Introduction and motivation
Over the past few months, I took part in the WordPress Credits program as part of my Computación y Sociedad course at Universidad Fidélitas. I chose to contribute to Polyglots, the team responsible for translating WordPress into different languages, focusing specifically on Spanish, Costa Rica. I picked this team because it offered clear, verifiable evidence of real contribution, and because language and communication have always been something I care about, even as a developer working mostly in English-based tools.
What I did
My work consisted of translating strings from WordPress plugins into Spanish, Costa Rica, on translate.wordpress.org. I contributed to several plugins, including Bit Flows and Rooster One, translating strings related to forms, subscriber data, e-commerce, and CRM functionality. Over the course of the program, I submitted over 100 translated strings, all following the formal «usted» register required by the es_CR style guide, and using the correct terminology, such as «ventana emergente» instead of «popup». I also received direct feedback from my mentor, Rita Robles, which helped me correct earlier translations that didn’t follow the style guide and improve the quality of my later submissions.
Process and documentation
I documented this entire journey through eight weekly journal entries published on my portfolio, kevinrivera.blog, starting from setting up my WordPress.org profile and portfolio site, through the Onboarding lessons, choosing my contribution team, and finally submitting real translations. I also completed 100% of the Learn WordPress course for WordPress Credits, including the Onboarding, Project, and Wrap-up modules.
What I learned
This project taught me how open source collaboration actually works in practice, not just in theory. I learned how a translation team is organized, how contributions go through a review process before being approved, and how important it is to follow a shared style guide so that the final product feels consistent for every user. I also learned to communicate with a mentor and a team I had never met in person, and to take feedback seriously and apply it instead of just moving on. On a personal level, I learned to keep a steady pace of contribution instead of leaving everything for the last week.
Reflection and next steps
Contributing to WordPress, even in a small way, made me realize how much of the software I use every day depends on volunteer work from people all over the world. I plan to keep contributing to Polyglots after this course ends, since translation work doesn’t require a huge time commitment and the impact is easy to see. I would also like to explore other contribution teams in the future, now that I understand how the WordPress community works.
Evidence
- WordPress.org profile: https://profiles.wordpress.org/kevinrivera/
- Portfolio and journal: https://kevinrivera.blog
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