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Translate, then localize (two passes)

Goal: EN→ZH in two passes: faithful translate first, localize second—pass B must not sneak in new facts.

Best for: EN↔ZH product copy, emails, help text, HK vs mainland tone shifts.

One-shot “translate and make it marketing-ready” creates muddy mix and sneaky meaning changes. Approve fidelity first. Then localize for audience and market—keeping product/legal names stable.

Translate gets words across; localize fits place, tone, and reader habits. Do them as two passes—especially for HK/TW/CN phrasing and English mix.

Name the two passes in the chat (“PASS1 translate”, “PASS2 localize”) so you can diff them without guessing which edit did what.

Why beginners skip this

Doing translate and localize in one pass feels efficient—tone and wording miss both sides. Faithful first, then local.

Step 1 — Pass A: faithful translate

Pass A: on a paragraph you must send, keep meaning and numbers; ban new soft claims.

Translate faithfully to [target language].
Keep meaning. Mark idioms you are unsure about with [?].
Do not rewrite for marketing yet.
Keep unchanged: [product names, button labels if UI stays EN, legal entity names]

Step 2 — Pass B: localize

Pass B: local tone only; keep brand names; delete claims that appear only in Pass B.

Localize the approved translation for [audience in market: e.g. zh-HK office workers / zh-CN mainland app users].
Natural phrasing; keep legal/product names stable.
List 5 changes you made and why.
Do not add offers or claims absent from the source.
Example

Filled prompt

Pass 1: translate this EN paragraph to ZH-CN literally. Pass 2: localize for HK bilingual professionals (may keep brand names in EN, soft tone). Source: [paste]. Do not add facts.

What good output looks like

  • Matches outline/voice freeze for “Avoid awkward bilingual output by separating faith”
  • No AI-slop openers; one concrete proof from your notes
  • Numbers/names frozen — polish does not invent
  • Pass/fail: phone-skim 20s still clear

Step 3 — HK vs mainland check

If both markets matter, run Pass B twice with different reader lines—or follow the HK bilingual mail guide.

Example

Filled prompt

EN→ZH for Harbor client note. Freeze names/numbers first.
Pass 1 meaning-true. Pass 2 HK register. No invented company facts. Human skim before send.

What good output looks like

  • No AI-slop openers; one concrete proof from your notes
  • Numbers/names frozen — polish does not invent
  • Pass/fail: phone-skim 20s still clear
  • Matches outline/voice freeze for “Avoid awkward bilingual output by separating faith”

Save this card

Card: Faithful translate first, localize second—pass B must not sneak in new facts. Keep this beside the tool; read before you start.

Before you start

Name the reader and freeze facts on paper for “Avoid awkward bilingual output by separating.” If outline bullets do not exist yet, stop before prose. Guide: writing-translate-then-localize. Keep the real job visible the whole time; a blank box means stop and fetch the artifact first.

How to use this week

This week faithful-translate a real draft once, then run localize separately; store the two artifacts apart.

Keep it real

Run this guide’s Practice now on work you will actually ship this week—not a fictional scenario. Dated notes beat perfect theory.

Do not bookmark-only

Finish Practice now, then tick this guide on your path. Titles unread are not skills.

Close the loop

Write one line: next time I merge translate and localize into one pass, I refuse send.

One more pass

Re-read your Save-this-card line. If it is vague, rewrite it until a stranger could apply it.

Example

Filled prompt

EN→ZH-HK help paragraph. Freeze product names.
Meaning then register. Human skim before publish.
Context: real workstream this week (Asia/Shanghai). Name actual files/people.
Constraints: no invented metrics/owners/prices; label Unknowns; stop before send/delete/pay.
Done check: I can mark pass/fail in one minute on the output.

What good output looks like

  • Numbers/names frozen — polish does not invent
  • Matches outline/voice freeze for “Avoid awkward bilingual output by separating faith”
  • Pass/fail: phone-skim 20s still clear
  • No AI-slop openers; one concrete proof from your notes

Red flag

Localize pass sneaking new facts; skip faithful translate—diff facts after pass B.

Pitfalls

PitfallFix
One-shot marketing translateA then B
Translating UI strings that must stay ENKeep-unchanged list
Softening legal meaningPass A fidelity gate
Mixing EN/ZH in one sentenceLanguage contract
Example

Filled prompt

Temptation: skip the habit for writing-translate-then-localize to save five minutes.
Job still: Avoid awkward bilingual output by
Smallest correct pass: Done visible · checkable artifact · Unknowns [?].
Boundaries: draft only; no silent send; no invented metrics.
Return: artifact + refuse-line said aloud.

What good output looks like

  • Names the shortcut refused (specific to writing-translate-then-localize)
  • Still delivers checkable output for “Avoid awkward bilingual output by”
  • Unknowns labeled; draft-only
  • Pass/fail: refuse-line dated (writing-translate-then-localize #4)

Practice now

Humor check: jokes localized or cut—never literal (Asia/Shanghai).

Currency/date: localize formats, not just words (Asia/Shanghai).

Register match: match formality to the target locale norm (Asia/Shanghai).

Name keep: proper nouns stay; tone localizes (Asia/Shanghai).

Untranslatable: list one phrase you localize instead of translate (Asia/Shanghai).

Audience swap: localize for the real reader locale, not dictionary defaults (Asia/Shanghai).

Localize drill: translate one paragraph then localize one idiom; keep meaning, drop calques (Asia/Shanghai).

Thin-spot drill: rewrite the Save card with real nouns from your work (repo, doc, inbox). Generic placeholders fail the drill.

Tonight faithful-translate a real draft once, then run localize separately; store the two artifacts apart.

Ship gate: localize one paragraph today or mark incomplete.

One sentence takeaway

Faithful translate first, then localize alone; store the two artifacts apart.

Word-floor practice

Run the Today card once on a real artifact. Write pass/fail + never-do with date Asia/Shanghai. If you only skimmed, do not mark this guide done.

Next

Multilingual prompts · Bilingual HK workflow · Voice pass · Outline before prose

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