The special file called gettext PO file is offered to a translator. It can be edited using special program. We recommend the poedit program for PO file editing.


Substitutions in translations


The phrases in an IVR application often contain the substitutions called also %-tags. Currently supported substitutions are:

  • %n - numbers and digits
  • %d - durations
  • %D - datetime
  • %s - simple string substitution


The %n substitution has two frequently used forms:

  • %[H]n - ordinal form (i.e. "first", "twenty third")
  • %[D]n - string of digits (i.e. number "1234" will be pronounced as "one two three four")


Suppose we have the phrase "For English press %n". The %n symbol tells that the IVR application will replace this %-tag with some number so the final phrase that the user will hear would be for example "For English press four".


The full form of the substitutions is %(ident)[flags]n. Here are some examples of possible substitutions:

  • %[H]n
  • %(extension)[D]n
  • %(duration)d


The English text in braces must not be translated, as it refers to internal names of variables. Therefore, for example the phrase:


"You have %(number)n new"

in Russian will become:


"У вас есть %(number)n новых"

Translation of phrases with substitutions


The translated phrases are to preserve all the substitutions from the original English phrase but you are free to place them anywhere within the phrase. For example suppose the "For English press %n" phrase has to be translated into Russian. In Russian it will sound "Нажмите %n чтобы меню было на русском языке". As you can see the %n substitution moved from the end of the phrase into middle of it.


Special phrases


The Calling Card IVR application contains a special phrase: "For English press %n". This phrase is used in language selection procedure so this phrase has to offer the language into which the phrase translated. For example when translated to Turkish it will be in Turkish and means "For Turkish press %n", for Russian it is "Нажмите %n чтобы меню было на русском языке" and means "For Russian press %n" and so on.