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i18n-context

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Add gettext context for ambiguous user-facing strings and repair affected PO translations.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/cataclysmbn/Cataclysm-BN/blob/HEAD/.agents/skills/i18n-context/SKILL.md

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I18n Context

Use this when one English msgid has multiple meanings and a locale needs different translations.

Hard requirements

  • Do not reduce requested word/context coverage for review risk, churn, or convenience.
  • If a requested meaning needs loader support for contextual translation, add loader support.
  • Do not open or update a PR while msgfmt or printf checks fail for the touched locale.
  • Do not dismiss msgfmt/printf failures as pre-existing when this task touches that locale.

Workflow

  • Find every shared msgid before editing:
    • rg -n 'msgid "<word>"|msgctxt .*\nmsgid "<word>"' lang/po/<lang>.po
    • rg -n '"<word>"|translate_marker\( "<word>" \)|_\( "<word>" \)' data src
  • Split meanings at the source, following #8729 and #8741:
    • C++ runtime strings: pgettext( "short specific context", "text" ).
    • C++ marker-only strings: translate_marker_context( "short specific context", "text" ).
    • JSON translated strings: { "ctxt": "short specific context", "str": "text" } or matching plural fields.
    • Snippet arrays: { "text": { "ctxt": "short specific context", "str": "text" } }.
    • If a JSON field is currently std::string, convert it to translation so contextual JSON can load.
  • Keep context names terse and UI-specific, e.g. time format, map extra, music genre, damage type.
  • Update lang/po/<lang>.po for each new msgctxt; do not rely on the old shared msgstr.
  • Preserve old uncontexted entries only when some source still uses the shared msgid.
  • For Korean, check existing glossary first:
    • rg -C2 -i '<term>' lang/po/ko.po | rg -v '^(#:|--)' | head -n 20
  • Validate after editing:
    • python3 lang/extract_json_strings.py -i data/json -o /tmp/catabn-i18n-context.pot --tracked-only
    • msgfmt -f -c -o /tmp/ko.mo lang/po/ko.po
    • ./tools/check_po_printf_format.py
    • If JSON changed, run ./build-scripts/lint-json.sh.

PR references

  • #8729 split ambiguous yes/no labels in C++ with pgettext and translate_marker_context.
  • #8741 split ambiguous animal/action/species/fish names in JSON with ctxt and updated PO entries.