i18n Translation Management

VerifiedSafe

Manages JSON translation files (en, fr, ru, cn) in public/locales/ by adding or updating keys across all four locales simultaneously. Validates key format (kebab-case, dot-notation paths) and follows section organization conventions (validation, common, pages, etc.). Helps when adding new strings or modifying existing translations to keep all language files in sync.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
6/2/2026
Claude CodeCursorWindsurfCopilot
#i18n#internationalization#locale-management#translations

Recommended for

Automated summary

Manages translation files (en.json, fr.json, ru.json, cn.json) by adding, updating, or synchronizing keys and values across all four locales simultaneously.

Strengths

  • Updates all four locale files in a single operation automatically
  • Validates key format (kebab-case, dot-notation paths) for consistency
  • Provides a clear summary of applied changes

Limitations

  • Requires existing files with valid JSON structure
  • Does not handle complex contextual translations (plurals, genders)
  • May overwrite existing translations if the same key is provided
When to use it

Use this skill to add new translation keys or update existing translations across all locales in an i18n project.

When not to use it

Avoid using it for one-off changes to a single locale file or when the key structure is not yet defined.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score92/100

The skill only reads and writes JSON files within the project's locale directory. No shell commands, network access, or destructive operations are performed.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Add a single translation key
/project:i18n customers.filters.reset-filters
Add multiple translations at once
/project:i18n customers.table.name = Name | Nom | Имя | 姓名
Add translation with context
/project:i18n customers.metrics.total-spent "Total amount spent by customer"

name: i18n description: Internationalization and locale management. Use when modifying translation files, adding new translation keys, or working with any locale JSON files (en.json, fr.json, ru.json, cn.json) in public/locales/.

i18n Translation Management

Add, update, or manage translations across all 4 locale files simultaneously.

Critical Rule

ALWAYS update ALL 4 locale files together. Never leave any locale out of sync.


Locale Files

  • public/locales/en.json - English
  • public/locales/fr.json - French (primary)
  • public/locales/ru.json - Russian
  • public/locales/cn.json - Chinese

Instructions

When the user provides translation requests, follow these steps:

1. Parse the Request

Extract:

  • Key path: Dot-notation path (e.g., customers.filters.min-orders)
  • Translations: Values for each locale (en, fr, ru, cn)

2. Validate Key Format

  • Use kebab-case for all keys: user-profile, min-orders, no-results
  • Nested paths use dots: customers.filters.min-orders
  • Never use camelCase or snake_case

3. Update All 4 Locale Files

CRITICAL: Always update ALL 4 files simultaneously. Never leave translations out of sync.

For each locale file:

  1. Read the current JSON content
  2. Navigate to the correct nested path
  3. Add or update the translation value
  4. Write the updated JSON (preserve formatting with 2-space indent)

4. Provide Confirmation

Show the user what was added/updated:

Added translations for `customers.filters.min-orders`:
- en: "Minimum orders"
- fr: "Commandes minimum"
- ru: "Минимум заказов"
- cn: "最少订单"

Examples

Add a single translation

User: /project:i18n customers.filters.reset-filters

Response: Ask for translations, then add:

// en.json
"customers": {
  "filters": {
    "reset-filters": "Reset filters"
  }
}

// fr.json
"customers": {
  "filters": {
    "reset-filters": "Réinitialiser les filtres"
  }
}

// ru.json
"customers": {
  "filters": {
    "reset-filters": "Сбросить фильтры"
  }
}

// cn.json
"customers": {
  "filters": {
    "reset-filters": "重置筛选"
  }
}

Add multiple translations at once

User: /project:i18n with a list:

customers.table.name = Name | Nom | Имя | 姓名
customers.table.email = Email | E-mail | Эл. почта | 电子邮件
customers.table.phone = Phone | Téléphone | Телефон | 电话

Add with context

User: /project:i18n customers.metrics.total-spent "Total amount spent by customer"

The context helps generate accurate translations for all languages.


Section Organization

Follow existing patterns for key organization:

| Section | Purpose | Example | |---------|---------|---------| | validation | Form validation errors | validation.email-invalid | | common | Shared UI elements | common.save, common.cancel | | pages | Page titles/descriptions | pages.customers.title | | forms | Form labels/placeholders | forms.customer.name-label | | messages | Success/error/info | messages.save-success | | buttons | Button labels | buttons.submit | | dialogs | Dialog content | dialogs.confirm-delete.title | | tables | Table headers/content | tables.customers.columns.name | | filters | Filter labels | filters.date-range | | statuses | Status labels | statuses.reservation.confirmed |


Translation Guidelines

French (fr) - Primary Language

  • Formal "vous" form for user-facing text
  • Proper accents: é, è, ê, à, ù, ç, etc.

English (en)

  • Use American English spelling
  • Sentence case for UI labels

Russian (ru)

  • Formal "вы" form
  • Proper Cyrillic characters

Chinese (cn)

  • Simplified Chinese characters
  • Concise phrasing preferred

Workflow Automation

When user says just the key without translations:

  1. Infer from key name: Generate appropriate translations
  2. Ask for confirmation before applying
  3. Apply to all 4 files simultaneously

Example:

User: /project:i18n customers.no-results

Claude: I'll add translations for `customers.no-results`:
- en: "No customers found"
- fr: "Aucun client trouvé"
- ru: "Клиенты не найдены"
- cn: "未找到客户"

Should I add these translations?

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el/download' --output '.skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/i18n' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el' '.claude/skills/i18n'

Cursor
test -f '.skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.cursor/skills' && test ! -e '.cursor/skills/i18n' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el' '.cursor/skills/i18n'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el'

openskills read 'i18n-translation-management-mmio71el'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/i18n-translation-management-mmio71el/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

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