Error when running cordova build –release android

One can be more specific by just adding

lintOptions {
    disable MissingTranslation
}

For those who prefer to keep platforms directory out of the VCS (Git, etc),
the best solution at the moment is to use a plugin called ignore-lint-translation.

cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-ignore-lint-translation --save

The effective result is the addition of a gradle file that will disable such lint options (doh!).

Solved this by adding

lintOptions {
    abortOnError false
}

to the android {} section in /platforms/android/build.gradle

Add the following entry to the /platforms/android/build.gradle file in your Ionic project:

android {
   lintOptions { disable 'MissingTranslation', 'ExtraTranslation' }
}

worked.