Source and Target Languages
Set and update project source and target languages in Codex.
Source and Target Languages
Every Codex project has a source language and a target language. These values affect import metadata, AI suggestions, search context, export metadata, and what collaborators expect when they open the project.
What the Languages Mean
- Source is the language you are translating from.
- Target is the language you are translating into.
For example, if you are translating Spanish content into English, set Source to Spanish and Target to English.
Set Languages When Creating a Project
The Create New Project flow asks for source and target languages before the project is created. Choose them carefully before importing files.
Change Languages Later
- Open the Main Menu.
- Find the project details near the top.
- Click the Source or Target language field.
- Choose the correct language, or create a custom language if needed.
- Review the AI translation instructions when Codex asks (see below).
- Sync shared projects after changing language metadata.
Review AI Instructions After a Language Change
When you change the source or target language to a different language, Codex opens a Review AI Translation Instructions window, because instructions written for the old language pair almost always need updating:
- Regenerate creates fresh instructions for the new language pair. You can edit the result before saving.
- Save stores the instructions shown in the text box.
- Cancel (or closing the window) leaves your instructions untouched and shows a reminder pointing to where you can update them later.
Changing language settings after translation work has started can affect AI behavior and export metadata. Tell collaborators before changing languages in a shared project.