stevessr/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:

1. MDX content files - Full chapter content in src/content/book/{locale}/
2. 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:

1. Add import: import {locale} from "./{locale}";
2. Add to locales object: {locale},
3. 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

1. Preserve all JSX/React components - Keep <div>, <img>, className, etc. unchanged
2. Preserve code blocks - Code examples should remain in English (variable names, keywords)
3. Translate prose content - Headings, paragraphs, lists
4. Keep Markdown syntax - ##, **bold**, *italic*, [links](url)
5. 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

"book": {
  "title": "The Interactive Book of Prompting",
  "subtitle": "An Interactive Guide to Crafting Clear and Effective Prompts",
  "metaTitle": "...",
  "metaDescription": "...",
  ...
}

Chapter Titles (book.chapters)

"chapters": {
  "00a-preface": "Preface",
  "00b-history": "History",
  "00c-introduction": "Introduction",
  ...
}

Chapter Descriptions (book.chapterDescriptions)

"chapterDescriptions": {
  "00a-preface": "A personal note from the author",
  "00b-history": "The story of Awesome ChatGPT Prompts",
  ...
}

Part Names (book.parts)

"parts": {
  "introduction": "Introduction",
  "foundations": "Foundations",
  "techniques": "Techniques",
  "advanced": "Advanced Strategies",
  "bestPractices": "Best Practices",
  "useCases": "Use Cases",
  "conclusion": "Conclusion"
}

Interactive Demo Examples (book.interactive.demoExamples)

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

"demoExamples": {
  "tokenPrediction": {
    "tokens": ["The", " capital", " of", " France", " is", " Paris", "."],
    "fullText": "The capital of France is Paris."
  },
  "temperature": {
    "prompt": "What is the capital of France?",
    ...
  }
}

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:

import {locale} from "./{locale}";

const locales: Record<string, LocaleData> = {
  en,
  tr,
  az,
  {locale},  // Add your new locale here
};

export { en, tr, az, {locale} };  // Add to exports

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

Translate all interactive component labels and navigation strings.

Step 4: Verify Translation

1. Run the check script:

   node scripts/check-translations.js
   

2. Start dev server and test:

   npm run dev
   

3. 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

1. Copy src/content/book/*.mdx to src/content/book/{locale}/*.mdx
2. 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)
3. Edit each file, translating English → target language
4. 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