hoatv2211 Localization Authority Audit
Overview
Identify the localization source of truth and compare every generated or copied map without rewriting multilingual data or masking encoding problems.
When to use
Use for missing keys, extra keys, stale translations, client/server text drift, generated localization copies, encoding mismatches, UTF-8 versus legacy encodings, or mojibake.
When NOT to use
Do not use for Lua packet/RPC field contracts or bulk encoding conversion without project-specific approval and backup.
Required inputs and context discovery
Collect authority path, copy/generated paths, generation pipeline, locale list, key format, encoding evidence, fallback behavior, runtime owner, and protected vendor/generated data.
Safety and risk level
Read-only audit first. Never bulk-convert encodings, normalize multilingual text, or edit generated copies before source authority and backup are verified.
Workflow
- Identify source authority, generated copies, runtime consumers, and fallback order. Completion criterion: unknown authority remains BLOCKED.
- Verify file encodings with evidence before decoding or comparing text. Completion criterion: mojibake is not mistaken for a translation difference.
- Normalize keys without changing source text and compare missing, extra, and mismatched entries. Completion criterion: every finding cites authority and copy locations.
- Trace generation or copy synchronization for stale outputs. Completion criterion: the editable source and regeneration path are known.
- Propose source-first fixes, targeted encoding handling, and verification fixtures. Completion criterion: no bulk conversion or generated-file hand edit is proposed without safeguards.
Evidence and output contract
Produce localization-audit.json with authority, encodings, locales, missing/extra/mismatched keys, generation paths, runtime fallback, limitations, and source-first recommendations.
Handoff contract
Record authority and copy paths, encoding evidence, key mismatches, generated no-touch files, unresolved locale ownership, and next safe action.
Pitfalls and anti-rationalization
- Similar-looking text may be encoded differently.
- Do not “fix mojibake” through bulk replacement.
- Generated copies are not the authority unless explicitly verified.
- Missing runtime access is BLOCKED for live rendering confirmation.
Verification checklist
- Authority and copies are classified.
- Encodings were checked before comparison.
- Missing, extra, and mismatched keys are separate.
- Generation paths remain source-first.
- No bulk encoding mutation occurred.
References and scripts
Use the bundled scripts/localization_audit.py on normalized maps and project-local copy/generation documentation.