Laravel AI Translator by kargnas

AI-powered translation tool for Laravel language files

Official Website

🔄 Recent Updates (March, 2025)

• AI Enhancement: Added support for Claude 3.7's Extended Thinking capabilities
  • Extended context window up to 200K tokens, output tokens up to 64K tokens
  • Enhanced reasoning for complex translations
  • Improved context understanding with extended thinking mode
• Visual Logging Improvements: Completely redesigned logging system
  • 🎨 Beautiful color-coded console output
  • 📊 Real-time progress indicators
  • 🔍 Detailed token usage tracking with visual stats
  • 💫 Animated status indicators for long-running processes
• Performance Improvements: Enhanced translation processing efficiency and reduced API calls
• Better Error Handling: Improved error handling and recovery mechanisms
• Code Refactoring: Major code restructuring for better maintainability
  • Separated services into dedicated classes
  • Improved token usage tracking and reporting
  • Enhanced console output formatting
• Testing Improvements: Added comprehensive test suite using Pest
  • XML parsing validation tests
  • Line break handling in CDATA
  • XML comment tag support
  • Multiple translation items processing
• XML Processing: Enhanced XML and AI response parsing system for more reliable translations

Overview

Laravel AI Translator is a powerful tool designed to streamline the localization process in Laravel projects. It automates the tedious task of translating strings across multiple languages, leveraging advanced AI models to provide high-quality, context-aware translations.

Key benefits:

• Time-saving: Translate all your language files with one simple command
• AI-powered: Utilizes state-of-the-art language models (GPT-4, GPT-4o, GPT-3.5, Claude) for superior translation quality
• Smart context understanding: Accurately captures nuances, technical terms, and Laravel-specific expressions
• Seamless integration: Works within your existing Laravel project structure, preserving complex language file structures

Whether you're working on a personal project or a large-scale application, Laravel AI Translator simplifies the internationalization process, allowing you to focus on building great features instead of wrestling with translations.

Key Features

• Automatically detects all language folders in your lang directory
• Translates PHP language files from a source language (default: English) to all other languages
• Supports multiple AI providers for intelligent, context-aware translations
• Preserves variables, HTML tags, pluralization codes, and nested structures
• Maintains consistent tone and style across translations
• Supports custom translation rules for enhanced quality and project-specific requirements
• Efficiently processes large language files, saving time and effort
• Respects Laravel's localization system, ensuring compatibility with your existing setup
• Chunking functionality for cost-effective translations: Processes multiple strings in a single AI request, significantly reducing API costs and improving efficiency
• String validation to ensure translation accuracy: Automatically checks and validates AI translations to catch and correct any errors or mistranslations

Also, this tool is designed to translate your language files intelligently:

• Contextual Understanding: Analyzes keys to determine if they represent buttons, descriptions, or other UI elements.
• Linguistic Precision: Preserves word forms, tenses, and punctuation in translations.
• Variable Handling: Respects and maintains your language file variables during translation.
• Smart Length Adaptation: Adjusts translation length to fit UI constraints where possible.
• Tone Consistency: Maintains a consistent tone across translations, customizable via configuration.

Do you want to know how this works? See the prompt in src/AI.

Custom Language Styles

In addition to standard language translations, this package now supports custom language styles, allowing for unique and creative localizations.

Built-in Styles

The package includes several built-in language styles:

• ko_kp: North Korean style Korean
• Various regional dialects and language variants

These are automatically available and don't require additional configuration.

Custom Style Example: Reddit English

As an demonstration of custom styling capabilities, we've implemented a "Reddit style" English:

This style mimics the casual, often humorous language found on Reddit, featuring:

• Liberal use of sarcasm
• Internet slang and meme references
• Playful skepticism

Example configuration:

'locale_names' => [
    'en_reddit' => 'English (Reddit)',
],
'additional_rules' => [
    'en_reddit' => [
        "- Incorporate sarcasm and exaggeration",
        "- Use popular internet slang and meme references",
        "- Add humorous calls for sources on obvious statements",
    ],
],

Creating Custom Styles

You can create your own custom language styles by adding new entries to the locale_names and additional_rules in the configuration. This allows you to tailor translations to specific audiences or platforms.

These custom styles offer creative ways to customize your translations, adding a unique flair to your localized content. Use responsibly to enhance user engagement while maintaining clarity and appropriateness for your audience.

Prerequisites

• PHP 8.0 or higher
• Laravel 8.0 or higher

Installation

1. Install the package via composer:

   composer require kargnas/laravel-ai-translator

2. Add the OpenAI API key to your .env file:

   OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-api-key-here
   

   You can obtain an API key from the OpenAI website.

   (If you want to use Anthropic's Claude instead, see step 4 below for configuration instructions.)

3. (Optional) Publish the configuration file:

   php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Kargnas\LaravelAiTranslator\ServiceProvider"

   This step is optional but recommended if you want to customize the package's behavior. It will create a config/ai-translator.php file where you can modify various settings.

4. (Optional) If you want to use Anthropic's Claude instead of OpenAI's GPT, update the config/ai-translator.php file:

   'ai' => [
       'provider' => 'anthropic',
       'model' => 'claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219',
       'api_key' => env('ANTHROPIC_API_KEY'),
   ],

   Then, add the Anthropic API key to your .env file:

   ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-anthropic-api-key-here
   

   You can obtain an Anthropic API key from the Anthropic website. For best results, we recommend using the Claude-3-7-sonnet model for your translations rather than OpenAI GPT. This model provides more accurate and natural translations.

5. You're now ready to use the Laravel AI Translator!

Usage

To translate your language files, run the following command:

php artisan ai-translator:translate

This command will:

1. Recognize all language folders in your lang directory
2. Use AI to translate the contents of the string files in the source language, English. (You can change the source language in the config file)

Example

Given an English language file:

<?php

return [
    'notifications' => [
        'new_feature_search_sentence' => 'New feature: Now you can type sentences not only words. Even in your languages. The AI will translate them to Chinese.',
        'refresh_after_1_min' => 'Refresh after 1 minutes. New content will be available! (The previous model: :model, Updated: :updated_at)',
    ]
];

The package will generate translations like these:

• Korean:

  <?php
  return [
      'expertise' => [
          'coding' => [
              'title' => '코딩 & 제품',
              'description' => '코딩은 사실상 제 인생 전부입니다. 11살 때부터 해리 포터와 스타크래프트 팬 사이트를 만들기 시작했습니다. 대학생이 되기 전에 넥서스 TK, 테일즈위버, 메이플스토리와 같은 다양한 게임 관련 웹 서비스를 개발했습니다. 대학 시절에는 웹사이트를 만드는 아르바이트로 돈을 벌었습니다. 현재 제 회사인 OP.GG도 어린 시절부터 개발해 온 게임 관련 서비스의 연장선으로, 이는 저에게 큰 자부심을 줍니다.',
          ]
      ]
  ];

• Simplified Chinese:

  <?php
  return [
      'expertise' => [
          'coding' => [
              'title' => '编程与产品',
            'description' => '编程几乎就是我的整个生活。11岁时，我就开始为《哈利·波特》和《星际争霸》创建粉丝网站。在上大学之前，我开发了各种游戏相关网络服务，如Nexus TK、TalesWeaver和冒险岛。大学期间，我通过创建网站的兼职工作赚钱。我现在的公司OP.GG，也  是我从小就在开发的游戏相关服务的延伸，这让我感到非常自豪。'
          ]
      ]
  ];

• Thai:

  <?php
  return [
      'expertise' => [
          'coding' => [
              'title' => 'Coding & Product',
              'description' => 'การเขียนโค้ดเป็นเรื่องที่อยู่ในชีวิตผมแทบทั้งหมด ผมเริ่มสร้างเว็บไซต์แฟนคลับสำหรับแฮร์รี่ พอตเตอร์และสตาร์คราฟท์ตั้งแต่อายุ 11 ปี ก่อนที่จะเข้ามหาวิทยาลัย ผมได้พัฒนาเว็บบริการเกี่ยวกับเกมต่างๆ เช่น Nexus TK, TalesWeaver และ MapleStory ในช่วงมหาวิทยาลัย ผมหาเงินด้วยการทำงานพาร์ทไทม์สร้างเว็บไซต์ บริษัทปัจจุบันของผม OP.GG ก็เป็นส่วนขยายของบริการเกี่ยวกับเกมที่ผมได้พัฒนามาตั้งแต่เด็ก ซึ่งทำให้ผมรู้สึกภูมิใจเป็นอย่างมาก',
          ]
      ]
  ];

• Japanese:

  <?php
  return [
      'expertise' => [
          'coding' => [
              'title' => 'コーディング＆プロダクト',
              'description' => 'コーディングは私の人生そのものです。11歳の時からハリーポッターやスタークラフトのファンサイトを作り始めました。大学生になる前に、Nexus TK、テイルズウィーバー、メイプルストーリーなどのゲーム関連のウェブサービスを開発していました。大学時代には、ウェブサイト制作のアルバイトでお金を稼いでいました。現在の会社OP.GGも、子供の頃から開発してきたゲーム関連サービスの延長線上にあり、それが大きな誇りとなっています。',
          ]
      ]
  ];

• 🤣 Simplified Chinese (Dongbei Dialect):

  <?php
  return [
      'expertise' => [
          'coding' => [
              'title' => '写代码和整产品',
              'description' => '写代码简直就是俺的命根子。俺11岁那会儿就开始整哈利波特和星际争霸的粉丝网站了。上大学前，俺整了不少游戏网站，啥Nexus TK啊，TalesWeaver啊，还有冒险岛啊。上大学那会儿，俺靠给人整网站挣了不少零花钱。现在俺这公司OP.GG，也就是俺从小整的游戏服务的延续，这让俺贼有成就感。'
          ]
      ]
  ];

• 🤣 Korean (North Korea):

  <?php
  return [
      'expertise' => [
          'coding' => [
              'title' => '콤퓨터프로그람작성 & 제품',
              'description' => '프로그람작성은 혁명적으로 나의 전생애입니다. 11살때부터 해리 포터와 스타크래프트 애호가싸이트를 만들기 시작하였습니다. 대학생이 되기전에 넥서스 TK, 테일즈위버, 메이플스토리와 같은 혁명적인 게임관련 망봉사들을 개발하였습니다. 대학시절에는 웹싸이트를 만드는 림시일로 돈을 벌었습니다. 현재 나의 회사인 OP.GG도 어린시절부터 개발하여온 게임관련 봉사의 련장선으로, 이는 나에게 큰 혁명적자부심을 줍니다.',
          ]
      ]
  ];

• 🤣 Korean (Busan Dialect):

  <?php
  return [
      'expertise' => [
          'coding' => [
              'title' => '코딩 & 제품',
              'description' => '코딩은 사실상 제 인생 전부라 카모. 11살 때부터 해리 포터캉 스타크래프트 팬 사이트 만들기 시작했데이. 대학생이 되기 전에는 넥서스 TK, 테일즈위버, 메이플스토리 같은 여러 게임 관련 웹 서비스 개발했디. 대학 다닐 때는 웹사이트 만드는 아르바이트로 돈 벌었데이. 지금 제 회사인 OP.GG도 어릴 때부터 개발해 온 게임 관련 서비스으 연장선인데, 이기 내인데 억수로 자부심이 된다 카모.',
          ]
      ]
  ];

• 🤣 English (Reddit):

  <?php
  return [
      'expertise' => [
          'coding' => [
              'title' => 'Coding & Product',
              'description' => 'Coding is practically my entire life, duh. Started building Harry Potter and StarCraft fan sites at 11 (yeah, I was *that* kid). Before even hitting university, I was already knee-deep in game sites like Nexus TK, TalesWeaver, and MapleStory. Paid my way through college building websites - because who needs a social life, right? Now I run OP.GG, which is basically just the grown-up version of what little-me was doing in his bedroom. Not gonna lie, pretty damn proud of that full-circle moment.',
          ]
      ]
  ];

Configuration

If you want to customize the settings, you can publish the configuration file:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Kargnas\LaravelAiTranslator\ServiceProvider"

This will create a config/ai-translator.php file where you can modify the following settings:

• source_directory: If you use a different directory for language files instead of the default lang directory, you can specify it here.

• ai: Configure the AI provider and model:

  'ai' => [
      'provider' => 'anthropic',
      'model' => 'claude-3-7-sonnet-latest',
      'api_key' => env('ANTHROPIC_API_KEY'),
  ],

  This package supports Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's GPT models for translations. Here are the tested and verified models:

  Provider	Model	Extended Thinking	Context Window	Max Tokens
  anthropic	claude-3-7-sonnet-latest	✅	200K	8K/64K*
  anthropic	claude-3-7-sonnet-latest	❌	200K	8K
  anthropic	claude-3-haiku-20240307	❌	200K	8K
  openai	gpt-4o	❌	128K	4K
  openai	gpt-4o-mini	❌	128K	4K

  * 8K tokens for normal mode, 64K tokens when extended thinking is enabled

  For available models:

  • Anthropic: See Anthropic Models Documentation
  • OpenAI: See OpenAI Models Documentation

  ⭐️ Strong Recommendation: We highly recommend using Anthropic's Claude models, particularly claude-3-7-sonnet-latest. Here's why:

  • More accurate and natural translations
  • Better understanding of context and nuances
  • More consistent output quality
  • More cost-effective for the quality provided

  While OpenAI integration is available, we strongly advise against using it for translations. Our extensive testing has shown that Claude models consistently produce superior results for localization tasks.

  Provider Setup

  1. Get your API key:

     • Anthropic: Console API Keys
     • OpenAI: API Keys

  2. Add to your .env file:

     # For Anthropic
     ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-api-key
     
     # For OpenAI
     OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key

  3. Configure in config/ai-translator.php:

     'ai' => [
         'provider' => 'anthropic', // or 'openai'
         'model' => 'claude-3-7-sonnet-latest', // see model list above
         'api_key' => env('ANTHROPIC_API_KEY'), // or env('OPENAI_API_KEY')
     ],

• locale_names: This mapping of locale codes to language names enhances translation quality by providing context to the AI.

• additional_rules: Add custom rules to the translation prompt. This is useful for customizing the style of the messages or creating entirely new language styles.

• disable_plural: Disable pluralization. Use ":count apples" instead of ":count apple|:count apples"

Example configuration:

<?php

return [
    'source_directory' => 'lang',

    'ai' => [
        'provider' => 'anthropic',
        'model' => 'claude-3-7-sonnet-latest',
        'api_key' => env('ANTHROPIC_API_KEY'),
    ],

    'locale_names' => [
        'en' => 'English',
        'ko' => 'Korean',
        'zh_cn' => 'Chinese (Simplified)',
        // ... other locales
    ],

    'disable_plural' => false,

    'additional_rules' => [
        'default' => [
            "Use a friendly and intuitive tone of voice, like the service tone of voice of 'Discord'.",
        ],
        'ko' => [
            "한국의 인터넷 서비스 '토스'의 서비스 말투 처럼, 유저에게 친근하고 직관적인 말투로 설명하고 존댓말로 설명하세요.",
        ],
    ],
];

Make sure to set your chosen AI provider's API key in your .env file.

Supported File Types

Currently, this package only supports PHP language files used by Laravel. JSON language files are not supported, and there are no plans to add support for them in the future.

Why PHP files only?

We recommend using PHP files for managing translations, especially when dealing with multiple languages. Here's why:

1. Structure: PHP files allow for a more organized structure with nested arrays, making it easier to group related translations.

2. Comments: You can add comments in PHP files to provide context or instructions for translators.

3. Performance: PHP files are slightly faster to load compared to JSON files, as they don't require parsing.

4. Flexibility: PHP files allow for more complex operations, such as using variables or conditions in your translations.

5. Scalability: When managing a large number of translations across multiple languages, the directory structure of PHP files makes it easier to navigate and maintain.

If you're currently using JSON files for your translations, we recommend migrating to PHP files for better compatibility with this package and improved manageability of your translations.

TODO List

We're constantly working to improve Laravel AI Translator. Here are some features and improvements we're planning:

• Implement strict validation for translations:
  • Verify that variables are correctly preserved in translated strings
  • Check for consistency in pluralization rules across translations
• Expand support for other LLMs (such as Gemini)
• Replace regex-based XML parser with proper XML parsing:
  • Better handle edge cases and malformed XML

If you'd like to contribute to any of these tasks, please feel free to submit a pull request!

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see License File for more information.

Credits

• Created by Sangrak Choi
• Inspired by Mandarin Study

Read my articles about language

• Hong Kong vs Taiwan Chinese - Essential UI Localization Guide
• Setting non-English as the Default Language in a Global Service? Are you crazy?
• Introducing a Service for Learning Mandarin Chinese Based on Etymology
• Tired of manual translations? I've created an AI translator that actually works.
• Laravel AI Translator v1.1: Smarter, Faster, and More Cost-Effective