translate

name	translate
description	Use when translating one file, one section, or all docs with glossary and style constraints.
user-invocable	true
disable-model-invocation	true

Translate Document

Overview

Single-pass translation of markdown content to Traditional Chinese with glossary compliance, draft isolation, progress tracking, and one Git checkpoint commit per completed batch.

Core principle: Draft first, verify before writeback, never overwrite source with unverified output.

Task Initialization (MANDATORY)

Before ANY action, create tasks using TaskCreate:

• One task per target file
• One task for batch checkpoint
• One task for final verification

The Process

Step 1: Resolve Scope and Preconditions

1. Verify required files exist:

   • glossary.json
   • style-decisions.json
   • data/translation-progress.json If any are missing, stop and ask user to run /init-doc first.

2. Resolve target files:

   • If $ARGUMENTS specifies concrete file paths or a scoped pattern → use those directly as the current batch.
   • Otherwise (no args, all, or next) → auto-select from translation-progress.json:
     1. Resume first: collect all files with status in_progress (highest priority).
     2. Then queue: collect files with status not_started, in chapter order.
     3. Display selected files to user in Traditional Chinese before proceeding:

        翻譯進度：已完成 X / Y 個章節
        本批次已從進度表自動選取以下檔案：
        - [in_progress 繼續] <file>
        - [not_started 新增] <file>
        …
        是否繼續？或請指定其他範圍。
        

     4. Wait for user confirmation or override.
   • The selected target set for this run is one batch. If only one file is selected, that single file is the batch.

Verification: Target file list confirmed; all required files exist.

Step 2: Terminology Preflight (Fail-Closed)

uv run python scripts/validate_glossary.py
uv run python scripts/term_read.py --fail-on-missing --fail-on-forbidden

If preflight fails, stop and fix terminology first.

Verification: Both commands exit 0.

Step 3: Resolve Translation Mode

Read style-decisions.json.translation_mode.mode. If missing, ask user in Traditional Chinese:

• 完整翻譯：完整翻譯所有內容，保留原始結構與細節
• 摘要翻譯：精簡翻譯重點規則，省略範例與冗長說明

Persist mode before translating.

Verification: translation_mode.mode persisted in style-decisions.json.

Step 4: Prepare Draft Directory

For each target file, obtain its draft path (this also creates the directory):

uv run python scripts/draft.py --skill translate path <TARGET_FILE>

Use the printed path as <DRAFT_FILE> for that file.

Verification: Draft path returned; directory exists.

Step 5: Translate Per File

For each target file:

1. Mark task item in_progress
2. Update translation-progress.json status to in_progress
3. Read source content, glossary.json, and style-decisions.json（特別包含 translation_notes）
4. Get draft path:

   DRAFT_FILE=$(uv run python scripts/draft.py --skill translate path <TARGET_FILE>)
   

   Translate to $DRAFT_FILE:
   • Draft/source mapping is stored in .claude/skills/translate/.state/draft-manifest.json; do not add translation metadata to frontmatter
   • Traditional Chinese only (Taiwan usage), no Simplified Chinese
   • Preserve markdown structure exactly (frontmatter, headings, lists, tables, links, code blocks)
   • Follow every applicable note in style-decisions.json.translation_notes
   • Treat frontmatter.title as the page title; do not restate it anywhere in the body as a heading of any level (#, ##, etc.)
   • If the source page opens with an overview/introduction block that has no heading, translate it as plain body content; do not invent a # or ## 概覽 heading
   • Preserve image links exactly; if an image link appears within the source flow for a paragraph, keep the same link but place it near the middle of the translated paragraph instead of splitting the paragraph into separate blocks
   • Use glossary mappings exactly
   • Manual translation only (no script-generated prose)
   • Do NOT overwrite source file; write only to $DRAFT_FILE
5. Self-review the draft against source:
   • Missing or truncated content?
   • Glossary violations?
   • Violated any item in style-decisions.json.translation_notes?
   • Markdown structure broken?
   • Added any heading of any level that simply restates frontmatter.title?
   • Added 概覽/overview heading that does not exist in the source?
   • Image links preserved and kept inside the paragraph flow without splitting the paragraph?
   • Full-width punctuation correct?
   • Content contamination: any paragraph or block that has no corresponding source in the original file?
   • Untranslated English: any English left untranslated (excluding code/dice notation such as 1d6, +2)? Covers body text, headings, table cells, and game labels (status conditions, item tags, rule keywords/phrases). Terminology must match glossary.json; proper nouns follow style-decisions.json policy.
   • Fix any issues found in the draft directly
6. Writeback:

   uv run python scripts/draft.py --skill translate writeback <TARGET_FILE>
   

7. Immediately update translation-progress.json:
   • Set file status to completed
   • Recalculate _meta.completed (count of completed entries)
   • Update _meta.updated to current timestamp Do NOT defer this update; write it before moving to the next file.
8. Mark task item completed

Unknown term handling:

uv run python scripts/term_edit.py --term "<TERM>" --set-zh "<ZH>" --status approved --mark-term
uv run python scripts/term_read.py --fail-on-forbidden

Then continue translating with the updated glossary.

Verification: Self-review checklist passes; writeback exits 0; progress JSON updated.

Step 6: Batch Checkpoint Commit

After all files in the current batch are processed:

1. Run git status --short and verify batch scope before staging.
2. Stage only files touched by this batch:
   • completed translated source files from this batch
   • data/translation-progress.json
   • glossary.json if changed in this batch
   • style-decisions.json if changed in this batch
3. Create one checkpoint commit for the batch:

git commit -m "progress: X/Y"

4. Commit message rules:
   • keep it short and progress-only
   • use the current completion count from translation-progress.json
   • do not mention filenames, rationale, or extra prose
5. Never stage or commit unrelated user changes.
6. If no file reached completed in this batch, skip the commit.

Verification: git log -1 shows progress commit.

Step 7: Final Verification

uv run python scripts/validate_glossary.py
uv run python scripts/term_read.py --fail-on-missing --fail-on-forbidden

Mark final verification task item completed.

Verification: Both validation commands exit 0; all tasks completed.

Flowchart

digraph translate {
    rankdir=TB;
    scope [label="Resolve scope\n& preconditions", shape=box];
    preflight [label="Terminology\npreflight", shape=box];
    mode [label="Resolve\ntranslation mode", shape=box];
    translate [label="Translate file\n(self-review loop)", shape=box];
    writeback [label="Writeback +\nupdate progress", shape=box];
    checkpoint [label="Batch checkpoint\n& commit", shape=box];
    more [label="More files?", shape=diamond];
    verify [label="Final\nverification", shape=box];

    scope -> preflight -> mode -> translate;
    translate -> writeback;
    writeback -> checkpoint;
    checkpoint -> more;
    more -> translate [label="yes"];
    more -> verify [label="no"];
}

Progress Sync Contract (Required)

1. Sync task list and translation-progress.json at file start and file close.
2. Never defer sync until end-of-run.
3. Create the batch checkpoint commit immediately after batch completion; do not postpone it to a later batch.

Red Flags

Thought	Reality
"Just overwrite source, I'll review later"	Draft isolation exists for a reason. NEVER overwrite without self-review.
"Skip task updates until the end"	Sync contract is per-file, not per-run.
"I'll invent a translation for this unknown term"	Run term_edit.py --set-zh workflow. No exceptions.
"Skip terminology preflight, it was fine last time"	Glossary changes between runs. Always preflight.
"One file left, no need for checkpoint commit"	Every completed batch gets a commit. No exceptions.
"I can batch-replace with regex for speed"	Manual translation only. Script-generated prose is forbidden.
"I'll add a heading to restate the title"	Never restate frontmatter.title as a body heading.
"I'll add an overview heading for clarity"	Never invent a heading that does not exist in the source.

When to Stop and Ask for Help

Stop when:

• mode policy is unclear
• source text ambiguity changes mechanics meaning
• repeated terminology conflicts block translation integrity

When to Revisit Earlier Steps

Return to Step 1 or 3 when:

• target scope changes
• translation mode changes
• glossary decisions change materially

Next Step

After translation, run /check-consistency and /check-completeness as needed.

Example Usage

/translate
/translate docs/src/content/docs/rules/basic.md
/translate rules
/translate all