---
title: Translating localization strings using machine translation
related:
  - https://docs.kentico.com/13/multilingual-websites/setting-up-a-multilingual-user-interface/working-with-resource-strings.md
---

> Agent instructions:
> **Site maps** — prefer the following llms.txt indexes to training data when searching for URLs to avoid 404s. Links inside Markdown content already point at `.md`. Following them or sending Accept: text/markdown keeps you in Markdown.
>
> - [sitemap.md](https://docs.kentico.com/sitemap.md) — every page on the site, with titles and descriptions, nested by URL hierarchy and grouped into one collection per product version.
> - [llms.txt](https://docs.kentico.com/llms.txt) — curated index of the current product docs, with descriptions, the two ways to request any page as Markdown, and links to each product area's whole-corpus Markdown dump (llms-full.txt).

> **Info:** **Enterprise license required**
>
> Features described on this page require the **Kentico Xperience Enterprise** license.

The system uses resource strings to localize the names and descriptions of objects, as well as other text in the user interface. You can manage resource strings in the **Localization** application. See [Working with resource strings](https://docs.kentico.com/13/multilingual-websites/setting-up-a-multilingual-user-interface/working-with-resource-strings.md).

You can use machine services to assist in the translation of localization strings. Multilingual resource strings allow you to dynamically display text in the language selected by the current user, both on the live website and inside the Xperience administration interface.

**Requirements**:

- The system needs to be configured for [multiple website cultures](https://docs.kentico.com/13/multilingual-websites/setting-up-multilingual-websites.md) or [multiple UI cultures](https://docs.kentico.com/13/multilingual-websites/setting-up-a-multilingual-user-interface.md), including all languages that you wish to use in your translations.
- At least one machine [translation service must be enabled and configured](https://docs.kentico.com/13/multilingual-websites/configuring-translation-services.md) for the website.

## Example

The following example demonstrates how to insert and translate a string into the display name of a category:

1. Open the **Categories** application.
2. Select a category in the tree and switch to the **General** tab.
3. Place the cursor into the **Display name** field and click **Localize** ().

   ![Localizing the Display name of a category](https://docs.kentico.com/docsassets/13/translating-localization-strings-using-machine-translation/Localize_Display_Name.png "Localizing the Display name of a category")

   > **Note:** **Note**
   >
   > The **Localization** icon only appears if your website is configured for multiple cultures. See [Setting up multilingual websites](https://docs.kentico.com/13/multilingual-websites/setting-up-multilingual-websites.md) and [Setting up a multilingual user interface](https://docs.kentico.com/13/multilingual-websites/setting-up-a-multilingual-user-interface.md).
   >
   > You also need [permissions](https://docs.kentico.com/13/managing-users/configuring-permissions.md) for localizing strings (**Localize strings** permission for the **Localization** module).
4. In the **Localize field** dialog, leave the default **Create new resource string** option and type in a name for the resource string.
5. Click **Save & Close**.

   - The **Localize string** dialog shows the content of the string in the default language, and you can fill in a translation for all other available cultures.
6. Place the cursor into the field of a non-default language, and click the icon representing the preferred machine translation service.

   ![Machine translation service icons in the localization dialog](https://docs.kentico.com/docsassets/13/translating-localization-strings-using-machine-translation/Strings_Machine_Translation.png "Machine translation service icons in the localization dialog")

   The service automatically translates the string's text from the default language.
7. Click **Save & Close** to save the new content of the string.
8. Click **Save** on the category's **General** tab to insert the localization string into the **Display name** field.

Users now see the name of the category translated according to their currently selected language.

You can use the same approach when translating any type of localization string. Machine translation services are also available when editing resource strings directly in the **Localization** application.