Concordant

con • cord • ant

1. in agreement with other facts.
2. based on the same principles as something else.
3. harmonious.

Overview

Concordant is a simple yet powerful text localization manager for Unity. Create, modify, export, and import databases of terms, sentences, or any other localizable text into any system language. In-game dialogue updates immediately, as soon as the current language is changed, for immediate hot-swapping results. Concordant aims to capture the core principles and features of larger localization managers, without succumbing to feature-bloat or indecipherable UIs.

Installation

1. Install the latest release from the GitHub repository, unzip it, and place the folder into your Unity project's Packages folder.
2. Return to Unity, and the package should automatically be recognized and visible in the Package Manager.
3. A sample scene can be found at: Concordant/Example/Example.unity.
4. Opening this scene may prompt you to install Text Mesh Pro. Simply click on Import TMP Essentials to do so.

Usage - Editor

1. All localized text is stored as entries in a localization database. The databases are ScriptableObjects, and can be created with Create/Concordant Database.
2. Rename your newly created database, then add any number of languages to it using the Inspector window. Then right click on it and select Edit Concordant Database. This will open the Concordant Database Editor window.
3. To add new entries to the database, simply write your desired ID and category in the input row, and click the + button.
   • IDs represent an entry's name, and categories represent the part of the game or UI an entry pertains to. Entries can have the same ID, so long as their categories are different, and vice versa.
   • Together, an entry's category and ID make up its key within the database, which is used to reference it later. A key is formatted as CATEGORY/ID.
   • Once an entry has been added, its ID and category can be changed at any time, so long as it wouldn't result in a duplicate key in the database.
4. Click on the v button to the right of the entry to expand it. From here, you can add the translation text for any of the languages you added in step 2. You can also add a context in which the term normally appears in-game, to aid translation in the future.
5. Though the editor does perform some autosaving, don't forget to click on the Save button to be absolutely sure.
6. For easier translating, you can export the entire database as a .csv file. Simply click on the Export button and choose a file destination at which to save it. This file can then be opened in any spreadsheet software, and edited line by line.
7. When this process is complete, click on the Import button and select your edited .csv file. All changes to translations and context fields should now appear in the database. Don't forget to Save after!
8. To translate text at runtime, start by adding a GameObject with a ConcordantManager Component to your scene. Assign the ConcordantDatabase you created to the Database field.
9. You can then assign override fonts for individual languages, should your default fonts not contain their characters.
10. Finally, add a ConcordantTranslator Component to each UI text element with a TMP_Text Component that you wish to localize. Set the Key field to be the full key of the term you wish to assign to the text.