i18n-translation

name	i18n-translation
description	Guide for adding internationalization support in the DEVS platform. Use this when asked to add new languages, translate strings, or work with i18n files. Use when this capability is needed.
metadata	{"author":"codename-co"}

Internationalization (i18n) for DEVS

DEVS supports multiple languages. All user-facing strings must be translatable.

Supported Languages

• en - English (default)
• fr - French
• es - Spanish
• de - German
• it - Italian
• ja - Japanese
• zh - Chinese
• ko - Korean
• pt - Portuguese

File Locations

• UI translations: src/i18n/locales/{lang}.ts
• Agent translations: public/agents/*.agent.yaml (i18n section)
• Methodology translations: public/methodologies/*.methodology.yaml (i18n section)

UI Translation Structure

// src/i18n/locales/en.ts
export default {
  common: {
    save: 'Save',
    cancel: 'Cancel',
    delete: 'Delete',
    edit: 'Edit',
    loading: 'Loading...',
    error: 'An error occurred',
  },
  agents: {
    title: 'Agents',
    create: 'Create Agent',
    edit: 'Edit Agent',
    delete: 'Delete Agent',
    name: 'Name',
    role: 'Role',
    instructions: 'Instructions',
  },
  conversations: {
    title: 'Conversations',
    new: 'New Conversation',
    empty: 'No messages yet',
    placeholder: 'Type your message...',
  },
  // ... more sections
}

Using Translations in Components

import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next'

function MyComponent() {
  const { t } = useTranslation()

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>{t('agents.title')}</h1>
      <Button>{t('common.save')}</Button>

      {/* With interpolation */}
      <p>{t('agents.greeting', { name: agent.name })}</p>

      {/* With pluralization */}
      <p>{t('agents.count', { count: agents.length })}</p>
    </div>
  )
}

Interpolation

// In translation file
{
  greeting: 'Hello, {{name}}!',
  itemCount: '{{count}} item',
  itemCount_plural: '{{count}} items',
}

// In component
t('greeting', { name: 'John' })  // "Hello, John!"
t('itemCount', { count: 1 })     // "1 item"
t('itemCount', { count: 5 })     // "5 items"

Adding a New Translation Key

1. Add the key to src/i18n/locales/en.ts (default language)
2. Add translations to all other language files
3. Use the key in your component with t('section.key')

// 1. Add to en.ts
export default {
  myFeature: {
    title: 'My Feature',
    description: 'This is my new feature',
  },
}

// 2. Add to fr.ts
export default {
  myFeature: {
    title: 'Ma Fonctionnalité',
    description: 'Ceci est ma nouvelle fonctionnalité',
  },
}

// 3. Use in component
const { t } = useTranslation()
<h1>{t('myFeature.title')}</h1>

Agent/Methodology i18n

Add translations directly in YAML files:

id: my-agent
name: My Agent
desc: Short description
role: Role description
instructions: |
  English instructions...

i18n:
  fr:
    name: Mon Agent
    desc: Description courte
    role: Description du rôle
    instructions: |
      Instructions en français...
  es:
    name: Mi Agente
    desc: Descripción corta
    role: Descripción del rol
    instructions: |
      Instrucciones en español...
  de:
    name: Mein Agent
    desc: Kurze Beschreibung
    role: Rollenbeschreibung
    instructions: |
      Anweisungen auf Deutsch...

Critical Rules

1. Use Curly Apostrophe

Always use ' (curly apostrophe) instead of ' (straight apostrophe) in translation strings:

// ✅ Correct
"It's working" // Using '
"Don't forget" // Using '

// ❌ Wrong
"It's working" // Using '
"Don't forget" // Using '

2. Alphabetical Ordering

Keep translation keys in alphabetical order within each section:

export default {
  common: {
    cancel: 'Cancel', // a
    delete: 'Delete', // d
    edit: 'Edit', // e
    save: 'Save', // s
  },
}

3. Consistent Key Naming

Use camelCase for keys, organized by feature:

{
  agents: {
    createNew: 'Create New Agent',
    deleteConfirm: 'Are you sure you want to delete this agent?',
    editTitle: 'Edit Agent',
  },
}

4. No HTML in Translations

Avoid HTML in translation strings. Use Trans component for complex formatting:

import { Trans } from 'react-i18next'

// Instead of: t('message', { link: '<a href="...">' })
;<Trans i18nKey="learnMore">
  Click <a href="/docs">here</a> to learn more.
</Trans>

Adding a New Language

1. Create new locale file: src/i18n/locales/{lang}.ts
2. Copy structure from en.ts and translate all strings
3. Add language code to src/i18n/locales.ts
4. Add language option to settings UI

// src/i18n/locales.ts
export const supportedLocales = [
  { code: 'en', name: 'English' },
  { code: 'fr', name: 'Français' },
  { code: 'es', name: 'Español' },
  { code: 'new', name: 'New Language' }, // Add new language
] as const

Validation

Run type checking to ensure all translation keys are present:

npm run typecheck

Missing translations will cause TypeScript errors if the translation types are properly configured.

Testing Translations

import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest'

// Mock translations
vi.mock('react-i18next', () => ({
  useTranslation: () => ({
    t: (key: string, params?: object) => {
      if (params) {
        return `${key}:${JSON.stringify(params)}`
      }
      return key
    },
  }),
  Trans: ({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) => children,
}))

describe('MyComponent', () => {
  it('renders translated title', () => {
    render(<MyComponent />)
    expect(screen.getByText('myFeature.title')).toBeInTheDocument()
  })
})

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