# android lint error: missing translations in default locale

## TL;DR

Fixes the Android lint MissingTranslation error when a string exists in a translated locale but not in the default values file. Add the string to values/strings.xml. Use when lint fails the build on missing default translations. Not for untranslatable strings.

## The error

```text
Error: "promo_banner" is translated here but not found in default locale [MissingTranslation]
```

## Fix it

### Step 1: Find the offending string

```bash
grep -rn "promo_banner" app/src/main/res/values-*/strings.xml | head -5
```

Expected: You see which locale defines it and that values/strings.xml does not.

### Step 2: Add it to the default locale

```bash
node -e "console.log('add promo_banner to app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml')"
```

Expected: The default file now defines the string.

### Step 3: Re-run lint

```bash
./gradlew lintDebug | tail -3
```

Expected: Lint passes with no MissingTranslation errors.

## When to use this

- Android lint fails on MissingTranslation
- A string was added to a translation but not to the default file

## When NOT to use this

- The string should never be translated, mark it translatable false
- Lint warns but does not fail, check your lint severity config

## Tool and version compatibility

- Android Gradle Plugin 8
- Any minSdk with resource shrinking

## Variant phrasings

### error after adding a new language

Translators delivered strings for keys the default file never had. Add them to default first.

### string exists in default but lint still fails

A product flavor overrides values without the string. Check flavor resource sets.

## Why it happens

Android falls back to the default locale for any missing translation, so every string must exist in values/. A string present only in values-de/ breaks that contract, and lint fails the build to catch it before release.

## Edge cases

- translatable=false strings are exempt; use it for deliberate exceptions
- Library modules merge resources, so the missing default can live in a dependency
- Lint baselines can hide this error until the baseline is refreshed

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_u16i49zwg2rrtj9L0heGzQ