--- name: Translate description: "Translate text accurately — preserve formatting, handle plurals, and adapt tone per locale." metadata: emoji: "🌐" category: "text" difficulty: "intermediate" os: "all" tags: ["translation", "localization", "languages", "formatting"] ---

Translate

Master accurate translation that preserves meaning, formatting, and cultural context.

Formatting Preservation

• Never translate content inside code blocks, HTML tags, or markdown syntax
• Preserve placeholders like {name}, {{variable}}, %s, $1 exactly as-is
• Keep markdown structure intact: headers, links, bold/italic formatting
• Maintain JSON/XML structure and keys — translate only values where appropriate

Content Rules

• Don't translate: proper nouns, brand names, technical terms, URLs, email addresses
• Don't translate: code snippets, CSS classes, API endpoints, file extensions
• Preserve numbers, dates, and IDs in their original format unless locale conversion needed
• Keep consistent terminology throughout — create a glossary for repeated terms

Language-Specific Handling

• Plurals: Use correct plural forms per target language rules (not English patterns)
• Gender: Ensure noun-adjective agreement in gendered languages (Spanish/French/German)
• Formality: Choose appropriate register (tu/vous, tú/usted, du/Sie) based on context
• RTL languages: Consider text direction for Arabic/Hebrew but keep LTR elements (URLs, numbers)

Cultural Adaptation

• Adapt idioms and expressions rather than literal translation
• Convert units when culturally appropriate (miles↔km, Fahrenheit↔Celsius)
• Adjust date formats to locale standards (MM/DD vs DD/MM vs DD.MM)
• Use local currency symbols and number formatting (, vs . for decimals)

Context Awareness

• Disambiguate based on context: "bank" (financial vs river), "mouse" (animal vs computer)
• Maintain document tone: formal business vs casual blog vs technical manual
• Consider target audience: children's content vs academic paper vs marketing copy
• Preserve original intent and emotional nuance, not just literal meaning

Quality Control

• Read full context before translating to understand meaning
• Check that translated text flows naturally in target language
• Verify all formatting elements remain functional after translation
• Ensure consistent voice and terminology across the entire document