How to submit a translation

So you are thinking about helping out translating Spectrum? Have my eternal gratitude. On this page you will find all the information on how to submit new translations, or tweak existing ones.

How to submit a new translation / update an existing one

With a Github Account

Assuming you have not worked with Github before. If you did, you probably know what to do already (submitting a Pull Request via fork).

1. On https://github.com/DaFuqs/Spectrum, press the "fork" button
   • This will create a copy of Spectrum in your own name that you have permission to modify
2. In your copy of Spectrum, navigate to /src/main/resources/assets/spectrum/lang
   • there is one file per language
   • the file format json consists of key-value pairs ("my.translation.key": "Ingame Text"), split via comma & newlines, wrapped in {} at the start and end of the file
3. Find out the locale code of the language you want to translate to
   • The Minecraft Wiki has the full list of languages Minecraft currently supports (column "Locale Code JE")
4. Figure out if there is already a file named <your locale code>.json in your copy of Spectrum
   • If there is, someone already submitted translations for that language! Github lists when it was last modified - it might be outdated and thus might need tweaking anyways
   • if the file does not exist, create it using "Add File"/"Upload File" in Githubs GUI. The en_us.json is the "main" language file, you can use that as a template
5. Do the actual translating
   • Each key-value pair that exists in en_us.json should exist in the translated file
   • Only translate the right part of the key-value pairs. The left part is the "identifier" and should stay identical
6. Submit your translation
   • Go to https://github.com/DaFuqs/Spectrum and press Create Pull Request
   • Select your copy of Spectrum that to made the changes in
   • Add a title like Translations for <Language> ans press Create Pull Request

Without a Github Account

Feel free to reach out to the team directly, like via Discord! We will be happy to add your language file to the files for you and answer any questions.

Why no Crowdin?

Spectrum has a LOT of lang.

When I checked out Crowdin in September 2026, the free plan was limited to 60k Words. Spectrum's english language file alone consisted of like 50k words at the time. Block and item names, advamcents and especially all the guidebook entries add up fast. Supporting the top 20 languages at Crowdin would leave us with 50k*20 words (and growing), with an estimated cost of 250€ / month.

With Spectrum being developed solely as a passion project, this is not something I will ever be able to afford.