# Proverb Idiomatic Translation

> Use this skill when the user wants translation data for sayings, proverbs, folk expressions, or culturally loaded lines that should sound like a real saying in the target language. Trigger it for requests like "don’t translate it word for word," "capture the idea behind the proverb," or "test whether it can handle culture-heavy figurative language instead of producing a literal gloss."

- Skill: `dingxingdi/proverb-idiomatic-translation-2` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 5 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dingxingdi/proverb-idiomatic-translation-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dingxingdi/proverb-idiomatic-translation-2/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: dingxingdi (https://skillmd.com/u/dingxingdi)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dingxingdi/proverb-idiomatic-translation-2

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# Skill: proverb-idiomatic-translation
## 1. Capability Definition & Real Case
* **Professional Definition**: The ability to translate culturally embedded proverbs by preserving their implied meaning and pragmatic force through an idiomatic target-language rendering, rather than defaulting to a literal word-for-word output that obscures the proverb’s function.
* **Dimension Hierarchy**: Specialized and Culturally Grounded Translation->Figurative and Cultural Translation->proverb-idiomatic-translation
### Real Case

**[Case 1]**
* **Initial Environment**: A translation agent is given a dialectal Arabic proverb and a request for an English translation intended for a general reader. No explanation is requested, so the output must stay source-aligned while still choosing an idiomatic English rendering.
* **Real Question**: Translate the following proverb into natural English: "The son of a snake is a serpent."
* **Real Trajectory**: The agent recognizes the proverb as figurative rather than purely descriptive, identifies the implied meaning about inherited bad character, and chooses an English idiom instead of a literal gloss.
* **Real Answer**: Like father, like son.
* **Why this demonstrates the capability**: A literal translation preserves surface words but hides the proverb’s social meaning and pragmatic function. The example therefore tests whether the agent can map a culturally embedded saying onto an idiomatic target-language equivalent. It is especially revealing because many models produce fluent literal outputs that remain semantically shallow.

## Pipeline Execution Instructions
To synthesize data for this capability, you must strictly follow a 3-phase pipeline. **Do not hallucinate steps.** Read the corresponding reference file for each phase sequentially:

1. **Phase 1: Environment Exploration**
   Read the exploration guidelines to discover raw knowledge seeds:
   `references/EXPLORATION.md`

2. **Phase 2: Trajectory Selection**
   Once Phase 1 is complete, read the selection criteria to evaluate the trajectory:
   `references/SELECTION.md`

3. **Phase 3: Data Synthesis**
   Once a trajectory passes Phase 2, read the synthesis instructions to generate the final data:
   `references/SYNTHESIS.md`