The Protected Words feature lets you list terms that must never be translated, keeping brand consistency, technical accuracy and proper nouns intact in JSON localization files.

When to use it

  • Brand names & trademarks: Google, Microsoft, iPhone, AWS, Firebase
  • Technical terms: JavaScript, Python, React, API, SDK, DevOps, Agile
  • Proper nouns: people, places (New York, Tokyo), organizations

How it works

When you add a word: all occurrences in the JSON are identified; they are excluded from translation; original text is preserved exactly; surrounding context and formatting stay intact.

Example. Original JSON:

{ "welcome": "Welcome to our React application built with Firebase!", "features": "Experience the power of our JavaScript SDK" }

Protected words: ["React", "Firebase", "JavaScript", "SDK"]. French result:

{ "welcome": "Bienvenue dans notre application React construite avec Firebase!", "features": "Découvrez la puissance de notre SDK JavaScript" }

Best practices

  • Only protect terms that genuinely need it; consider cultural context per language; review the list regularly.
  • Matching is case-sensitive by default: add both "React" and "react" if needed, plus common variations.
  • Test protected words in different sentence contexts and review translations for natural flow.

Advanced techniques

  • Use protected words for URLs, emails, phone numbers, file paths and system commands.
  • Keep code examples, function names, variables and API endpoints in the original language.

Troubleshooting

  • Not working: check exact spelling/capitalization, that the feature is enabled in your plan, and that the word appears in the source text.
  • Over-protection: review the list regularly and remove terms that don't need protection.

Originally published on the JSON Translate blog.