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PO Files

Summary

Portable Object files — the standard text-based format for storing translations in the GNU gettext system. Each entry contains a source string (msgid) and its translation (msgstr).

Structure

msgid "Hello, world!" msgstr "¡Hola, mundo!"

Characteristics

  • Plain text — human-readable and version-controllable
  • One file per target language
  • Supports plural forms, context, and fuzzy matching
  • Edited by tools like poedit and omegaT

See Also