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When machine‑translated content is generated in locales where Machine Translation (MT) is enabled, it’s supported by an automated review system to ensure content freshness. This article explains how that system works and how contributors can play a key role in improving the quality and relevance of the auto-translated content.
Table of Contents
How does the MT automated review system work?
As described in the How does Machine Translation work on SUMO? article, when a machine-translated (MT) revision is created, it stays in the review queue for 7 days. During this review window, several outcomes are possible depending on new activity.
What can happen during the 7-day review period?
- A newer revision is approved: If a newer revision is submitted manually by a contributor and approved during the 7-day review window, the older MT revision is automatically rejected upon the approval of the newer revision.
- The English article is updated: If the English parent article receives an update that is approved and marked Ready for Localization (RFL) during the 7-day review window:
- The older MT revision based on the previous English version is automatically rejected
- A new MT revision is generated based on the latest English version
- The 7-day review period restarts, based on the date of the newly submitted MT revision
- Reviewer approves/rejects the revision manually: If a reviewer manually approves or rejects an MT revision during the 7‑day review period, the automated review process for that revision stops immediately. However, you can still use the MT revision as the starting point for a new update if you wish.
- No new activity occurs: If no newer revision is submitted or approved and no one takes action within the 7-day window, the MT revision is automatically approved and published.
Understanding MT comment status
Each MT revision goes through an automated evaluation process that determines its status. Here's how the comment status reflects that outcome:
- No comment (default state): When an MT revision is first created, the comment status is empty until a decision is made.
- “No longer relevant”: If a newer manual revision is approved or a newer MT revision is generated, the older MT revision is automatically rejected and the comment status will display "No longer relevant".
- Manually reviewed: If the MT revision is manually approved or rejected by a reviewer, the comment status will remain empty. In other words, no automatic comment will be added. Also, note we won’t display AI labels on MT revisions that are manually approved by a reviewer.
- "Automatically approved”: If no action is taken during the 7-day review period, the MT revision is auto-approved and the comment status will display: "Automatically approved because it was not reviewed within 168 hour(s)." Note that an AI label will be displayed when MT content is auto-approved.
How contributors play a key role in the MT workflow
Machine Translation (MT) is designed to support, not replace, our contributor community. It serves as a safety net, which is especially helpful when localizing brand new content or when updates are published frequently.
By automating the first layer of translation, MT frees up valuable contributor time to focus on what matters most:
- Refining translation for clarity and natural tone
- Ensuring UI terms match the product’s existing translations*
- Maintaining cultural relevance
- Delivering high-quality support content to users
This is where contributor expertise makes a real impact. Your review, edits, and local insights are essential to help ensure that translations are not only technically accurate but also meaningful and culturally-relevant.
Where do I find MT revisions to review?
To support the MT process, it’s important to know where to find machine-translated revisions so you can review or improve them. Generally, there are three main sources to find localization revisions:
The Unreviewed List
The unreviewed list shows only revisions that haven’t been reviewed yet for your locale. Just make sure you use the correct locale-code when accessing the page.
(+) Focused view of pending revisions, product filter, sortable by pageview or revision date
(-) No MT filter; auto-approved MT revisions won't appear
Recent Revisions List
The Recent Revision page shows all recently submitted revisions.
(+) Shows all revisions, option to show/hide MT revisions, filter by date range
(-) Doesn’t indicate review status, so you’ll have to check manually
The Locale team dashboard
Hosted outside of the Mozilla Support platform, the Locale team dashboard provides a consolidated view of localization activity across languages and products.
(+) Displays detailed metadata and ability to filter by date range, product, locale, author, or reviewer
(-) The data pipeline is only updated once a day
