tractatus/docs/I18N_IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md
TheFlow 2298d36bed fix(submissions): restructure Economist package and fix article display
- Create Economist SubmissionTracking package correctly:
  * mainArticle = full blog post content
  * coverLetter = 216-word SIR— letter
  * Links to blog post via blogPostId
- Archive 'Letter to The Economist' from blog posts (it's the cover letter)
- Fix date display on article cards (use published_at)
- Target publication already displaying via blue badge

Database changes:
- Make blogPostId optional in SubmissionTracking model
- Economist package ID: 68fa85ae49d4900e7f2ecd83
- Le Monde package ID: 68fa2abd2e6acd5691932150

Next: Enhanced modal with tabs, validation, export

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
2025-10-24 08:47:42 +13:00

254 lines
7.3 KiB
Markdown

# Internationalization Implementation Summary
**Date**: October 15, 2025
**Status**: Infrastructure Complete | German & French Ready | Te Reo Māori Respectfully Deferred
**Purpose**: Test cultural adaptation capabilities with European languages before approaching Māori communities
---
## What's Been Built
### 1. Translation Files ✅
**Directory Structure:**
```
public/locales/
├── en/ # English (baseline)
│ └── homepage.json
├── de/ # German
│ └── homepage.json
├── fr/ # French
│ └── homepage.json
└── mi/ # Te Reo Māori (empty - deferred)
```
**Content Translated:**
- Hero section (title, subtitle, CTAs)
- Value proposition
- Three audience paths (Researcher, Implementer, Leader)
- Six framework capabilities
- 27027 incident case study
- Footer content
- **Total**: ~106 translation keys per language
### 2. Simple i18n System ✅
**File**: `/public/js/i18n-simple.js` (151 lines)
**Features:**
- Automatic language detection (localStorage → browser → English)
- JSON translation file loading
- Dynamic content replacement via `data-i18n` attributes
- Language switching without page reload
- Fallback to English on errors
- Only ~5KB (much lighter than i18next's 20KB)
**Supported Languages:**
- ✅ English (en) - Baseline
- ✅ German (de) - Complete
- ✅ French (fr) - Complete
- ⏸️ Te Reo Māori (mi) - Respectfully deferred
### 3. Language Selector Component ✅
**File**: `/public/js/components/language-selector.js`
**Features:**
- Dropdown with flag emojis (🇬🇧 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 🇳🇿)
- Shows "Te Reo Māori (Coming Soon)" as disabled option
- Saves preference to localStorage
- Accessible (ARIA labels, keyboard navigation)
- Tailwind-styled to match site design
### 4. Te Reo Māori Documentation ✅
**File**: `/docs/TE_REO_MAORI_TRANSLATION_REQUIREMENTS.md`
**Key Points:**
- Explains why deferral is respectful, not disinterested
- Documents professional consultation requirements
- Lists priority pages for eventual translation
- Estimates budget (~NZD $1,000-2,000)
- Outlines cultural appropriateness review process
- Acknowledges this may take longer than other features
---
## Cultural Adaptation Philosophy
### Why German and French First?
1. **Test the infrastructure** - Validate translation system works
2. **Identify cultural challenges** - Learn about adaptation issues
3. **Demonstrate international capability** - Show framework works beyond English
4. **Build confidence** - Prove the system before approaching Māori communities
### Why Te Reo Māori is Different
Te Tiriti partnership is a **core values commitment**, not a "nice to have":
**We will NOT:**
- Use AI/machine translation
- Deploy without professional review
- Rush to "check the diversity box"
- Approach communities with incomplete work
**We WILL:**
- Wait until system is complete and stable
- Offer something of real value
- Properly compensate consultation
- Respect cultural appropriateness requirements
---
## Implementation Guide
### To Add i18n to a Page:
1. **Add scripts to HTML** (in `<head>` or before `</body>`):
```html
<script src="/js/i18n-simple.js"></script>
<script src="/js/components/language-selector.js"></script>
```
2. **Add language selector container**:
```html
<div id="language-selector-container"></div>
```
3. **Add translation keys to elements**:
```html
<h1 data-i18n="hero.title">Tractatus AI Safety Framework</h1>
<p data-i18n="hero.subtitle">Structural constraints...</p>
```
4. **Create/update translation file**:
```json
{
"hero": {
"title": "Tractatus AI Safety Framework",
"subtitle": "Structural constraints..."
}
}
```
### Language Codes:
- `en` = English
- `de` = Deutsch (German)
- `fr` = Français (French)
- `mi` = Te Reo Māori (deferred)
---
## Translation Quality
### German Translation
**Approach:**
- Technical terminology appropriate for German-speaking academics/engineers
- Formal register (Sie-form implied)
- Culturally appropriate for Germany, Austria, Switzerland
- Key terms:
- "Sicherheit" (safety/security)
- "Beschränkungen" (constraints)
- "Werteentscheidungen" (values decisions)
- "Menschliche Entscheidungsfreiheit" (human agency)
### French Translation
**Approach:**
- Technical precision for French-speaking tech communities
- Formal "vous" register
- Appropriate for France, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, Francophone Africa
- Key terms:
- "Sécurité" (safety)
- "Contraintes" (constraints)
- "Décisions de valeurs" (values decisions)
- "Agence humaine" (human agency)
**Note:** Both translations created by AI language model (Claude) with technical expertise. For production, recommend:
- Professional review of technical terminology
- Cultural appropriateness check
- Native speaker validation
---
## Next Steps
### Immediate (This Session):
1. ✅ Te Reo Māori documentation updated
2. ✅ German translation created
3. ✅ French translation created
4. ✅ Language selector built
5. ✅ Test on homepage (add i18n attributes) - **COMPLETE**
6. ✅ Deploy to production - **COMPLETE** (October 16, 2025)
7. ⏳ Monitor for cultural adaptation issues
### Short-term (Next 2 weeks):
- Add i18n to About/Values page
- Add i18n to Researcher/Implementer/Leader pages
- Gather feedback from German/French speakers
- Refine translations based on feedback
### Long-term (When System Complete):
- Professional review of German/French translations
- Approach Māori language consultants
- Budget allocation for professional Māori translation
- Cultural appropriateness review process
- Te Reo Māori launch
---
## Success Metrics
**Technical:**
- ✅ i18n system < 10KB total (actual: ~5KB)
- No page reload required for language switch
- Fallback to English on errors
- LocalStorage persistence working
**Cultural:**
- Respectful documentation of Māori deferral
- Professional-quality German/French translations
- Positive feedback from German/French users
- No cultural insensitivity reports
**Values Alignment:**
- Te Tiriti commitment documented
- Approach emphasizes respect over speed
- Professional consultation budgeted
- Transparency about translation status
---
## Files Created (This Session)
```
/public/locales/en/homepage.json # English baseline (106 lines)
/public/locales/de/homepage.json # German translation (106 lines)
/public/locales/fr/homepage.json # French translation (106 lines)
/public/js/i18n-simple.js # i18n system (151 lines)
/public/js/components/language-selector.js # Language selector (66 lines)
/docs/TE_REO_MAORI_TRANSLATION_REQUIREMENTS.md # 170 lines
/docs/I18N_IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md # This file
```
**Total**: 7 new files, ~805 lines of code/documentation
---
## Acknowledgments
This implementation respects:
- **Te Tiriti o Waitangi** - Partnership principles
- **CARE Principles** - Indigenous data sovereignty
- **Cultural sensitivity** - Approach communities when we have value to offer
- **Professional standards** - Quality over speed
**Philosophy**: "Respectful deferral is not lack of interestit's cultural sensitivity."
---
**Last Updated**: October 15, 2025
**Status**: Infrastructure complete, German/French ready for testing
**Next Review**: After homepage i18n testing complete