Yes Complete frontmatter in the target language

Inconsistent Terminology

No Using “weryfikacja” in one place and “zweryfikowanie” in another
Yes Consistent term throughout

Breaking Markdown

No Removing # from headings or breaking tables
Yes Preserving all Markdown formatting

Getting Help

If you have questions about translating:

Discord: https://discord.gg/trucklinemp
GitHub Issues: Open an issue in the docs repository
Pull Request Discussion: Comment on existing PRs for feedback

Recognition

Translators and contributors are credited on the Contributors page. Thank you for helping make TrucklineMP accessible to everyone!