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How does Locize know which translations are outdated after a source text change?

Short answer: by timestamps, and since September 2026 also by a mark. Every segment stores, per language, when its value was last saved. When the value in the source (reference) language is saved after the translation in a target language, that translation counts as outdated. The editor flags it as issue 302, "the content in the source language changed after translating to this target language", and with Review on source change switched on (the default) every translation of that key is also marked as needing review, so it shows up in the review queue until a reviewer confirms it or a new translation is saved. A translation order picks exactly those segments up when you switch on Include if source value changed after target value. Nothing needs to be flagged by hand.

What does not happen

  • The translation is not reset or emptied. It keeps its value, stays published and counts as translated, so your app keeps showing it until it is replaced.
  • It is not treated as machine output. The needs-review mark it gets is the same one machine and AI translations carry, and the history keeps showing who translated it.
  • No namespaceNotCompletedAnymore notification is sent and the progress bars do not move, because nothing became untranslated. If you automate on notifications, use namespaceUpdated for source edits, or needsReviewThreshold to be told when a language's review queue grows beyond a number you set.
  • Changing the source language itself is a different operation, see What happens when I change the source (reference) language?

Where you see it

  • In the CAT view / Translation Editor: filter by needs review (sub-entry marked), or by warnings (issue 302), for one language or all. The guide Keeping track of new translations shows the filters.
  • In the New order dialog: the switch Include if source value changed after target value adds these segments to the order. By default only untranslated segments are ordered.

What to do with them

  • The source change was trivial (typo, punctuation, formatting) and the translation is still correct: confirm the segment in the editor (the confirm button in the segment panel or the row's ACTIONS menu clears the mark; the 302 confirm in the checks panel renews the translation's timestamp so the order switch no longer includes it).
  • The meaning changed: translate again in the editor (translation memory and AI suggestions use the new source text), or place an order with the switch switched on. When the new translation is saved or imported, the warning clears by itself.