Translation Strings
Developmenttranslation-stringsTranslation Strings is an Agent Skill for development published in the thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist repository on GitHub: a SKILL.md instruction file an AI agent can load to do this task.
Use when reviewing a codebase for internationalisation readiness, setting up an i18n library, or preparing strings for a new locale.
How to use this skill
Bring this guide into your coding agent with a prompt tailored to the tool you use.
- Open your project in Codex.
- Copy and paste the prompt below.
- Review files and risks before approving any action.
Inspect the Agent Skill at https://github.com/thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist/blob/HEAD/skills/translation-strings/SKILL.md and all supporting files. Report provenance, permissions, scripts, dependencies, and security risks. Propose an exact installation into .agents/skills/translation-strings, but wait for my approval before writing files or running scripts.
Copying this prompt does not install or run the skill. Review third-party files before use.
Write internationalisation-friendly translation strings
Naive string concatenation produces untranslatable sentences because word order varies dramatically across languages. A pattern like "Found " + count + " results" cannot be translated correctly into languages where the number appears in a different position or where the noun form changes depending on the count. Bad i18n strings force translators to work around developer mistakes — or simply leave content untranslated.
Quick Reference
- Never concatenate translated strings with variables — use named placeholders
- Use ICU MessageFormat for pluralisation, gender, and select patterns
- Keep translation keys descriptive and scoped to their feature context
- Extract all user-visible strings — do not hardcode any copy in components
Check
Check whether translation strings use proper message formatting with placeholders rather than string concatenation.
Fix
Replace concatenated translation strings with ICU message format patterns and ensure pluralisation is handled via the library, not conditionals.
Explain
Explain why string concatenation breaks translations and how ICU MessageFormat handles variable word order, pluralisation, and gender.
Code Review
Review components and utility functions for hardcoded user-visible strings, string concatenation involving translated text, and missing plural forms.
For full implementation details, code examples, and framework-specific guidance,
see references/rule.md.
Rule page: https://frontendchecklist.io/en/rules/javascript/translation-strings