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Translation examples

Real translation isn't string replacement. Each category below shows a class of sentence where a naive or machine-only approach breaks down — and what proper localization looks like.

Regular sentences

The easy baseline — short, context-free UI copy. Even here, word choice and politeness registers vary.

  • English

    Welcome to our platform.

    Italian

    Benvenuto sulla nostra piattaforma.

  • English

    Your changes have been saved.

    Italian

    Le tue modifiche sono state salvate.

  • English

    Sign in to continue.

    Italian

    Accedi per continuare.

Plural forms

Languages handle quantity differently. The four target languages here share English's two-form system, but the underlying mechanism — picking the right form for the count at runtime — is what separates real i18n from naive string interpolation.

  • English

    You have no unread messages.

    Italian

    Non hai messaggi non letti.

  • English

    You have 1 unread message.

    Italian

    Hai 1 messaggio non letto.

  • English

    You have 5 unread messages.

    Italian

    Hai 5 messaggi non letti.

Words that need context

The same English word can map to different target words depending on part of speech or meaning. A translator sees the sentence; a lookup table doesn't.

  • English

    Park the car near the entrance.

    Italian

    Parcheggia l'auto vicino all'ingresso.

  • English

    We went for a walk in the park.

    Italian

    Siamo andati a fare una passeggiata al parco.

  • English

    I'll book a table for two.

    Italian

    Prenoterò un tavolo per due.

  • English

    She wrote a book about her travels.

    Italian

    Ha scritto un libro sui suoi viaggi.

  • English

    Please turn off the light.

    Italian

    Spegni la luce, per favore.

  • English

    This bag is very light.

    Italian

    Questa borsa è molto leggera.

Formatted variables

Dates, numbers, and currencies follow locale-specific conventions. Thousands and decimal separators swap. Date order changes. Currency position moves.

  • English

    Last updated on 4/20/2026.

    Italian

    Ultimo aggiornamento il 20/04/2026.

  • English

    Total users: 1,234,567.

    Italian

    Utenti totali: 1.234.567.

  • English

    Your total is $1,299.99.

    Italian

    Il tuo totale è 1299,99 €.

Gender agreement

In Romance and Germanic languages, adjectives and articles agree with noun gender. One English template becomes two or three target forms.

  • English

    He is a talented designer.

    Italian

    È un designer di talento.

  • English

    She is a talented designer.

    Italian

    È una designer di talento.

Formality

'You' splits into informal and formal in many languages. The choice is a product-tone decision, not a mechanical one.

  • English

    Would you like to sign in?

    Italian

    Vuoi accedere?

  • English

    Want to sign in?

    Italian

    Vuoi accedere?

Text expansion

The same string in each language often has very different lengths. UI layouts built around English widths tend to break in longer languages.

  • English

    Settings

    Italian

    Impostazioni

  • English

    Cancel subscription

    Italian

    Annulla abbonamento

  • English

    Delete account

    Italian

    Elimina account

Word order

Variables don't stay in the same position across languages. Adjectives move, and some languages put clauses in a different order. Concatenating strings with variables breaks.

  • English

    Buy a red shirt.

    Italian

    Acquista una maglietta red.

  • English

    She runs 30 minutes every morning.

    Italian

    Corre 30 minuti ogni mattina.

Idioms

Literal translation breaks meaning. Every language has its own way to say 'easy' or to wish someone good luck.

  • English

    It was a piece of cake.

    Italian

    È stato facilissimo.

  • English

    Break a leg!

    Italian

    In bocca al lupo!

  • English

    Let's get the ball rolling.

    Italian

    Iniziamo.