MetaGlot is a command-line tool that unifies localization metadata for applications shipped on multiple platforms. It extracts or defines translatable strings from platform-specific metadata files, normalizes them into Gettext-compatible POT/PO catalogs, and compiles translated PO files back into platform-native files.

It currently is designed for projects that ship on:

Windows using RC resource files
Linux using .desktop and AppStream MetaInfo XML files
macOS using Info.plist and localized InfoPlist.strings files

Instead of asking translators to edit platform-specific formats, MetaGlot lets them work with standard Gettext PO files.

Why MetaGlot?

Every platform has its own localization mechanism for application metadata. Windows applications use RC resource files to hold string tables and version resources, Linux applications use .desktop files to describe names and comments, and macOS applications use Info.plist together with localized InfoPlist.strings files.

These formats are necessary for packaging and distribution, but they are inconvenient as translation sources. MetaGlot introduces a common localization layer.

MetaGlot does not replace Gettext. It makes Gettext the canonical translation workflow for platform metadata.

Supported Metadata Types

MetaGlot supports extracting and compiling metadata from the following formats:

Platform	Metadata format	Localization mechanism
Windows	`.rc`	String tables, version resources
Windows	MSIX manifest (`AppxManifest.xml`)	`<DisplayName>`, `<Description>`, etc.
Windows	NSIS packaging script (`.nsi`)	Version information keys
Linux	`.desktop`	`Name`, `Comment`, etc.
Linux	AppStream XML	`<name>`, `<summary>`, `<description>`
macOS	`Info.plist`	`InfoPlist.strings`, plist keys

License

MetaGlot is released under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.