multi-lang-readme

Multi-Lang README

Create multilingual README files by translating an existing README while preserving markdown structure.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user asks for:

• Bilingual README creation (for example English + Chinese)
• Multilingual README generation
• Translating an existing README into one or more target languages
• Standardized language-switch links across README files

Do not use

Do not use this skill for:

• Translating arbitrary non-README documents
• Rewriting product requirements or legal documents
• Content generation tasks unrelated to README translation

Instructions

1. Locate the source README file to translate (ask user if ambiguous).
2. Confirm target language(s) and desired canonical README language.
3. Translate content while preserving markdown, links, and code blocks.
4. Write translated files using language suffix conventions.
5. Add or update language-switch links at the top of each README.
6. Verify filenames, link paths, and formatting before final output.

Supported Languages

Code	Language
en	English
de	German
ja	Japanese
ko	Korean
zh-CN	Chinese

Workflow

Step 1: Detect README

Find the source README:

• Check root directory for README.md
• If multiple README files exist, ask which file should be translated

Step 2: Read README Content

Read full markdown content, including:

• Title
• Badges
• All sections (Features, Installation, Usage, Contributing, License, etc.)
• Code blocks
• Links

Step 3: Confirm Target Language

Ask user which language(s) to translate to. Default assumptions:

• README.md should always be in English as the canonical version
• If current README is in Chinese (or any non-English), translate it to English first
• After English version is established, add other language versions as requested

If user says "create bilingual README" without specifying:

• Translate existing README to English first (replace or create README.md)
• Then add Chinese version (README.zh-CN.md)

Step 4: Translate with AI

Translate with these rules:

• Preserve markdown formatting
• Keep code blocks unchanged
• Translate section titles to target language
• Keep internal links (relative paths) as-is
• For external links, use target language anchor text if appropriate

Step 5: Create Translated README

Important: keep README.md as canonical English unless the user explicitly asks for another convention.

• English: README.md (create or replace with English version)
• German: README.de.md
• Japanese: README.ja.md
• Korean: README.ko.md
• Chinese: README.zh-CN.md

If the original README is non-English and user agrees, replace it with English README.md.

Step 6: Add Language Switcher

Update original README to include language switcher at the top:

**English** | [中文](README.zh-CN.md) | [Deutsch](README.de.md) | [日本語](README.ja.md) | [한국어](README.ko.md)

Add below the title or badges, before the main content.

Step 7: Update Translated README

Add reciprocal link in the translated README:

**[Original](README.md)** | [中文](README.zh-CN.md)

Language Code Reference

en    → no suffix (README.md)
de    → README.de.md
ja    → README.ja.md
ko    → README.ko.md
zh-CN → README.zh-CN.md

Common Triggers

• "create bilingual README"
• "create English and Chinese README"
• "translate README to Japanese"
• "add German version of README"
• "add README.zh-CN.md"