How to export VICIdial translations

Exporting is the mirror image of importing: instead of pasting translations in, you pull the phrase list out. That export is exactly what you hand a translator, what you stash as a backup, or what you diff to see what still needs work. Because the export comes straight from your live language, it always reflects what an Agent would see on screen right now. The only decision you make is the Export Action, which controls which phrases come along for the ride.

What each Export Action returns

There are three Export Actions. The default, Only NOT Translated Phrases, exports just the phrases that have no translation yet, which is the perfect to-do list to send a translator. Only Translated Phrases exports the phrases that already have translations, handy when you want to review or reuse finished work. All Phrases exports everything in the selected language, translated or not, which is your full snapshot. The exported lines follow the same one-phrase-per-line shape used for imports, with the English text and the translation separated by a pipe, so an export can be edited and imported straight back.

That round trip is the whole point: export the gaps, fill them in, import them back. To see how Languages connects to the rest of the interface settings, the agent screen configuration guide lays out the bigger picture.

The export to translate to import loop

flowchart LR
  A[Export Only NOT Translated] --> B[Send file to translator]
  B --> C[Translator fills in pipe values]
  C --> D[Import Only Add Missing Phrases]
  D --> E[Export again to confirm none left]

This loop is how most teams run a translation project. Export the untranslated phrases, get them filled in, import them back as missing-only, then export the not-translated set once more. When that final export comes back empty, you know every phrase is covered.

When to use each option

Use Only NOT Translated Phrases to scope a translator's job to exactly what is missing. Use Only Translated Phrases to audit wording or to lift a finished translation into another language as a starting point. Use All Phrases for a complete backup before a big change, so you can restore the whole set if an import goes sideways. Each option pairs naturally with an Import Action when the file comes back, and the result is what reps experience on their next Agent session. If you also localize the on-screen content your reps read, exporting your interface phrases pairs well with managing your script variables in the same target language.

A common gotcha

The usual slip is exporting All Phrases when you only wanted the gaps, then handing a translator a huge file full of already-finished lines. Match the Export Action to the job: NOT Translated for new work, Translated for review, All for backups. It is also worth keeping these exports somewhere safe, since they double as a recovery point for any User group that depends on the language. A quick export before a risky import has saved more than one rollout.

Exporting turns your VICIdial translations into portable files you can review, share, and restore. If you would rather run all of this on a managed platform that keeps your languages safe, take a look at VICIfast pricing.