docs(i18n): defer non-en translations until UI wording is final

[TODO: Translate] placeholders are now the sanctioned intermediate state
during feature development; translate all pending keys in one pass only
when the feature owner asks. R8 notes the exemption so placeholders are
not 'fixed' prematurely.
This commit is contained in:
Will Miao
2026-08-29 16:41:53 +08:00
parent c972c755fc
commit 2ff98ae089
+11 -4
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@@ -99,6 +99,8 @@ of these — pick the preferred form in the §2 tables and normalize.
### R8 — No untranslated English leftovers
Full sentences left byte-identical to `en.json` are bugs (brand names and URL placeholders
are the exception). Every locale has them; see §6 for the per-locale checklist.
`[TODO: Translate]` placeholders are the sanctioned intermediate state during feature
development (see §7) — do not "fix" them unless the feature owner asked for translations.
### R9 — Mirror the source even when the source is wrong
If `en.json` itself contains an inconsistency (e.g. the `Civitai` vs `CivitAI` casing split,
@@ -325,10 +327,15 @@ locales (the sibling `creditRequired` has always been translated).
### Adding a new UI string
1. Add the key to `locales/en.json` only.
2. Run `python scripts/sync_translation_keys.py` — it inserts the key into the other 9
locales (as an English placeholder) preserving formatting.
3. Translate the new key in every locale, applying §1–§3 (placeholders verbatim, Recipe
rule, term maps, register).
4. If the new string contains new terminology, extend §2 tables.
locales (as a `[TODO: Translate]` placeholder) preserving formatting.
3. **During feature development, stop here.** While the UI copy is still in flux, leave the
`[TODO: Translate]` placeholders as-is — translating churning strings into 9 locales is
wasted work. Placeholders are a normal intermediate state, not a bug.
4. Once the wording is final and the feature owner explicitly asks for translations,
translate **all** pending `[TODO: Translate]` keys in every locale (not just the latest
feature's), applying §1–§3 (placeholders verbatim, Recipe rule, term maps, register).
Find pending keys with: `grep -c "TODO: Translate" locales/*.json`
5. If the new string contains new terminology, extend §2 tables.
### Fixing a translation bug
1. Locate the key (dotted path) in the relevant locale file.