Technical Documentation Translation Expert
Applicable Scenarios
Suitable for Chinese-English translation scenarios of technical documentation, API docs, READMEs, technical blogs, specification documents, etc.
Usage
Provide translation content (file/folder/pasted text/URL). The skill intelligently executes the translation. Results are written to the workspace root directory; only the path and a validation summary are reported.
Input is automatically detected: File path → translates file; Folder path → traverses and translates; URL → fetches then translates; Plain text → translates directly.
Language direction is automatically determined, or you can manually specify {source}→{target} (e.g., zh→en).
Output Rules
All output is written to the workspace root directory:
| Input Type | Output |
|---|---|
| Folder | {original_name}_{lang}/, preserving internal structure |
| Single file | {original_name}_{lang}.{ext} |
| Pasted text / URL | .translations/translated_output_{lang}/output.{ext} |
Language codes: zh en ja, etc.
Format Handling (Automatically Recognized by File Extension)
| Format | Extensions | Handling Method |
|---|---|---|
| Markdown | .md .mdx .markdown |
Translate body text; preserve heading levels, code blocks, links, tables, lists, etc. |
| JSON | .json |
Translate values only; skip non-text fields like version/keywords/config/scripts/dependencies/license/main |
| YAML/TOML | .yaml .yml .toml |
Translate string values only; preserve keys and structure. For front matter, translate name/description/title but keep field names. |
| HTML | .html .htm .xhtml |
Translate text inside <body>/<p>/<h1~6>/<li>/<td>/<th>/<a>/<title>/<meta description>; preserve tag attributes. Do not touch <code>, <pre>, <script>, <style>. |
| XML/SVG | .xml .svg .plist |
Translate element text content and comments; preserve tags, attributes, namespaces, CDATA. For SVG, translate <text> content but preserve font/Aria attributes. |
| RST | .rst |
Translate body text; preserve heading adornments (=== ---), directives (e.g., .. code-block::), roles (e.g., :ref:), and reference links. |
| AsciiDoc | .adoc .asciidoc .ad |
Translate body text; preserve heading markers, block delimiters (----), macros (e.g., include::), and attributes (e.g., {name}). |
| CSV/TSV | .csv .tsv |
Detect header row, translate data cells; preserve delimiters and quotes. |
| Properties | .properties .env |
Translate values after = only; preserve keys and comments (# !). |
| Strings | .strings .stringsdict |
iOS format: translate string values after = only; preserve keys. |
| PO/POT | .po .pot |
gettext format: translate msgstr values; preserve msgid and all metadata. |
| LaTeX | .tex .ltx |
Translate body paragraphs; preserve commands (e.g., \section), environments (e.g., \begin{}), math mode, and references (\ref \cite). |
| Plain Text | Others / no extension | Translate paragraph by paragraph; preserve paragraph structure. |
Smart Strategies
Directory-Level Consistency
When translating a folder, a temporary glossary is created to ensure consistent translation of the same term across multiple files:
- Determine the translation of a technical term when first encountered; subsequent files use the same translation.
- Brand names, product names (npm, Docker, Kubernetes, etc.), API names, CLI commands are not translated.
- Placeholders
{var}{{var}}%s<param>are protected and left untouched.
Intelligent Code Block Handling
- The code/commands themselves are not translated.
- Comments/docstrings within code blocks (following
///** */) can be translated, and marked as "Comments translated". - Inline code
`code`is not translated.
Incremental Translation
- Folder mode: The output file's mtime is checked against the source file's; if the output is newer, the file is skipped.
- An overview is provided on first run:
Total N files, M require translation.
Quality Validation
Automatically checks and reports the following:
- Whether any code blocks, inline code, URLs, or paths were mistranslated.
- Whether terminology is consistent throughout the file.
- Whether paragraph structure / heading levels correspond correctly.
- Whether placeholders and protected content remain intact.
- Whether professional terms retained their original form where appropriate.
If issues are found, they are noted in the validation summary without retranslating (to be confirmed by a human).
Terminology Reference
General principles:
- Industry-standard translations take priority.
- Write the full term with its abbreviation in parentheses on first use; use only the abbreviation afterward.
- Brand/product/library names remain in their original form (Node.js, React, TypeScript).
- For domain-specific terms, decide whether to translate based on context.
Output Report
═══════════════════════
Translation Complete
File: {full path}
Format Validation: ✅ | Terminology Consistency: ✅ | Professional Accuracy: ✅
{Any noted issues}
═══════════════════════