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
906/2/2026
Claude CodeCursorWindsurfCopilot
#i18n#internationalization#locale-management#translations

Recommended for

Our review

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

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?
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