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What is i18n?

i18n is Unbound’s localization layer. It loads string tables for the user’s active Discord locale, falls back to en-US, and gives you a Messages proxy and a format function to render those strings, so your addon speaks the user’s language without you wiring up locale detection yourself.

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The Messages proxy

Messages is a proxy over the loaded string tables. Read a key off it and it resolves through three layers in order: the active locale, then en-US, then the key itself (so a missing translation degrades to something readable instead of undefined). 
import { i18n } from '@unbound-app/api';

i18n.Messages.SETTINGS; // → "Settings" in the user's language

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Formatting

When a string has placeholders, use format. It resolves the key through Messages, then interpolates your variables using ICU MessageFormat, so plurals, selects, and named slots all work. 
import { i18n } from '@unbound-app/api';

// string: "Deleted {count, plural, one {# message} other {# messages}}"
i18n.format('MESSAGES_DELETED', { count: 3 }); // → "Deleted 3 messages"

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Addon localizations

Your addon ships its own strings, and defineLocalizations gives it an isolated Messages/format pair over a table you provide. It shares the active locale with core, so your strings switch languages in lockstep with Discord, but your keys stay your own. 
import { i18n } from '@unbound-app/api';

const { Messages, format } = i18n.defineLocalizations({
	'en-US': { GREETING: 'Hello, {name}!' },
	'fr':    { GREETING: 'Bonjour, {name} !' },
});

format('GREETING', { name: 'Mario' });
Always include an en-US table. It’s the fallback every other locale resolves to when a key is missing.