7.7 KiB

Raw Blame History

Translation Workflow Details

This file provides detailed guidelines for each workflow step. Steps are shared across modes:

Quick: Translate only (no steps from this file)
Normal: Step 1 (Analysis) → Translate
Refined: Step 1 (Analysis) → Step 2 (Draft) → Step 3 (Review) → Step 4 (Polish)
Normal → Upgrade: After normal mode, user can continue with Step 3 → Step 4

All intermediate results are saved as files in the output directory.

Step 1: Content Analysis

Before translating, deeply analyze the source material. Save analysis to 01-analysis.md in the output directory. Focus on dimensions that directly inform translation quality.

1.1 Quick Summary

3-5 sentences capturing:

What is this content about?
What is the core argument?
What is the most valuable point?

1.2 Core Content

Core argument: One sentence summary
Key concepts: What key concepts does the author use? How are they defined?
Structure: How is the argument developed? How do sections connect?
Evidence: What specific examples, data, or authoritative citations are used?

1.3 Background Context

Author: Who is the author? What is their background and stance?
Writing context: What phenomenon, trend, or debate is this responding to?
Purpose: What problem is the author trying to solve? Who are they trying to influence?
Implicit assumptions: What unstated premises underlie the argument?

1.4 Terminology Extraction

List all technical terms, proper nouns, brand names, acronyms
Cross-reference with loaded glossaries
For terms not in glossary, research standard translations
Record decisions in a working terminology table

1.5 Tone & Style

Is the original formal or conversational?
Does it use humor, metaphor, or cultural references?
What register is appropriate for the translation given the target audience?

1.6 Reader Comprehension Challenges

Identify points where target readers may struggle, calibrated to the target audience:

Domain jargon: Technical terms that lack widely-known translations or are meaningless when translated literally
Cultural references: Idioms, historical events, pop culture, social norms specific to the source culture
Implicit knowledge: Background context the original author assumes but target readers may lack
Wordplay & metaphors: Figurative language that doesn't carry over across languages
Named concepts: Theories, effects, or phenomena with coined names (e.g., "comb-over effect", "Dunning-Kruger effect")
Cognitive gaps: Counterintuitive claims or expectations vs. reality that need framing for target readers

For each identified challenge, note:

The original term/passage
Why it may confuse target readers
A concise plain-language explanation to use as a translator's note

1.7 Translation Challenges

Structural challenges (wordplay, ambiguity, puns that don't translate)
Passages where literal translation would lose meaning
Content where the author's voice or humor requires creative adaptation

Save 01-analysis.md with:

## Quick Summary
[3-5 sentences]

## Core Content
Core argument: [one sentence]
Key concepts: [list]
Structure: [outline]

## Background Context
Author: [who, background, stance]
Writing context: [what this responds to]
Purpose: [goal and target audience]
Implicit assumptions: [unstated premises]

## Terminology
[term → translation, ...]

## Tone & Style
[assessment]

## Comprehension Challenges
- [term/passage] → [why confusing] → [proposed note]
- ...

## Translation Challenges
[structural issues, creative adaptation needs]

Step 2: Assemble Translation Prompt

Main agent reads 01-analysis.md and assembles a complete translation prompt using references/subagent-prompt-template.md. Inline content background, merged glossary, and comprehension challenges into the prompt. Save to 02-prompt.md.

This prompt is used by the subagent (chunked) or by the main agent itself (non-chunked).

Step 3: Initial Draft

Save to 03-draft.md in the output directory.

For chunked content, the subagent produces this draft (merged from chunk translations). For non-chunked content, the main agent produces it directly.

Translate the full content following 02-prompt.md:

Use the terminology decisions from Step 1 consistently
Match the identified tone and register
Break complex sentences into natural target-language patterns
Preserve all formatting and structure
First occurrence of technical terms: translated term (original in parentheses)
Add translator's notes for comprehension challenges identified in Step 1: use parentheses with a plain-language explanation, e.g., 译文（English original，通俗解释）
Only annotate where genuinely needed — do not over-explain obvious terms

Step 4: Review

The main agent reviews the draft. Save reviewed version to 04-review.md.

Systematically review against these criteria:

Accuracy Check

Compare each paragraph against the original
Verify all facts, numbers, dates, and proper nouns
Ensure no content was accidentally added, removed, or altered
Check that technical terms match glossary consistently throughout

Naturalness Check

Read the translation as if it were original content (not a translation)
Flag sentences that sound like "translationese" — awkward word order, calques, unnatural phrasing
Check paragraph transitions and logical flow
Verify sentence length feels natural for target language

Terminology Consistency

Verify each glossary term is translated the same way throughout
Check proper nouns are handled consistently (transliterated vs. kept in original)
Verify annotations appear on first occurrence only

Cultural Adaptation & Translator's Notes

Are cultural references explained where needed?
Do metaphors and idioms work in the target language?
Are any references potentially confusing or offensive in the target culture?
Check translator's notes: are they accurate, concise, and genuinely helpful?
Identify any missed comprehension challenges that should have notes
Remove over-annotations on terms that are obvious to the target audience

Step 5: Polish

Save final version to translation.md.

Final pass addressing all issues from the review:

Fix all accuracy issues found in review
Rewrite unnatural sentences for fluency
Improve transitions between paragraphs
Ensure the translation reads as engaging, native-quality content
Verify formatting is preserved correctly
For storytelling-style content: ensure the narrative flow draws readers in
Final consistency check on terminology

Subagent Responsibility

Each subagent (one per chunk) is responsible only for producing the initial draft of its chunk (Step 3). The main agent assembles the shared prompt (Step 2), spawns all subagents in parallel, then takes over for review (Step 4) and polish (Step 5). The main agent may delegate review or polish to subagents at its own discretion.

Chunked Refined Translation

When content exceeds the chunk threshold (see Defaults in SKILL.md) and uses refined mode:

Main agent runs analysis (Step 1) on the entire document first → 01-analysis.md
Main agent assembles translation prompt → 02-prompt.md
Split into chunks → chunks/
Spawn one subagent per chunk in parallel (each reads 02-prompt.md for shared context) → merge all results into 03-draft.md
Main agent reviews the merged draft → 04-review.md
Main agent polishes → translation.md
Final cross-chunk consistency check:
- Check terminology consistency across chunk boundaries
- Verify narrative flow between chunks
- Fix any transition issues at chunk boundaries

7.7 KiB Raw Blame History Unescape Escape