Common issues

A short list of things that come up often, and what to do about them. Because Aquilla is in beta, if something here doesn’t match what you see, the product is the source of truth, and the gap is worth reporting.

My edits say “queued” or “offline”

This is usually fine. Aquilla saves every edit to a local outbox first and sends it to the server when the connection is healthy.

• Queued: your edits are saved on this device and waiting to send.
• Offline: there’s no connection right now; your edits are safe and will send automatically when you’re back online.

In the desktop app, the same indicator also counts edits waiting in the offline queue of a downloaded project, so they show as “Queued N” instead of “Synced”. When the desktop app can’t reach the server, the indicator reads “On device · N” instead: the edits are saved on this device and upload once the server is reachable again. For a project you downloaded, hover the indicator to see “Last upload: …. Last download: ….” with how long ago each was.

Check your internet connection. You can keep translating either way; nothing is lost. See Real-time sync & presence.

The desktop app starts with no connection

The organization’s home page needs the server, so when you launch the desktop app with no connection it goes straight back to the last project you had open instead, as long as that project is downloaded on this device for the account you’re signed in with. The downloaded copy opens ready to edit, and your edits upload once you’re back online. If you go back to the organization page while still offline, the app leaves you there.

The desktop app says a project “is no longer available to you”

In the desktop app, a project you downloaded for offline use can show this message: ““{name}” is no longer available to you on the server, so this device has stopped syncing it.” Under it: “It may have been deleted or archived, or your access was removed. You can still read the copy on this device.”

The copy on your device is safe to read, but it no longer syncs. First find out why: ask a project lead whether the project was archived or deleted, or whether your access changed. If access comes back, the project syncs again. The toast offers Remove offline copy only when nothing on the device is waiting to send. If it says changes haven’t been sent, ask a project lead before you remove the copy, because those changes can’t reach the server until your access is restored.

The desktop app says changes I made offline “couldn’t be saved”

In the desktop app, edits you make offline on a downloaded project wait in a queue on your device and go to the server when you reconnect. If the server refuses one for good (for example, the language lane was removed while you were away), Aquilla no longer drops it silently. A toast stays on screen: “1 change you made offline couldn’t be saved — the server refused it.” (for several, “N changes you made offline couldn’t be saved — the server refused them.”). The sync chip at the bottom of the workspace counts the same changes as failed (for example “1 failed”) instead of showing Synced.

• Retry puts the changes back in the queue to send again.
• Discard asks “Discard 1 change? It can’t be recovered.” (for several, “Discard N changes? They can’t be recovered.”). Choose Discard again to delete them from the device; the text then disappears from the editor. Keep cancels and leaves them as they are.

Before you discard, ask a project lead why the server refused the change, since a discarded edit cannot be brought back.

My import fails with a “source too large” error

Source uploads are capped at 50 MB. Split the document into smaller files, or trim any embedded media, then re-import.

Word (.docx) export isn’t offered for my file

Word export needs a stored copy of your original .docx file. The file must have been imported as .docx in the first place, and files imported before Word round-trip export existed may not have a stored original. Re-import the file to enable Word export.

I don’t see a teammate’s latest changes

Presence and edits sync live when everyone is connected. If you’re not seeing updates, check your sync status (above). After a migration import, updates to cells you’ve already edited won’t appear live; close and reopen the project to pull them in.

Transcription failed

If a transcription attempt fails, you’ll see a Transcription failed badge next to the Transcribe button, with Retry and Dismiss options: try again, or see Audio & voices.

If the details say “The transcription model isn’t responding”, the hosted model itself didn’t answer. Try again in a moment. If it keeps failing, click Change model in the same popover to pick a different model under Preferences → Local models → Transcription, or transcribe on this device instead.

An amber waiting for model badge on a recording means the transcription service is still getting ready. The take is transcribed as soon as it is; you don’t need to do anything.

Local Whisper is slow on my computer

If your device has no usable graphics card, local Whisper switches to a slower mode that runs on the processor. It no longer shows Failed under Preferences → Local models. Transcription still works, but each recording takes longer. To skip the wait, choose Aquilla hosted (recommended) under Preferences → Local models → Transcription. See Audio & voices.

The microphone won’t record

Aquilla needs permission to use your microphone. When prompted, choose Allow. If you dismissed the prompt, re-enable mic access for aquilla.app in your browser’s site settings, then reload. Audio recording works in current Chromium-based browsers and Firefox. See Audio & voices.

Audio won’t play, or is slow the first time

The first time you play a voice in a given language, Aquilla downloads that language’s speech model, so the first playback can take a moment. After that it’s cached and works offline. If playback never starts, check that your browser isn’t blocking the download and reload the page.

A cell has no decay marker: does that mean it’s done?

No. A missing decay marker only means decay hasn’t crossed the warning threshold, not that a human has confirmed the cell. Use the reviewer queue and the Health Ring to see real validation coverage.

An AI action shows an error like “Too much text for this model”

When a draft, back-translation, or agent request fails, Aquilla now shows a short, plain-language reason instead of the raw error the AI provider sent back: for example, “Too much text for this model,” “The request timed out,” or “Too many requests right now,” each with a line on what to do (draft fewer cells at once, wait and retry, and so on). A draft that would change formatting a document protects (in an InDesign file, for example) stops with “Protected formatting stopped this draft”: nothing is saved, so draft the cell again or type the translation yourself around the protected part. If the reason isn’t recognized, you’ll see “Something went wrong” with an info button; open it for the technical detail and a Copy button to send to support.

I see “The AI returned an empty translation. Please try again.”

The AI provider sent back nothing usable for that cell. Nothing was saved; click Translate with AI again, or translate the cell by hand. If it keeps happening on the same cell, the source text may be the problem (very short, or unusual formatting); try a neighbouring cell to check.

Hosted AI is paused for the rest of the day

Sometimes hosted AI features (drafting, voices, and the like) stop with “Hosted AI is paused for the rest of the day”. This is a pause across Aquilla, not a problem with your project, and your own work is unaffected. It resets at midnight UTC. To keep going now, switch this project to a custom AI provider in Project Settings.

Sign-in says “Login failed (429)”

Aquilla throttles sign-in attempts after too many wrong passwords in a row, on that account and from your network, as a security measure. Wait a few minutes before trying again. Your account isn’t locked permanently, and if you’ve genuinely forgotten your password, use Forgot password? instead of retrying.

I can’t export a file

You may not have export permission. The dialog says “You don’t have export permission.” An organization owner can restrict exporting to higher roles; see Roles & permissions.

I can’t edit / I don’t see an option I expected

You may not have the role for it. Editing, validating, inviting, exporting, and changing settings each need a certain role. See Roles & permissions, and ask a project maintainer or owner if you need more access.

My view settings didn’t follow me to another computer

That’s expected: view settings and “resume where I left off” are stored per account in this browser and don’t sync across devices. Set them again on the new device.