Custom Prompts

Custom prompts tell the AI about your app's tone, audience, and terminology to get translations that fit your brand.

Setting a Custom Prompt#

Open your project in XCStrings Translator
Go to Project Settings
Enter your prompt in the Custom Prompt field

The prompt is saved in .xcstrings-translator/config.json and can be shared via git.

What to Include#

Element	Example
App type	"fitness tracking app"
Target audience	"busy professionals"
Tone	"friendly but professional"
Formality	"use formal pronouns (Sie, vous)"
Terminology	"translate 'workout' as 'entraînement'"
Don't translate	"keep brand names in English"

Examples#

Casual Consumer App#

This is a social photo sharing app for young adults.
Tone: Casual, fun, contemporary
- Use informal pronouns (tu/du/tú)
- Keep it brief and punchy

Enterprise App#

This is a business analytics platform for executives.
Tone: Professional, authoritative, precise
- Use formal language throughout
- Prefer industry-standard terminology

Kids' App#

This is a learning app for children ages 6-10.
Tone: Encouraging, simple, clear
- Use simple vocabulary
- Short sentences

Per-String Comments#

For individual string context, use Swift comments:

Text("Let's go!", comment: "Enthusiastic button to start workout")

Combined with a custom prompt, the AI has both global and specific context.

Start with a basic prompt and refine based on results. If you see consistent issues, add specific instructions to address them.

Try the interactive Prompt Configurator to build and test prompts for your app.