docs(i18n): document the Lingui authoring & translator workflow

README + CONTRIBUTING explain the 'author English macros, don't translate'
contributor flow and the translator (Tolgee/OTA) flow; new .rules/i18n.md rule;
fixed the stale src/i18n/locales reference; rules index lists frontend.md + i18n.md.

Author: NewtTheWolf

.rules/general.md

@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 # General Rules
-1. **Language:** Use **English** for all code comments, documentation, and commit messages. Translate other languages in @src/i18n/locales .
+1. **Language:** Use **English** for all code comments, documentation, and commit messages. User-facing UI strings are authored in English via Lingui macros — see [i18n Rules](./i18n.md); you do not write translations by hand.
 2. **Package Manager:** Always use **pnpm** instead of npm or yarn.

.rules/i18n.md

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# i18n Rules
+
+1. **Author in English only.** Wrap every user-facing string in a Lingui macro — `` t`...` `` / `t({ message })` from `@lingui/core/macro`, or `<Trans>` / `useLingui().t` from `@lingui/react/macro`. Never ship a bare UI string literal.
+2. **Do not write translations by hand.** Contributors are **not** required to translate. `pnpm tauri dev` (and `pnpm i18n:extract`) regenerates the catalogs from your source strings; missing translations fall back to English and are filled later via Tolgee + over-the-air delivery. After extracting you _may_ fill other locales' `.po` files, but it is optional.
+3. **Catalogs are generated artifacts.** `src/locales/<lng>/messages.po` (source) and `messages.ts` (compiled) are produced by `lingui extract` / `lingui compile`. The dev server regenerates them on save — never edit them by hand. Commit the regenerated catalogs alongside the code that introduced the strings.
+4. **Plugin UI strings are separate.** A plugin's strings live in its own `locales/<lang>.json` (ICU `{var}` placeholders), read via `usePluginTranslation(pluginId)` — they are not part of the app catalogs.

AGENTS.md

@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ Adhere to the rules defined in the [rules directory](./.rules/):
 - [Rust Rules](./.rules/rust.md) (Backend module structure and Rust testing)
 - [TypeScript Rules](./.rules/typescript.md)
 - [React Rules](./.rules/react.md)
+- [Frontend Rules](./.rules/frontend.md) (Driver-agnostic frontend)
+- [i18n Rules](./.rules/i18n.md) (Lingui authoring & translation workflow)
 - [Modal Styling Rules](./.rules/modals.md) (Modal component structure and styling)
 - [Testing Conventions](./.rules/testing.md) (Test file organization and structure)
 

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ All types of contributions are encouraged and valued. See the [Table of Contents
   - [Suggesting Enhancements](#suggesting-enhancements)
   - [Your First Code Contribution](#your-first-code-contribution)
   - [Improving The Documentation](#improving-the-documentation)
+  - [Translations](#translations)
 - [Styleguides](#styleguides)
   - [Commit Messages](#commit-messages)
 - [Join The Project Team](#join-the-project-team)
@@ -154,6 +155,23 @@ Updating, improving and correcting the documentation
 
 -->
 
+### Translations
+
+Tabularis is localized with [Lingui](https://lingui.dev), and the source language is English.
+
+**For code contributors — you don't have to translate anything.** Just wrap every user-facing string in a Lingui macro and write it in English:
+
+```tsx
+import { useLingui } from "@lingui/react/macro";
+
+const { t } = useLingui();
+return <button>{t`Add Connection`}</button>;
+```
+
+`pnpm tauri dev` regenerates the catalogs (`src/locales/<lng>/messages.po` and the compiled `messages.ts`) automatically on save, so you never edit them by hand — commit the regenerated catalogs alongside your change. If you forget, CI regenerates and commits them on your PR. Strings without a translation fall back to English. After extracting you _may_ fill in other locales' `.po` files, but it is entirely optional; leave them and a translator (or the maintainers) will.
+
+**For translators.** Translations live in [Tolgee](https://tolgee.io), not in the repository: source strings are pushed there, translated, reviewed, and delivered to the app over the air — so a corrected translation reaches users without waiting for a release. You never need to touch `.po` files or open a PR to translate. If you'd like to help translate Tabularis, or want a new language added, open an [issue](https://github.com/TabularisDB/tabularis/issues) or ping us on [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/K2hmhfHRSt) and we'll get you set up.
+
 ## Styleguides
 
 ### Commit Messages

README.md

@@ -346,6 +346,19 @@ pnpm tauri dev
 pnpm tauri build
 ```
 
+### Translations
+
+The UI is localized with [Lingui](https://lingui.dev), and **you don't need to translate anything to contribute** — just wrap user-facing strings in a Lingui macro and write them in English:
+
+```tsx
+import { useLingui } from "@lingui/react/macro";
+
+const { t } = useLingui();
+<button>{t`Add Connection`}</button>;
+```
+
+`pnpm tauri dev` regenerates the message catalogs (`src/locales/<lng>/messages.po`) on save, so new strings appear immediately via HMR. Untranslated strings fall back to English; the actual translations are managed in [Tolgee](https://tolgee.io) and delivered over the air, so they reach users without an app release. See [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md#translations) for the translator workflow.
+
 ## Roadmap
 
 - [x] [[Feat]: Allow loading of multiple Databases per connection](https://github.com/TabularisDB/tabularis/issues/47)