Auto-Translation

TaleNode integrates with the DeepL API to automatically translate your dialogue into any supported language. Auto-translation works alongside the existing Localization system — it fills in untranslated strings for a locale in one click.

Setup

1. Get a DeepL API key from deepl.com/pro-api
2. Open Settings > Settings...
3. Paste your API key in the DeepL Translation section
4. If you have a Pro plan, check Use DeepL Pro API
5. Click Save Settings

Usage

Translating a Locale

1. Open the Locale panel via View > Localization
2. Add at least one extra locale (e.g., fr, ja, de)
3. Select the locale you want to translate
4. Click Auto-Translate

TaleNode collects all untranslated strings for the selected locale, sends them to DeepL in batches, and fills in the translations automatically.

What Gets Translated

Auto-translation targets all translatable strings that are currently empty for the selected locale:

String Type	Source
Dialogue text	DialogueData.text field
Choice prompts	ChoiceData.prompt field
Choice options	Each option's text field

Strings that already have a translation are skipped — auto-translate only fills in blanks.

Batch Processing

DeepL has a limit of 50 texts per API call. TaleNode automatically batches larger projects:

• 120 untranslated strings = 3 API calls (50 + 50 + 20)
• Progress is applied all at once when complete

Supported Languages

DeepL supports 30+ target languages including:

BG, CS, DA, DE, EL, EN, ES, ET, FI, FR, HU, ID, IT, JA, KO, LT, LV, NB, NL, PL, PT, RO, RU, SK, SL, SV, TR, UK, ZH

Use the standard locale codes when adding locales in TaleNode — they are automatically mapped to DeepL's target language codes.

Workflow

A typical translation workflow with auto-translate:

1. Write all dialogue in your default locale (e.g., English)
2. Add target locales in the Locale panel (fr, ja, etc.)
3. Click Auto-Translate for each locale to get machine translations
4. Review and edit translations in the Locale panel or Inspector
5. Export CSV for professional translators to polish the machine translations
6. Import the polished CSV back into TaleNode

Tip

Use auto-translate as a first pass, then send the CSV export to professional translators for review. Machine translation is a great starting point but may miss nuance, idioms, or game-specific terminology.

Tip

Auto-translate creates an undo snapshot before applying translations. If the results aren't satisfactory, use Edit > Undo to revert all translations at once.

Error Handling

Error	Cause
"No DeepL API key configured"	API key not set in Settings
"No locale selected"	No active locale chosen in the Locale panel
"DeepL API error 403"	Invalid API key or quota exceeded
"DeepL API error 456"	Free plan character limit reached for the month

Check the status bar at the bottom of the window for error messages after an auto-translate attempt.