translation

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name: translation description: When the user wants to translate content, create translation workflows, manage terminology, or optimize translation quality. Also use when the user mentions "translate," "translation," "localization copy," "glossary," "terminology," "style guide translation," "machine translation," "human translation," "TMS," or "multilingual content." For strategy, use localization-strategy. metadata: version: 1.0.1

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Content: Translation

Guides translation workflow, terminology, style, and quality for multilingual content. Covers when to use human vs machine translation, glossary and style guide creation, and SEO considerations. For i18n implementation, hreflang, and URL structure, see localization-strategy.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Scope

Workflow: Brief → translate → review

Terminology: Glossary creation and management

Style guide: Voice, tone, formatting per language

Human vs MT: When to use each; post-editing

Quality: QA, consistency, SEO

Market-specific: Terminology by region

Initial Assessment

Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for brand voice, target markets, and product terminology.

Identify: 1. Content type: Product UI, marketing copy, blog, landing page, docs 2. Target language(s): Priority locales 3. Existing assets: Glossary, style guide, translation memory (TM)

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1. Translation Workflow

Brief → Translate → Review

| Phase | Purpose | Output | |-------|---------|--------| | Brief | Context, audience, tone, glossary reference, style guide | Translator brief document | | Translate | First pass; use glossary + TM when available | Draft translation | | Review | Native speaker review; consistency, brand voice, SEO | Final translation |

Translator Brief

Include in every project:

Context: What the content is for (landing page, product UI, blog)

Audience: Target market, user persona

Tone: Formal, casual, technical

Glossary: Link or attach; mandatory terms

Style guide: Reference or key rules

Constraints: Character limits (UI), SEO keywords to include naturally

Content-Type Workflow

| Content Type | Approach | Notes | |--------------|----------|-------| | Product UI | Glossary-critical; short strings; consistency | Use TM; avoid machine translation | | Marketing copy | Brand voice; cultural adaptation | Human translation; see terminology | | Blog / Article | SEO; natural keyword placement | Re-research keywords in target language; don't translate keyword lists | | Landing page | Conversion-focused; CTA clarity | Human; test localized CTAs | | Technical docs | Precision; glossary | TM + glossary; consider MT + post-edit for high volume |

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2. Glossary & Terminology

Glossary Purpose

Consistency: Same term translated the same way across all content

Brand: Product names, feature names, approved phrasing

Compliance: Safety, legal, regulated terms

Cost: Reduces rework; accelerates review

Glossary Structure

| Field | Purpose | |-------|---------| | Source term | Original (e.g., English) | | Target term | Approved translation | | Context | Where it appears; usage note | | Do not translate | Brand names, product names (when applicable) |

Market-Specific Terminology

| Term | English | Chinese | Notes | |------|---------|---------|------| | Generative AI | Generative AI, GenAI | AIGC (人工智能生成内容) | Use "AIGC" for China; "Generative AI" for English | | Influencer | Influencer | KOL (关键意见领袖) | "KOL" common in Chinese marketing | | User | User | 用户 | Context-dependent | | Dashboard | Dashboard | 控制台, 仪表盘 | Choose one; document in glossary |

Principle: Don't translate terminology lists; research how target market searches and speaks. See keyword-research for multi-language keyword research.

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3. Style Guide (Translation)

Elements to Define

| Element | Purpose | |---------|---------| | Voice | Brand personality; formal vs casual | | Tone | Varies by content type (support = helpful; marketing = persuasive) | | Register | Formal (您) vs informal (你) in languages that distinguish | | Punctuation | Quotation marks, spacing (e.g., no space before colon in French) | | Formatting | Dates, numbers, units; locale-specific | | Forbidden | Terms or phrases to avoid |

Per-Language Considerations

Chinese: Simplified vs Traditional; measure word usage

German: Formal (Sie) vs informal (du); compound nouns

Japanese: Honorifics; keigo for formal contexts

Arabic: RTL; formal vs dialect

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4. Human vs Machine Translation

When to Use Human Translation

| Scenario | Reason | |----------|--------| | Product UI | Terminology, UX clarity, brand | | Marketing copy | Persuasion, cultural nuance, CTAs | | Landing pages | Conversion; tested copy | | Legal, compliance | Accuracy, liability | | Brand-critical | Taglines, campaign copy |

When Machine Translation (MT) May Be Acceptable

| Scenario | Condition | |----------|-----------| | High-volume, low-stakes | Internal docs, user-generated content | | Draft / triage | MT + human post-edit (MTPE) | | Real-time | Chat, support; with disclaimer |

Avoid

Raw MT for product/marketing: Terminology errors, cultural misfires, poor SEO

MT without post-edit for customer-facing content

Translating keyword lists instead of re-researching in target language

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5. Translation Memory (TM) & TMS

Translation Memory

What: Stores approved source↔target sentence pairs

Benefit: Consistency; reuse; lower cost per word; faster turnaround

Best practice: Maintain TM; clean duplicates; align with glossary

Translation Management System (TMS)

Use for: Centralized workflow; glossary + TM integration; vendor management

When: Multiple languages; ongoing translation; team collaboration

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6. Quality & SEO

Quality Checklist

[ ] Glossary terms used correctly

[ ] Style guide followed

[ ] No untranslated strings

[ ] Numbers, dates, units localized

[ ] Character limits respected (UI)

[ ] Native speaker review completed

SEO for Translated Content

Keywords: Re-research in target language; don't translate from source

Metadata: Title, description translated; see title-tag, meta-description

Hreflang: Technical implementation in localization-strategy; translation produces the content

Thin content: Avoid publishing many low-quality translated pages at once; can trigger penalties. See localization-strategy Multilingual Risks.

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7. Integration with Localization

| Topic | Skill | |-------|-------| | i18n implementation | localization-strategy | | URL structure, hreflang | localization-strategy | | Translation workflow, glossary, style | This skill (translation) | | Keyword research by market | keyword-research; localization-strategy |

When adding a new locale: create glossary, style guide, then translate. See localization-strategy for technical checklist (hreflang, sitemap, metadata).

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Output Format

Translator brief (context, audience, glossary, style)

Glossary additions or updates

Style guide notes for target language

Human vs MT recommendation

Quality checklist

Related Skills

Strategy & Technical

localization-strategy: i18n, hreflang, URL structure, pricing by market; translation produces content for localized pages

content-strategy: Multilingual content planning; avoid thin translations

content-marketing: Content types and formats; translation as one channel adaptation

SEO & Content

keyword-research: Multi-language keyword research; don't translate keyword lists

page-metadata: Hreflang implementation

title-tag, meta-description: Translate metadata per locale

copywriting: Source copy to translate; brand voice

image-optimization: Localize image filenames for translated pages

Pages

article-page-generator: Article structure; translate with SEO in mind

landing-page-generator: Landing page copy; human translation for conversion