Maria Jose |WP Credits

Hello! My name is María José Alvarado Fernández, and this is my final report for the WordPress Credits Program.

During this program, I had the opportunity to contribute to the WordPress Polyglots (es_CR) team by translating WordPress content into Costa Rican Spanish. Throughout this experience, I learned how an open-source community works, collaborated with volunteers from different backgrounds, and improved both my technical and communication skills.

This report summarizes my contributions, learning process, challenges, achievements, and personal growth during WP Credits.

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Teams and Projects I Contributed To

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Throughout the program, I contributed to the WordPress Polyglots (es_CR) team, whose mission is to translate WordPress and its ecosystem into Costa Rican Spanish while maintaining consistency and high-quality localization standards.

I participated in the following projects:

• WordPress 6.7.x
• WordPress 6.9.x
• WooCommerce

My primary responsibility was translating interface strings, carefully reviewing terminology, respecting the official glossary, and adapting translations to the Costa Rican Spanish locale.

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Learning Resources

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To complete my work successfully, I used several official WordPress resources that helped me understand the translation workflow and community standards.

Some of the most valuable resources were:

• Learn WordPress
• Translate.WordPress.org
• WordPress Polyglots Handbook
• Spanish (Costa Rica) Glossary
• Style Guide
• Weekly Polyglots meetings
• Slack communication channels

These resources helped me understand how translations are reviewed, how terminology is standardized, and how contributors collaborate across different countries.

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Challenges and Solutions

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At the beginning of the program, one of my biggest challenges was understanding that translation is much more than replacing words from one language with another. Every string must be translated according to its context while following the glossary and style guide.

Another challenge was learning how the review process worked and understanding why some translations required modifications before being accepted.

To overcome these challenges, I carefully read the official documentation, consulted the glossary frequently, attended a Polyglots meeting, and reviewed every translation before submitting it. Little by little, I became more confident using the platform and understanding the localization workflow.

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My Contributions

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During WP Credits I completed several meaningful contributions to the WordPress community.

My main contributions include:

• Contributing translations to three different WordPress projects.
• Participating in the WordPress Polyglots (es_CR) team.
• Attending a weekly Polyglots meeting.
• Learning and applying the official translation workflow.
• Creating a complete personal portfolio documenting my learning journey.
• Publishing multiple blog posts describing every stage of my experience.

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Key Takeaways

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Participating in WP Credits taught me many valuable lessons that go beyond translation itself.

The most important lessons I learned include:

• Open-source communities are built through collaboration.
• Every contribution has value, regardless of its size.
• Context is essential for producing high-quality translations.
• Communication and teamwork are fundamental in collaborative projects.
• Continuous learning is one of the greatest strengths of the WordPress community.

These lessons changed the way I understand software development and community participation.

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New Skills Acquired

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Technical Skills

• WordPress localization workflow
• Translation review process
• WordPress Block Editor
• Website creation using WordPress
• Content organization
• Localization best practices
• Documentation and reporting

Soft Skills

• Communication
• Teamwork
• Attention to detail
• Time management
• Problem solving
• Critical thinking
• Continuous learning

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Personal Reflection and Next Steps

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Before joining WP Credits, I viewed WordPress mainly as a platform for building websites. During this program, I discovered the incredible community that works behind the scenes to make WordPress accessible to millions of people around the world.

Contributing to WordPress Polyglots allowed me to improve my technical knowledge while developing confidence, responsibility, and collaboration skills. Seeing my translations become part of real WordPress projects was one of the most rewarding parts of this experience.

In the future, I would like to continue contributing to the WordPress community by participating in more translation projects, improving my localization skills, and supporting other new contributors as I continue learning.

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Final Thoughts

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WP Credits has been much more than an academic project. It has been my first real experience contributing to an international open-source community.

I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with WordPress Polyglots, learn from experienced contributors, and discover the positive impact that volunteer work can have on millions of users worldwide.

Thank you to the WP Credits team, my mentors, and the entire WordPress community for making this learning experience possible.