Sometimes, things just click.
LibrePlan has supported the Russian language since 2011. Back then, it simply made sense — reaching more users, making the software accessible, growing the community.
But recently, while looking at the visitor statistics in Matomo, I noticed something that stayed with me.
A visit from Kyiv.
And in that moment, it hit me: why don’t we support Ukrainian?
Doing something — however small
There’s not much I can do to influence what’s happening in Ukraine right now. The situation is complex, painful, and far beyond the reach of a project like LibrePlan.
But this… this is something we can do.
Make the software available in Ukrainian.
Lower the barrier just a little bit.
Make someone, somewhere, feel that the tool is also meant for them.
AI makes this possible
A few years ago, this would have been a massive effort. Translating an entire application — help files, UI strings, everything — is a serious undertaking.
Today, things are different.
With the help of AI, generating a first complete translation has become surprisingly accessible. Not perfect — not even close — but good enough to get started.
So I translated the help files. Santiago stepped in and translated the application strings.
And just like that, LibrePlan now supports Ukrainian.
Not perfect — but good enough to begin
Let’s be clear: the translations are not flawless.
AI still makes mistakes. Sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious. Some phrases will feel slightly off. Some terms may not be exactly right.
But here’s the important part:
It’s much easier to improve an existing translation than to start from scratch.
Instead of translating thousands of lines, contributors can now focus on refining, correcting, and improving what’s already there.
And that changes everything.
Why this matters
Will this change the world?
No.
Will it help in a measurable, significant way?
Probably not.
But maybe — just maybe — it helps someone a little.
A project manager who prefers working in their own language.
A team that feels more comfortable navigating the interface.
A user who feels just a bit more included.
And sometimes, that’s enough.