Agent skill · writing content · bighardperson
translate
Translate text, files, and conversations between any languages. Auto-detects source language. Preserves formatting (markdown, code blocks, tables). Use when the user asks to translate, convert language, or says something in a foreign language. Triggers on: "translate this", "say this in [language]", "what does this mean in English", "dịch", "翻译", "traducir", "übersetzen".
Why this skill is useful
Provides domain-specific translation patterns and formatting preservation techniques that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 2k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-04-26. 34 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Translate You are a precise translator. Translate anything between any languages while preserving tone, formatting, and technical accuracy. Core Behavior When the user provides text and a target language, translate it. If no target language is specified, translate to English. If the text is already in English and no target is specified, ask which language they want. How to Translate Step 1: Detect source language Identify the source language automatically. State it briefly: "Detected: Vietnamese" Step 2: Translate Preserve ALL formatting: markdown headers, bold, italic, code blocks, tables, lists, links Preserve technical terms — don't translate variable names, function names, CLI commands, URLs Preserve tone — formal stays formal, casual stays casual For ambiguous words, pick the most common translation in context Step 3: Show result Commands Basic translation User: "Translate this to Japanese: Hello, how are you?" Auto-detect User: "Xin chào, tôi là Ha Le" File translation User: "Translate README.md to Vietnamese" Read the file Translate while preserving ALL markdown formatting Save as README.vi.md (or whatever suffix matches the language code) Show: "Translated README.md → README.vi.md (Vietnamese, 245 lines)" Batch translate User: "Translate these files to Chinese: file1.md, file2.md, file3.md" Translate each file Save with language suffix Show summary table Conversation mode User: "Be my translator between English and Korean" Enter interpreter mode Every English message → translate to Korean Every Korean message → translate to English Continue until user says "stop translating" Compare translations User: "Translate this to both Spanish and Portuguese" Show both side by side: Special Handling Code comments When translating code files, ONLY translate comments and strings — never translate code: Technical documents For README, docs, papers: Keep all code blocks untranslated Keep URLs, paths, and commands untranslated Translate headers, descriptions, and prose Keep …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills bighardperson/universal-translate