I use Iceweasel (Firefox on Debian 8.5) 38.8.0, but I have check it with Chromium 51.0.2704.79 and it happens alike.

Could you please give the article title that you were trying to translate? When you tried to publish, did the tool showed any error? What happened when you tried to publish. How did you know that translation is not saving? What error message you saw?

Hi @santhosh!

1. It happens in every article that I want to translate. The first case that I note that problem was with Comité Olímpico da Oceania, but I translated it and then I write each reference in the Spanish version. I know it happens in every article because if I'm going to translate from Portuguese to Spanish again, an article like Comité Paralímpico Canadense, it happens again ―errors alike―.
2. The tool doesn't show any error. When I click in the reference number in the original part to be translate it doesn't show the box and option to add the reference; in another translations, like from Spanish to Portuguese, I can click in the reference and add it with "Add reference" in the right side.
3. When I tried to publish and it doesn't "translate" the reference, it publish the article. Nothings happens, the tool tell me that I have publish the article and give me a link to read it.
4. I know that the translation is not saving because when I am translating I don't see any message that tell me "Saved 2 minutes ago" or "Saved recently". Then, to verify that it isn't saving the work that I have do I return to the translation panel and I haven't the work saved.
5. It doesn't show any error, but I know for what I have told you in the 4 point about it.

Thanks for your reply! I hope it could fix soon.
Regards, Ivanhercaz

One detail that I think is important: the problem is not from the Portuguese to Spanish, the problem is from any language to Spanish. I have tried to translate one article and when I was going to publish I check that I can't :( The situation was worst when I check that it did not save the progress.

It happened with the same details that I described for the first test (Portuguese to Spanish). From English to Portuguese, Spanish to Portuguese, Spanish to Catalan, etc., I haven't any problem.

Thanks, I am able to reproduce the issue. Will fix it very soon.

Thank you for your help @santhosh!

Change 304967 had a related patch set uploaded (by Santhosh):
Source filter: Do not remove references list

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/304967

Change 304967 merged by Nikerabbit:
Source filter: Do not remove references list

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/304967