name: translation-craft
description: "Delivers professional Chinese-English translation across academic, business, technical, and legal domains, adhering to the Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance framework with rigorous quality checks. Triggered by translation requests such as 'translate this', 'Chinese to English', or specific domain needs like academic paper or contract translation."
license: MIT
Translation Craft — Chinese-English Professional Translation Knowledge Base (Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance Framework)
A Chinese-English bidirectional professional translation knowledge base grounded in Yan Fu's "Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance" (信达雅) translation theory, covering four major domains — academic, business, technical, and legal — with terminology glossaries, sentence conversion templates, and quality checklists.
Quick Start
Example user inputs:
- "Help me translate this abstract into English, academic style"
- "Translate this contract clause into Chinese"
- "Translate this technical document into Chinese, keep the terminology accurate"
Agent processing workflow:
- Identify source and target languages
- Identify the domain (academic / business / technical / legal)
- Translate step by step following the three-tier Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance standard
- Output the translation with a key terminology reference table
1. Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance Translation Framework
1.1 Three-Tier Standard Definitions
| Tier | Chinese | Meaning | How It Manifests in Translation |
|---|
| Faithfulness (信) | Fidelity to the source | Accurately conveys facts, data, logic, and tone of the original | Consistent terminology, accurate numbers, no negation flips, preserved causal relationships |
| Expressiveness (达) | Fluency and clarity | The translation reads naturally in the target language with no comprehension barriers | Word order adjustments, active/passive voice conversion, long sentence splitting, added connectives |
| Elegance (雅) | Stylistic refinement | The translation's style matches the register of the original, with precise and appropriate diction | Academic texts use formal written language; business uses professional phrasing; legal uses standard legal language |
1.2 Translation Decision Priority
Faithfulness > Expressiveness > Elegance
When the three tiers conflict:
- Accuracy (Faithfulness) always comes first: It is better to produce a slightly stiff translation than to distort the original meaning
- Fluency (Expressiveness) comes second: Adjust word order and expression on the foundation of accuracy
- Style (Elegance) comes last: Elevate the writing style only after the first two are satisfied
1.3 General Translation Workflow
Step 1: Read the full text → Understand the main idea and context
Step 2: Identify the domain → Determine the terminology glossary and style requirements
Step 3: Translate sentence by sentence → Ensure "Faithfulness"
Step 4: Adjust word order → Achieve "Expressiveness"
Step 5: Polish the style → Pursue "Elegance"
Step 6: Back-translation check → Back-translate to verify no semantic distortion
2. Academic Translation Standards
2.1 Core Terminology Glossary
| Chinese | English | Usage Context |
|---|
| 显著性 | statistical significance | Statistical testing |
| 自变量 / 因变量 | independent variable / dependent variable | Experimental design |
| 假设检验 | hypothesis testing | Research methods |
| 文献综述 | literature review | Paper structure |
| 研究局限性 | limitations | Discussion section |
| 实证研究 | empirical study | Research type |
| 定性分析 / 定量分析 | qualitative analysis / quantitative analysis | Methodology |
| 同行评审 | peer review | Publication process |
| 交叉验证 | cross-validation | Machine learning / statistics |
| 置信区间 | confidence interval | Statistical inference |
| 元分析 | meta-analysis | Comprehensive research |
| 随机对照试验 | randomized controlled trial (RCT) | Medical / social sciences |
| 相关性 vs 因果性 | correlation vs causation | Research conclusions |
| 可复现性 | reproducibility | Research quality |
2.2 Academic Sentence Conversion Templates
Chinese → English common patterns:
| Chinese Expression | English Academic Expression |
|---|
| 本文旨在探讨… | This paper aims to investigate… / This study seeks to examine… |
| 研究结果表明… | The results indicate that… / Findings suggest that… |
| 与前人研究一致 | Consistent with prior research… / In line with previous findings… |
| 值得注意的是 | It is noteworthy that… / Notably, … |
| 存在一定局限性 | Several limitations should be acknowledged… |
| 未来研究可以… | Future research could explore… / Further investigation is warranted… |
| 综上所述 | In summary, … / To conclude, … |
| 如表 X 所示 | As shown in Table X / As illustrated in Table X |
English → Chinese common patterns:
| English Expression | Chinese Academic Expression |
|---|
| It has been well established that… | 已有大量研究证实… |
| The present study contributes to… | 本研究对…做出了贡献 |
| These findings have implications for… | 上述发现对…具有启示意义 |
| A growing body of literature suggests… | 越来越多的文献表明… |
| Controlling for confounding variables… | 在控制混杂变量后… |
2.3 Academic Translation Guidelines
- Tense: Use past tense for methods and results (was, were, found); use present tense for general conclusions (suggests, indicates)
- Person: Prefer passive voice or "this study"; avoid "I/we" (unless the target journal permits it)
- Abbreviations: Write out the full term with the abbreviation on first occurrence, e.g., "artificial intelligence (AI)"
- Citation format: Preserve the original citation format (APA/MLA/Chicago); do not convert between styles
3. Business Translation Standards
3.1 Core Terminology Glossary
| Chinese | English | Usage Context |
|---|
| 季度环比增长 | quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) growth | Financial reports |
| 同比增长 | year-over-year (YoY) growth | Financial reports |
| 毛利率 / 净利率 | gross margin / net margin | Financial metrics |
| 供应链 | supply chain | Operations |
| 尽职调查 | due diligence | Investment & financing |
| 股东权益 | shareholders' equity | Financial statements |
| 现金流 | cash flow | Financial analysis |
| 市盈率 | price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) | Valuation |
| 利益相关方 | stakeholders | Corporate governance |
| 战略合作伙伴关系 | strategic partnership | Business cooperation |
| 核心竞争力 | core competency | Strategic analysis |
| 品牌溢价 | brand premium | Marketing |
| 商业模式画布 | Business Model Canvas | Startups / strategy |
| 投资回报率 | return on investment (ROI) | Investment analysis |
3.2 Business Sentence Conversion Templates
Chinese → English:
| Chinese Expression | English Business Expression |
|---|
| 我方愿与贵方建立长期合作关系 | We look forward to establishing a long-term partnership with your organization. |
| 经双方友好协商 | Following amicable negotiations between both parties, … |
| 请予以确认 | We kindly request your confirmation. / Please confirm at your earliest convenience. |
| 随函附上… | Please find enclosed… / Attached herewith is… |
| 就此事宜，我方立场如下 | With regard to this matter, our position is as follows: |
English → Chinese:
| English Expression | Chinese Business Expression |
|---|
| We regret to inform you that… | 我方遗憾地通知贵方… |
| Please do not hesitate to contact us. | 如有任何疑问，请随时与我方联系。 |
| We would appreciate your prompt response. | 烦请贵方尽快回复，不胜感激。 |
| Subject to the terms and conditions herein… | 依据本协议条款… |
3.3 Business Translation Guidelines
- Tone: Maintain polite and formal language; Chinese business correspondence tends to be more indirect and diplomatic than English
- Numbers and currency: Preserve original currency symbols; note exchange rates or equivalent values when necessary
- Company names: Use the official English name; do not translate company names independently
- Job titles: Refer to the company's official English job titles
4. Technical Translation Standards
4.1 Core Terminology Glossary
| Chinese | English | Domain |
|---|
| 应用程序接口 | API (Application Programming Interface) | Software development |
| 容器化 | containerization | DevOps |
| 微服务架构 | microservices architecture | System architecture |
| 负载均衡 | load balancing | Networking / operations |
| 持续集成/持续部署 | CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) | DevOps |
| 版本控制 | version control | Development workflow |
| 延迟 / 吞吐量 | latency / throughput | Performance metrics |
| 端到端加密 | end-to-end encryption (E2EE) | Security |
| 大语言模型 | large language model (LLM) | AI |
| 向量数据库 | vector database | AI / data |
| 检索增强生成 | Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) | AI |
| 提示工程 | prompt engineering | AI |
| 幂等性 | idempotency | System design |
| 序列化 / 反序列化 | serialization / deserialization | Data processing |
4.2 Technical Translation Rules
- Do not translate code identifiers: Function names, variable names, and class names must remain as-is, e.g.,
getUserInfo() should not be translated
- Do not translate command-line commands: Commands like
docker run and git commit must remain as-is
- Prefer abbreviations: In technical documentation, write out the full term with abbreviation on first occurrence; use the abbreviation thereafter
- Chinese technical documents: Technical terms may be kept in English with Chinese annotations in parentheses, e.g., "使用负载均衡（Load Balancing）策略"
- English technical documents: Chinese concepts can use pinyin or English paraphrases; avoid inserting Chinese characters directly
4.3 Technical Document Structure Mapping
| Common Chinese Structure | Common English Structure |
|---|
| 概述 | Overview |
| 快速开始 | Quick Start / Getting Started |
| 安装指南 | Installation Guide |
| 配置说明 | Configuration |
| 使用示例 | Usage / Examples |
| 常见问题 | FAQ / Troubleshooting |
| 更新日志 | Changelog / Release Notes |
| 参考文档 | API Reference / Reference |
5. Legal Translation Standards
5.1 Core Terminology Glossary
| Chinese | English | Usage Context |
|---|
| 甲方 / 乙方 | Party A / Party B | Contract parties |
| 不可抗力 | force majeure | Exemption clauses |
| 违约责任 | liability for breach of contract | Breach clauses |
| 知识产权 | intellectual property (IP) | Rights clauses |
| 保密义务 | confidentiality obligation | NDAs |
| 争议解决 | dispute resolution | Arbitration / litigation |
| 适用法律 | governing law | Applicable law |
| 仲裁条款 | arbitration clause | Dispute resolution |
| 连带责任 | joint and several liability | Liability allocation |
| 善意第三人 | bona fide third party | Contract enforceability |
| 管辖权 | jurisdiction | Court jurisdiction |
| 损害赔偿 | damages | Breach remedies |
| 不可撤销的 | irrevocable | Authorization / commitments |
| 生效日期 | effective date | Contract timeline |
| 竞业限制 | non-compete clause | Employment contracts |
5.2 Legal Sentence Conversion Templates
Chinese → English:
| Chinese Expression | English Legal Expression |
|---|
| 本合同自双方签字之日起生效 | This Agreement shall come into effect upon execution by both parties. |
| 任何一方不得擅自转让本合同项下的权利义务 | Neither party shall assign any rights or obligations under this Agreement without prior written consent. |
| 本合同一式两份，双方各执一份 | This Agreement is executed in duplicate, with each party retaining one copy. |
| 如有未尽事宜，双方另行协商 | Any matters not covered herein shall be resolved through mutual consultation. |
English → Chinese:
| English Expression | Chinese Legal Expression |
|---|
| Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein… | 尽管本协议有任何相反规定… |
| To the fullest extent permitted by law… | 在法律允许的最大范围内… |
| The parties hereby agree as follows: | 双方特此约定如下： |
| IN WITNESS WHEREOF… | 以昭信守，双方于下述日期签署本协议。 |
5.3 Legal Translation Guidelines
- Precision is paramount: Legal translation demands the highest standard of faithfulness; every qualifier carries legal significance
- shall vs will: In contracts, "shall" denotes obligation while "will" denotes intent — they must not be interchanged
- Defined terms: Capitalized terms must be used consistently throughout; include a definition on first occurrence
- Numerical expressions: Monetary amounts should be expressed in both digits and words, e.g., "USD 10,000 (ten thousand US dollars)"
- No translator's notes: Legal texts should not include translator annotations; ambiguities should be escalated to legal counsel for clarification
6. Translation Quality Checklist
6.1 General Checklist
| Dimension | Checkpoints | Severity |
|---|
| Completeness | Are there any untranslated sentences or paragraphs? | High |
| Accuracy | Are numbers, dates, and proper nouns accurate? | High |
| Terminology consistency | Is the same term translated consistently throughout? | High |
| Logical relationships | Are causal, contrastive, and parallel relationships preserved? | High |
| Grammar | Does the translation contain any grammatical errors? | Medium |
| Fluency | Does it read naturally, free of "translationese"? | Medium |
| Formatting | Are punctuation, numbering, and indentation consistent with the original style? | Low |
6.2 Back-Translation Verification Method
Back-translate the output into the source language and compare it against the original to check for semantic drift:
Original (Chinese): 该实验在控制变量条件下进行
Translation (English): The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions.
Back-translation (Chinese): 该实验在受控条件下进行
Comparison: ✅ Semantically consistent — phrasing differs slightly but meaning is accurate
7. Agent Behavior Guidelines
7.1 Translation Output Format
For each translation task, the Agent should output in the following format:
【Domain】Academic / Business / Technical / Legal / General
【Source Language】Chinese / English
【Target Language】English / Chinese
---
【Translation】
(Formal translation content)
---
【Key Terminology Reference】
| Source | Translation | Notes |
|--------|------------|-------|
| … | … | … |
7.2 Operating Principles
- Ask before translating: If the domain of the source text is unclear, ask the user first
- Confirm terminology: When encountering polysemous technical terms, confirm the context with the user
- Preserve uncertain items: For translations you are not confident about, provide 2–3 candidate translations with explanations of when each is appropriate
- Add translator's notes: For content with significant cultural differences (e.g., idioms, allusions), a brief explanation may be appended after the translation
- Reject machine-translation style: Avoid word-for-word literal translation; ensure the output conforms to natural expression in the target language
7.3 Common Translation Pitfalls
| Pitfall Type | Example | Correct Approach |
|---|
| False friends | "actually" ≠ 实际上 (closer to 其实 / 事实上) | Choose the accurate meaning based on context |
| Chinglish | "give you some color to see see" | Use idiomatic English expressions |
| Over-paraphrasing | Completely explaining an idiom in English, losing the original flavor | Preserve the style of the original; add notes if necessary |
| Number traps | 十亿 = 1 billion (not 10 billion) | Cross-check Chinese and English number unit conversions |
| Passive/active confusion | Chinese prefers active voice; English often uses passive | Adjust voice according to target language conventions |
| Negation transfer | "I don't think he is right" ≠ 我不认为他是对的 | Translate as 我认为他不对 |
| Missing articles (Chinese → English) | Chinese has no article system; translators often omit a/the | Check every noun phrase for required articles when translating into English |
| "respectively" placement | Chinese 分别 can appear anywhere; English "respectively" must go at the end | "A 和 B 分别是 X 和 Y" → "A and B are X and Y, respectively." |
| 万/亿 conversion | 万 = 10,000; 亿 = 100,000,000 — do not directly translate as million/billion | 1.5 万 = 15,000; 3 亿 = 300 million; 10 亿 = 1 billion |