The Translation Grid
How the spreadsheet-like interface works for viewing, editing, and navigating translations.
The translation grid is the heart of Bulk Translate. It combines the familiarity of a spreadsheet with translation-specific features — loading states, error handling, inline editing, and keyboard navigation.
Grid Layout
The grid is organized as a table with three column types:
| Column | Purpose |
|---|---|
| # (Index) | Row number, drag handle for reordering, row actions |
| Input | Your original text — editable inline |
| Language columns | One per target language, showing translation status and results |
Sticky behavior: The index and input columns stay fixed on the left as you scroll horizontally. The column headers remain visible when scrolling vertically. This keeps context visible even with many languages or long text.
Cell States
Each translation cell shows exactly one of four states, making it clear what's happening at a glance.
Idle
An em dash (—) in a faded color. The cell is waiting to be translated. Click Translate to process all idle cells.
Loading
A pulsing "Translating…" placeholder with a subtle animation. Multiple cells can be loading simultaneously (up to 7 at once). You can cancel all in-flight translations by clicking Cancel in the toolbar.
Success
The translated text, displayed in full. Click the text to edit it — changes persist and won't be overwritten unless you explicitly re-translate the row. The copy button (appears on hover) copies just that cell's content.
Error
The error message in a red/destructive color. A retry button (circular arrow, appears on hover) lets you re-attempt just that cell without re-translating everything. Common errors include authentication failures, rate limits, and network issues.
Inline Editing
Editing Input Text
Click any cell in the Input column to enter edit mode. The cell transforms into a text input. Press Enter to save or Escape to cancel.
Important: Changing the input text clears all translations for that row. This prevents stale translations from being served alongside updated input. You'll need to re-translate the row after editing.
Editing Translation Text
Click any translated cell to edit the output directly. This is useful for minor corrections or localization preferences. Unlike input edits, editing a translation does not clear other translations in the same row.
Keyboard Navigation
The grid supports full keyboard navigation — no mouse required for common operations.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Arrow keys | Move focus between cells |
| Enter | Start editing the focused cell |
| Escape | Cancel editing or clear cell focus |
The focused cell is highlighted with a ring indicator. Navigation wraps at grid boundaries.
Row Actions
Each row has controls visible on hover in the index column:
- Drag handle (grip icon) — click and drag to reorder rows
- Delete (trash icon) — remove the row permanently
Column Controls
- Drag to resize — hover the right edge of any language column header, then click and drag
- Reset widths — click the columns icon in the toolbar to reset all column widths to default
- Column colors — assign a background tint to any language column for visual organization (see Batch Translation)