Taia translates JSON files directly, with no conversion step, because JSON is already a native, editable text format. Only the string values are translated — the keys are never touched — so a translated JSON file drops back into your codebase without breaking any code that references those keys.
How Does JSON Translation Work?
Translating a JSON file takes three steps, and none of them involve converting the file to a different format first.
- Upload the JSON file at translate.taia.io. Because JSON is a native, structured text format, the file is parsed directly — there’s no intermediate conversion step like the one PDF files require.
- AI or a professional linguist translates the string values in place, using your translation memory, glossary, and style guide as reference, so terminology and tone stay consistent with previous translations of the same app or website.
- Download the translated JSON file with the same keys, the same nested structure, and the same arrays as the original — only the translatable string values have changed.
Because JSON doesn’t need converting first, this is a fast, direct translation path, and it’s the same kind of native round-trip as translating a DOCX or XLSX file — the real file is translated in place, not reconstructed from a converted copy.
What Gets Preserved When You Translate a JSON File?
The single most important fact about JSON translation: only the string values are translated, and the keys are never translated. This is the JSON equivalent of Excel’s formula-versus-text distinction — one part of the file carries meaning for a human reader, and one part carries meaning for the code that reads the file, and only the human-facing part changes.
- Keys are never translated. In a key-value pair like
"welcome_message": "Welcome back!", the keywelcome_messagestays exactly as it was — only the value"Welcome back!"is translated. Keys function as stable identifiers that your code, your app, or your build process looks up by name, so translating them would break every reference to that key. - Nested objects keep their structure. If a value is itself an object, its own nested keys and their string values are handled the same way — keys untouched, leaf string values translated.
- Arrays keep their structure and order. A JSON array of strings is translated element by element, with the array’s length and order preserved.
- Non-string values are left alone. Numbers, booleans, and
nullare not text, so they’re never translated. - Placeholder or interpolation syntax inside a value (for example
{name}or%sused by i18n frameworks): [NEEDS DATA: confirm exact handling of placeholder/variable tokens embedded inside translated string values].
Because the file is translated in place with no conversion step, the JSON you get back is structurally identical to the one you uploaded — the same keys, the same nesting, the same arrays — with only the string values swapped for their translation.
AI vs. Professional Translation for JSON Files
Use AI translation for internal tooling strings, draft localization files, or fast-turnaround app updates; use professional translation for user-facing app or website copy where tone and terminology need a linguist’s review before release. Both options translate the same uploaded JSON file, so switching between them doesn’t require re-uploading anything.
Instant AI translation is subscription-based. Every plan shares the same translation memory, glossary, and style guide:
- Free — 5,000 words/month
- Basic — €9/month, 20,000 words/month
- Pro — €39/month, 100,000 words/month
- Enterprise — custom pricing
Note: JSON translation requires the Basic plan or higher — JSON is one of the developer-friendly formats Basic adds, not one of the formats included in the Free plan.
Professional translation is always pay-per-word, never a subscription, and combines machine translation with human post-editing across three tiers:
- Essential — one linguist reviews and edits the machine translation, from €0.06/word
- Enhanced — a translator plus a revisor, ISO 17100-certified process, from €0.09/word
- Ultimate — full TEP (translation, editing, and proofreading by three separate linguists), from €0.12/word
JSON localization files are a common way to store app and website UI strings — the key-value structure means the same file format developers use for i18n resource bundles is translated directly, with no conversion step. Because keys are never touched, a linguist reviewing the professional-tier output can focus entirely on the translated text, not on whether the file will still parse.
How Much Does It Cost to Translate a JSON File?
AI translation of a JSON file is included in your subscription, starting with the Basic plan; professional translation is billed per word on top of that subscription. There’s no separate “JSON fee” — a JSON file is translated at the same word-count-based pricing as any other supported format. For AI translation: Basic (€9/month for 20,000 words), Pro (€39/month for 100,000 words), or custom Enterprise pricing — JSON is not included in the Free plan. For professional translation: from €0.06/word (Essential), from €0.09/word (Enhanced), or from €0.12/word (Ultimate), scaled to the word count of the translatable string values in the file — keys aren’t counted, since they’re never translated.
Taia is an AI-first localization platform that combines instant AI translation in 204 languages and 65+ file formats, a built-in CAT editor and translation management system (TMS), and ISO 17100-certified professional linguists — with translation memory, glossary, and style guide shared across all three. JSON translation runs on the same platform, so a translated resource file has access to every one of those resources, including the translation memory that keeps UI terminology consistent across every app string you upload.
Neither DeepL nor Google Translate supports JSON uploads at all — both are built for office documents, not developer files, as this comparison covers in more detail. Because JSON translation is inherently a developer workflow — pulling strings out of a codebase, translating them, and putting them back — teams that need to automate the process rather than upload files manually can do the same key-preserving, values-only translation through Taia’s API.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the JSON keys translated?
No. Only the string values are translated — the keys are never touched. A pair like "submit_button": "Submit" comes back as "submit_button": "Envoyer" (or whichever target language), with the key submit_button unchanged. This is what keeps the translated file valid for your code to consume.
Can JSON files be translated automatically?
Yes. Upload a JSON file at translate.taia.io and the string values are translated directly with AI — no conversion step is needed, since JSON is already a native, structured text format.
Is JSON translation included in the free plan?
No. JSON translation requires the Basic plan or higher. Taia’s Free plan covers 5 core office formats and does not include JSON; Basic and above add JSON along with PDF, XML, Markdown, and subtitle formats.
Does the JSON file’s structure stay the same after translation?
Yes. Nested objects keep their nested keys, and arrays keep their length and order. Only the leaf string values are translated — the shape of the JSON document is identical before and after.
What happens to placeholders or variables inside a string, like {name} or %s?
[NEEDS DATA: confirm exact handling of placeholder/variable tokens embedded inside translated string values] — check the translated output for any placeholder syntax your app relies on before deploying it.
Do numbers, booleans, or null values get translated?
No. Only string values are translated. Numbers, booleans, and null are not text, so they pass through the translation unchanged.
How much does it cost to translate a JSON file?
AI translation of a JSON file is covered by your subscription, starting with the Basic plan (€9/month for 20,000 words), then Pro (€39/month for 100,000 words), or custom Enterprise pricing — JSON is not included in the Free plan. Professional translation is billed per word, from €0.06/word for Essential, from €0.09/word for Enhanced, or from €0.12/word for Ultimate.
Can I translate JSON files programmatically instead of uploading them one at a time?
Yes. Because JSON translation only ever touches string values and leaves keys untouched, it fits naturally into an automated localization pipeline. Taia’s API exposes the same translation memory, glossary, and style guide used on manual uploads, so a developer workflow gets the same key-preserving behavior described on this page.