SweetP Productions has announced the release of XLIFF Editor 4.0, a major update to its professional XLIFF editing tool for macOS. The update introduces AI-powered translation integration, TMX import and export, full XLIFF 2.x specification support, and a completely rebuilt parser and serialization engine that delivers true round-trip fidelity for even the most complex localization files.

XLIFF Editor 4.0 addresses a persistent gap in the macOS localization toolchain. While enterprise CAT tools dominate the Windows landscape, Mac-based translators and developers working with Apple’s Xcode localization exports have lacked a native, specification-compliant editor that handles both XLIFF 1.2 and 2.x without compromising file integrity. Version 4.0 closes that gap.

AI translation integration

The headline feature of version 4.0 is AI-powered translation, giving translators the ability to generate machine translation suggestions for individual segments or across entire files. AI-generated translations are clearly flagged with a “needs review” status, ensuring that human oversight remains central to the workflow. The integration is designed to accelerate first-draft production and provide reference translations for less common language pairs, without replacing the translator’s judgment.

Translation memory support

XLIFF Editor 4.0 introduces TMX (Translation Memory eXchange) import and export, enabling translators to leverage existing translation assets accumulated across projects and tools. Translation memory matches appear as expandable child rows beneath each translation unit, displaying match quality percentages and source origin. A single click applies a match to the active segment. Segmented matches from tools such as SDL Trados and memoQ — including `<mrk mtype=”seg”>` reference segments — are displayed with full segment-level detail.

Complete XLIFF specification support

The parser and serializer have been rebuilt from scratch. XLIFF Editor 4.0 handles both XLIFF 1.2 and XLIFF 2.x files with full specification compliance, including features that many competing tools handle poorly or not at all: CDATA sections round-trip without escaping or data loss; namespaced metadata extensions such as `<mda:metadata>` are preserved verbatim; inline formatting tags (`<g>`, `<x/>`, `<ph>`, `<bpt>`/`<ept>`, `<mrk>`) are displayed as non-editable visual chips that cannot be accidentally corrupted; `<alt-trans>` and `<mtc:match>` elements display as expandable reference rows; and `<context-group>` and custom extension elements survive editing without modification.

Xcode localization workflow

For Apple platform developers, XLIFF Editor 4.0 opens `.xcloc` localization catalog bundles directly, edits the contained XLIFF file, and writes it back without disturbing any other bundle contents — including `Source Contents`, `contents.json`, and other Xcode-managed resources. Combined with support for `<note>` elements that carry Xcode’s developer comments and context, the tool integrates into the Xcode export-translate-import cycle without friction.

Professional editing features

Version 4.0 delivers the editing capabilities that professional translators expect from a dedicated localization environment:

• Tag-aware editing: Inline formatting tags are displayed as visual chips in a dedicated segment editor. Tags cannot be split, deleted, or reordered accidentally. The tag structure is preserved through editing and serialization.
• Find and replace: Search across source, target, notes, and segment IDs with plain text, regular expression, and fuzzy matching modes. Replace in a single segment or across all visible results.
• Visual status tracking: Translation status indicators: untranslated, needs review, and final — are displayed alongside each segment with color-coded icons. Source list file entries show live untranslated and needs-review counts.
• Full undo and redo: Every editing action, including target edits, note changes, state changes, source-to-target copies, match applications, and batch replacements support multi-level undo with named action descriptions in the Edit menu.
• Keyboard-driven workflow: Tab advances through segments, Enter opens the segment editor, arrow keys navigate, and every action is accessible without a mouse. The editor automatically switches between inline editing for plain-text segments and the tag-aware popover for segments with formatting.
• Notes editing: Translator notes can be read and edited directly in the outline view, with CDATA content preserved through saves.

Additional Capabilities

XLIFF Editor 4.0 also supports sdlxliff and xlz package files, customizable spell checking and grammar checking, column sorting by translation status, batch operations across multiple selected rows, target language changes across all file elements, and full dark mode support. The application is built entirely with native macOS frameworks — no Electron, no Java, no web views.

Availability and pricing

XLIFF Editor 4.0 is available now for $39.99 at the following links, and in the Mac App Store:

https://xliffedit.com
https://sweetpproductions.com
https://apps.apple.com/app/id1054842874

About SweetP Productions

SweetP Productions develops privacy‑focused localization and productivity tools for macOS applications designed to give users greater control over their digital footprint. Its tools — ranging from cookie managers to MAC‑address spoofing and USB‑drive cleaners — prioritize security, simplicity, and human‑centered design to make every day browsing and device use safer and more transparent.