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:

Content type

Product UI, marketing copy, blog, landing page, docs

Target language(s)

Priority locales

Existing assets

Glossary, style guide, translation memory (TM)

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

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

KOL (关键意见领袖)

"KOL" common in Chinese marketing

User

用户

Context-dependent

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.

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

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

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

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. 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). Output Format Translator brief (context, audience, glossary, style) Glossary additions or updates Style guide notes for target language Human vs MT recommendation Quality checklist

安装