Translate the game

Files and names

Name the file after the language.

The file name is the language code, then .json. The code is two or three lowercase letters, optionally followed by an underscore and a region (two capital letters or three digits) or a script (four letters, first one capital). Anything else is ignored, and so is every file whose name starts with an underscore, which is why the template does not show up as a language.

Wrong: Japanese.json, JA.json, ja-JP.json (a hyphen instead of an underscore), ja.json.txt (Windows hides the real extension; turn on File name extensions in Explorer's View menu to check).

Give your language its name

The language list shows whatever your file says for the key ui.settings.language.<code>. Add it, written the way speakers of the language write it, or the list shows the bare code:

{
  "ui.settings.language.ja": "日本語",
  "ui.button.quit": "終了",
  "ui.button.start_run": "ゲーム開始"
}

Fix an existing translation

Name the file after a language the game already has, and your lines replace ours, one by one. Include only the lines you want to change: every line you leave out keeps the official text. The language list then shows that language as (modified), so you always know which version you are playing. Delete the file (and press Reload) to go back.

To find the line you want to change, search the template for the English wording you see in the game, then look up the same key in the shipped language. A fix file for Russian can be this small:

{
  "_comment": "My tweaks to the Russian text. Keys starting with _ are ignored.",
  "ui.button.quit": "Выйти из игры"
}

Where the folder is

The Open translations folder button takes you there and creates the folder if it is missing. If you would rather find it yourself:

Windows

%APPDATA%\Godot\app_userdata\Net Worthless\locale

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/Godot/app_userdata/Net Worthless/locale

Linux / Steam Deck

~/.local/share/godot/app_userdata/Net Worthless/locale

The demo

The same paths with Net Worthless Demo in place of Net Worthless. The demo and the full game keep separate folders, so copy your file to both if you play both.

Paste the Windows path into the Explorer address bar as is; %APPDATA% expands on its own.

Translate with an AI

A prompt that knows the rules.

Any capable AI chat can do a solid first pass. The template holds about 5,800 lines, far more than a chat reply fits, so you send it in parts: paste the prompt once, then one part per message. The tools below split the template, check each translated part against the rules above, and glue the parts back into one file. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

After a game update

Updates add new lines; until you translate them they show in English. Export the template again, load it in step 2, then add your current language file in step 3: Untranslated lines as a part gives you exactly the new lines to send to the AI.