translation
This skill guides translation workflows, terminology management, style guides, and quality assurance for multilingual content. Use it when creating glossaries, establishing translation processes, choosing between human and machine translation, developing style guides per language, and ensuring consistency and SEO optimization across localized content.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills /tmp/translation && cp -r /tmp/translation/skills/content/translation ~/.claude/skills/translationSKILL.md
# 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) --- ## 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** | 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. --- ## 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 untransla
When the user wants to create, optimize, or audit About page content. Also use when the user mentions "about page," "about us," "company story," "our team," "about section," "company overview," "brand story," "team page," or "who we are." For sitewide page planning, use website-structure.
When the user wants to plan, implement, or optimize affiliate marketing strategy. Also use when the user mentions "affiliate marketing," "affiliate program strategy," "CPS model," "affiliate recruitment," "commission structure," "affiliate partners," "affiliate network," "affiliate tracking," "affiliate commission," or "partner marketing." For affiliate page, use affiliate-page-generator.
When the user wants to create, optimize, or audit affiliate program page content. Also use when the user mentions "affiliate program," "affiliate page," "partner program," "referral program page," "affiliate landing," "partner landing," "commission page," or "affiliate signup." For affiliate program strategy, use affiliate-marketing.
When the user wants to track AI search traffic in GA4 or GSC. Also use when the user mentions "AI traffic," "ChatGPT referral," "Perplexity traffic," "AI Overviews," "GA4 AI sources," "AI search analytics," "track AI referrals," "AI search traffic," "Claude traffic," or "how to track AI traffic." For AI SEO strategy, use generative-engine-optimization.
When the user wants to create, optimize, or audit alternatives or comparison content (page or blog article). Also use when the user mentions "alternatives page," "alternatives listicle," "X alternatives," "competitor comparison," "vs page," "compare page," "best alternatives to X," "switch from X," "competitor brand traffic," "brand keyword ads," or "intercept competitor search." For competitor research, use competitor-research.
When the user wants to set up, audit, or optimize analytics tracking (GA4, events, conversions). Also use when the user mentions "Google Analytics," "GA4," "event tracking," "conversions," "attribution model," "gtag," "data layer," "GA4 setup," "conversion tracking," "event setup," "User ID tracking," or "CTA attribution." For traffic insights, use traffic-analysis.
When the user wants to create, optimize, or audit the API introduction/overview page. Also use when the user mentions "API page," "API landing page," "/api page," "API overview," "developer landing," "API marketing," or "API for developers." Note: API documentation (endpoint reference) lives in docs; use docs-page-generator.
When the user wants to write, generate, or create article body content—blog post body, long-form content, how-to guide, listicle. Also use when the user mentions "write article," "article content," "blog post content," "article body," "long-form content creation," "generate article," "article draft," "how-to guide content," "listicle content," "information gain," or "content density." For single post page structure, schema, and SEO metadata, use article-page-generator. For blog index/listing page, use blog-page-generator. For short ad, landing, or email copy, use copywriting.