Do Not Translate (DNT)
"Do Not Translate" (DNT) refers to a directive—often implemented via code tags like <span class="notranslate">—that instructs translation engines to ignore specific strings of text. This is critical for preserving brand names, technical codes, trademarks, proper nouns, or any content that should remain unchanged across languages.
Protecting Critical Content from Over-Translation
Without DNT tags, AI translation engines will over-translate. Brand names like "Microsoft Windows" become "Microsoft Ventanas" (windows) in Spanish, product codes like "SKU-12345" get garbled, and programming syntax in tutorials breaks entirely. DNT tagging is essential for Entity Locking strategy. Modern translation platforms support various DNT methods: HTML class="notranslate", XML tags, or explicit glossary rules. The key is applying DNT systematically across all content before translation begins, preventing expensive post-translation cleanup where you manually fix thousands of incorrectly translated brand mentions.
Auto-Translate Everything vs. Selective DNT
Real-World Impact
Coding tutorial site translates without DNT tags
Code examples broken: "function" → "función"
Code doesn't run, users frustrated, 1-star reviews
Wrap all code in <code class="notranslate"> tags
Code syntax preserved perfectly in all languages
Tutorials work, user satisfaction 92%