# Editing translations

> How to edit messages in Fink: pick the languages you translate from and into, search, filter what's missing, insert variables, add and delete messages.

Fink shows one card per message. The top row is the language you translate **from**, usually the [reference locale](/docs/reference-locale). Below it are the languages you translate **into**. Every row is editable.

## Choose languages

Open the language menu in the toolbar:

- **From** is the language you read. It defaults to the project's [reference locale](/docs/reference-locale).
- **Translate into** lists every language with how much work is open. Pick one or several.
- **Review all languages** shows every language of each message at once.

Fink remembers your choice per project in this browser.

## Find messages

- **Search messages and keys** matches message keys, text and variable names. Every word you type must match.
- **All / To do / Edited** filters the list. **To do** shows only messages with open work in your selected languages, split into **Missing translation**, **Missing forms**, **Empty forms** and **Placeholder problems**. See [Checks](/docs/checks).
- The list shows 25 messages per page.

## Edit text

Click a translation and type. Changes are saved to your [local draft](/docs/drafts) after a short pause.

- **Variables**: type `{` to insert a variable. Fink suggests the variables the reference uses first.
- **Missing translation**: choose **Translate to …** to start empty, or **Start from English** (or your source language) to copy the source and overwrite it. Words still in the source language are underlined until you change them.
- **Markup** such as links or bold text comes from the reference message and can be inserted from the suggestions.
- **Undo and redo** work with ⌘Z / Ctrl+Z and ⇧⌘Z / Ctrl+Y for edits made in this session.

## Add and delete messages

- **Add message** asks for a new message key and puts the cursor in its reference text. Then fill in the translations.
- **Delete message** in a card's ··· menu deletes the message in every language.
- Renaming a key isn't supported yet. Add a new message and delete the old one, and update your code.

## Project settings

The **Settings** tab edits the reference locale, the list of languages and experimental flags. A new language's file is created when you push its first translations. Plugin settings and paths stay as they are in the repository.

## What Fink doesn't do

Fink has no translation memory, glossary, screenshots, comments or in-context editing. Machine translation is not available yet: the **Machine translate** button only lets you request access.