book-translation

Book Translation Skill

This skill guides translation of book content for The Interactive Book of Prompting at prompts.chat.

Overview

The book has 25 chapters across 7 parts. Translation requires:

MDX content files - Full chapter content in src/content/book/{locale}/
JSON translation keys - UI strings, chapter titles, and descriptions in messages/{locale}.json

Prerequisites

Before starting, identify:

Target locale code (e.g., de, fr, es, ja, ko, zh)
Check if locale exists in messages/ directory
Check if src/content/book/{locale}/ folder exists

Step 1: Copy Turkish Folder as Base

The Turkish (tr) translation is complete and well-tested. Copy it as your starting point instead of translating from English:

mkdir -p src/content/book/{locale}
cp -r src/content/book/*.mdx src/content/book/{locale}/
cp src/components/book/elements/locales/en.ts src/components/book/elements/locales/{locale}.ts

⚠️ IMPORTANT: After copying, you MUST register the new locale in src/components/book/elements/locales/index.ts:

Add import: import {locale} from "./{locale}";
Add to locales object: {locale},
Add to named exports: export { en, tr, az, {locale} };

This is faster because:

Turkish and many languages share similar sentence structures
All JSX/React components are already preserved correctly
File structure is already set up
You only need to translate the prose, not recreate the structure

Step 2: Translate MDX Content Files

Edit each copied file in src/content/book/{locale}/ to translate from Turkish to your target language.

Process files one by one:

Chapter List (in order)

Slug	English Title
`00a-preface`	Preface
`00b-history`	History
`00c-introduction`	Introduction
`01-understanding-ai-models`	Understanding AI Models
`02-anatomy-of-effective-prompt`	Anatomy of an Effective Prompt
`03-core-prompting-principles`	Core Prompting Principles
`04-role-based-prompting`	Role-Based Prompting
`05-structured-output`	Structured Output
`06-chain-of-thought`	Chain of Thought
`07-few-shot-learning`	Few-Shot Learning
`08-iterative-refinement`	Iterative Refinement
`09-json-yaml-prompting`	JSON & YAML Prompting
`10-system-prompts-personas`	System Prompts & Personas
`11-prompt-chaining`	Prompt Chaining
`12-handling-edge-cases`	Handling Edge Cases
`13-multimodal-prompting`	Multimodal Prompting
`14-context-engineering`	Context Engineering
`15-common-pitfalls`	Common Pitfalls
`16-ethics-responsible-use`	Ethics & Responsible Use
`17-prompt-optimization`	Prompt Optimization
`18-writing-content`	Writing & Content
`19-programming-development`	Programming & Development
`20-education-learning`	Education & Learning
`21-business-productivity`	Business & Productivity
`22-creative-arts`	Creative Arts
`23-research-analysis`	Research & Analysis
`24-future-of-prompting`	The Future of Prompting
`25-agents-and-skills`	Agents & Skills

MDX Translation Guidelines

Preserve all JSX/React components - Keep <div>, <img>, className, etc. unchanged
Preserve code blocks - Code examples should remain in English (variable names, keywords)
Translate prose content - Headings, paragraphs, lists
Keep Markdown syntax - ##, **bold**, *italic*, [links](url)
Preserve component imports - Any import statements at the top

Step 3: Translate JSON Keys

In messages/{locale}.json, translate the "book" section. Key areas:

Book Metadata

Chapter Titles (`book.chapters`)

Chapter Descriptions (`book.chapterDescriptions`)

Part Names (`book.parts`)

Interactive Demo Examples (`book.interactive.demoExamples`)

Localize example text for demos (tokenizer samples, temperature examples, etc.):

Book Elements Locales (REQUIRED)

⚠️ DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP - The interactive demos will not work in the new language without this.

Translate the locale data file at src/components/book/elements/locales/{locale}.ts:

Temperature examples, token predictions, embedding words
Capabilities list, sample conversations, strategies
Tokenizer samples, builder fields, chain types
Frameworks (CRISPE, BREAK, RTF), exercises
Image/video prompt options, validation demos

Then register it in src/components/book/elements/locales/index.ts:

UI Strings (`book.interactive.`, `book.chapter.`, `book.search.*`)

Translate all interactive component labels and navigation strings.

Step 4: Verify Translation

Run the check script:
```
node scripts/check-translations.js
```
Start dev server and test:
```
npm run dev
```
Navigate to /book with the target locale to verify content loads

Reference: English Translation

The English (en) translation is complete and serves as the base template for all new translations:

MDX files: src/content/book/*.mdx — copy this files to src/content/book/{locale}/*.mdx
JSON keys: messages/en.json → book section — use as reference for structure

Recommended Workflow

Copy src/content/book/*.mdx to src/content/book/{locale}/*.mdx
Copy the "book" section from messages/en.json to messages/{locale}.json. Translate these in multiple agentic session instead of single time (token limit may exceed at once)
Edit each file, translating English → target language
Keep all JSX components, code blocks, and Markdown syntax intact

Quality Guidelines

Consistency: Use consistent terminology throughout (e.g., always translate "prompt" the same way)
Technical terms: Some terms like "AI", "ChatGPT", "API" may stay in English
Cultural adaptation: Adapt examples to be relevant for the target audience where appropriate
Natural language: Prioritize natural-sounding translations over literal ones