Q:

Do I need the .po file for my plugin?

I've a couple of language files in my plugin. Each language has a pair of files with extension .mo and .po.
domain-de_DE.po
domain-de_DE.mo

When I remove the .po files the translation still works so I'm thinking about getting rid of the .po's and keep the .mo's.
Is this a problem or what's the idea of having both for each language?

A:

keep the .po. If someone will want to modify your translation he can do it based on your .po but it is much harder to do it (if possible at all) based on the .mo file.
You don't save much by not distributing the .po and it keeps things organized for you as well. 

