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The translate command is the primary tool for translating your Laravel application’s language files using AI. It intelligently detects missing translations and generates contextually appropriate translations for your target languages.

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Basic Usage

Run the translate command without any options to translate all configured languages: 
php artisan translate
This will:
1

Detect missing translations

The command compares your source language files with target language files to identify missing keys.
2

Generate translations with AI

Uses your configured LLM to generate contextually appropriate translations.
3

Write translations to files

Automatically merges the new translations into your existing language files.

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Example Output

Here’s what you’ll see when running the translate command: 
AI Translator
Model: anthropic/claude-3-haiku-20240307
Source: de
Languages: cn, en, es, fr, it, pl
Domains: test

Translating from de to en: test
Generated translations for test from de to en:
okay_what_about_this.key: Okay, what about this?
okay_what_about_this.key2: Okay, what about this?
okay_what_about_this.key3: Okay, what about this?
...

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Translate Specific Files

Use the --name option to translate only specific language files: 
php artisan translate --name=validation
You can also translate multiple files by separating them with commas: 
php artisan translate --name=validation,auth,passwords

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Translate to Specific Languages

Use the --language option to translate to specific target languages only: 
php artisan translate --language=fr
Translate to multiple languages: 
php artisan translate --language=fr,es,de

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Change Source Language

By default, the package uses your application’s locale (from config/app.php) as the source language. You can override this with the --base-language option: 
php artisan translate --base-language=en
This is useful when you want to translate from a language other than your default locale.

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Combining Options

You can combine multiple options for precise control: 
php artisan translate --name=auth --language=fr,es --base-language=en
This command will:
  • Only translate the auth language file
  • Only translate to French and Spanish
  • Use English as the source language

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How It Works

The translation system provides the complete source and target language files to the LLM for full context. This ensures consistency in terminology and style across your application.
The workflow:
  1. Context Loading: Both source and target language files are loaded into memory with their full nested structure
  2. Missing Key Detection: The system compares files to identify which translations are missing
  3. AI Translation: The LLM receives complete context and returns only the missing translations using dot notation
  4. Smart Merging: New translations are merged into existing files without regenerating everything
This approach allows you to:
  • Add new languages without starting from scratch
  • Update existing translations incrementally
  • Maintain manual edits and customizations

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Next Steps

Interactive Mode

Learn how to refine translations interactively

Advanced Options

Explore advanced flags for power users

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