How to Translate an XML File, Markup Intact

To translate an XML file, you translate the text between the tags and leave the tags, element names and identifiers exactly as they are, so the file still validates and the software that reads it still finds everything. XML turns up as app resource files, product feeds, configuration, documentation and exports from all sorts of systems. This guide covers what to translate, what breaks, and the fastest way to get it done.

What Should and Shouldn’t Be Translated in XML

Take a small example:

<product id="A-1042">
  <name>Cordless drill</name>
  <description>
    Drill &amp; charger
  </description>
</product>

The text Cordless drill and Drill & charger should be translated (the & is written & inside XML). The element names (product, name, description) and the id value must stay as they are, because a program looks them up by name. Change <name> to <nom> and the import that reads this file quietly finds nothing.

How to Translate an XML File, Step by Step

Find out which elements hold text. Ask whoever produced the file, or open it and look: names, titles, descriptions and messages usually do, codes and settings don’t.
Translate only the text between the tags. Keep element names, attribute names and IDs untouched.
Escape special characters. An & in your translation has to be written & and a < as <, or the file stops being valid XML.
Keep the encoding. Leave the <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> line as it is and save the file as UTF-8.
Validate the result. Open it in a browser or an XML validator before handing it back. One unclosed tag stops the whole file from loading.

Mistakes That Break a Translated XML File

Translating tag or attribute names. The file may still be well-formed, but the software no longer recognizes it.
A stray ampersand or angle bracket. “Salt & pepper” is a single character away from an invalid file.
Translating identifiers. IDs, keys and codes are how other systems match records. Translated, they match nothing.
Breaking embedded HTML. Descriptions often carry HTML inside a CDATA block. Its tags need the same care as the XML around it.
Copy and paste through a chat window. It’s easy to lose a closing tag or get “smart” quotes where straight ones belong.

How to Translate an XML File with Taia

Taia is an online translation platform that reads XML directly, so you upload the file and download a translated one with the same structure.

Upload the .xml file at translate.taia.io and pick your target languages.
Choose AI or a professional translator. AI translates the text in minutes. A professional linguist reviews and edits it when the content is customer-facing.
Download the translated XML file and validate it as usual.

What it takes care of for you:

Markup stays in place. Element names and structure aren’t sent for translation, and the file comes back as XML.
Identifiers are kept. id and xml:id attributes are treated as identifiers, not text, and whitespace you marked with xml:space is preserved.
HTML inside CDATA is handled. Its tags are protected and only the visible text is translated.
Your terminology stays consistent. On Pro, a glossary and translation memory keep product names and recurring phrases the same across files.

How Much Does It Cost?

XML files are included from the Basic plan, €9/month for 20,000 credits (20,000 words with Standard AI). Pro is €39/month for 100,000 credits (100,000 words with Standard AI) and adds translation memory and glossary. Professional translation is billed per word from €0.06, with no subscription. For web pages and key-value string files, see the HTML and JSON guides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I translate an XML file with Google Translate?

Not as a file. Google Translate’s document upload doesn’t accept .xml, and pasting XML in as text risks translated tags and broken special characters. A tool that reads XML keeps the markup out of the translation.

Will the translated XML file still be valid?

It should be, if only the text between the tags changed and special characters are escaped. Always run it through a validator before using it, whichever way it was translated.

What happens to HTML inside a CDATA section?

In Taia, it’s read as HTML: the tags inside it are protected and only the visible text is translated.

Which Taia plans include XML translation?

Basic, Pro and Enterprise. The upload screen shows exactly which formats your plan accepts.

How much does it cost to translate an XML file?

With Taia, from €9/month on Basic, which includes 20,000 credits (20,000 words with Standard AI). Professional translation is billed per word from €0.06, with no subscription.

How to Translate an XML File and Keep It Valid