# German Translator Pro Brand Legal > Swiss-German translator for brand/UI and legal text — trained on real translation patterns from 12+ top brands (Swisscom, UBS, On Running, Logitech, IKEA, Stripe, Notion, Slack, Apple, Shopify, BMW, Vercel). Translates and validates i18n JSON or plain text from English to Swiss-formal German (Hochdeutsch CH). Anti-translationese: restructures German thoughts fresh instead of mapping English. Two text types: brand/UI and legal. Two actions: TRANSLATE and VALIDATE. Includes 100+ brand-confirmed translation pairs, 40+ glossary terms with keep/translate decisions, DSGVO/DSG legal terminology, completeness checks, and a 4-agent pipeline for legal documents. - Skill: `slfmr1/german-translator-pro-brand-legal` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 6 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add slfmr1/german-translator-pro-brand-legal` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/slfmr1/german-translator-pro-brand-legal/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: DevOps & Infra - Author: slfmr1 (https://skillmd.com/u/slfmr1) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/slfmr1/german-translator-pro-brand-legal --- # German Translator Pro — Brand & Legal Translate and validate English to Swiss-formal German (Hochdeutsch CH). Trained on real translation patterns crawled from 12+ top brands — not generic machine translation. ## What makes this different LLMs produce **translationese** — grammatically correct German that sounds translated, not written. This skill fixes that with curated reference files extracted from how top brands actually translate their websites, marketing, and legal pages. **Brands crawled:** Swisscom, UBS, On Running, Logitech, IKEA CH, Stripe, Notion, Slack, Apple, Shopify, BMW, Vercel **What we extracted:** 100+ real EN→DE pairs, 5 hero headline strategies, 15+ CTA patterns, Du/Sie industry split, 40+ glossary decisions (keep vs translate), 29 legal term translations, translationese traps, legal register patterns — all with brand evidence. The agent reads these references before every translation, producing output that matches how these brands write German. ## Install ```bash npx skills add SLFMR1/german-translator-pro-brand-legal ``` ## When to Use - Translating UI strings (buttons, headings, CTAs, marketing copy) to German - Translating legal pages (privacy policy, terms of service, imprint) to German - QA-checking existing German translations against English source - Any EN → DE translation that needs Swiss conventions and natural phrasing ## How It Works The skill supports two text types and two actions: | | Brand / UI | Legal | |---|---|---| | **Translate** (EN → DE) | Natural, punchy Swiss-German that sounds written, not translated | Precise, formal German with DSGVO/DSG legal terminology | | **Validate** (QA check) | Check for naturalness, accuracy, Swiss conventions | Check for legal precision, qualifier preservation, terminology | ### Key features - **Anti-translationese** — Restructures German thoughts fresh instead of mapping English sentence structures. Trained on how top brands actually write - **Swiss (CH) or German (DE) locale** — Swiss: `ss` not `ß`, 1'000, CHF. German: standard `ß`, 1.000, EUR. User chooses - **Back-translation QA** — Verifies meaning preservation by translating DE back to EN - **Completeness checks** — Catches untranslated strings AND accidentally germanized brand terms - **Legal term precision** — 25+ DSGVO/DSG terms with brand-confirmed translations and source fidelity rules - **4-agent legal pipeline** — Translator → Back-Translator → Validator → Refiner for legal documents - **Configurable glossary** — Keep-in-English terms, always-translate terms, split decisions — all with brand evidence --- ## Workflow ### Step 1: Determine Text Type, Action, Address Form, and Locale Before doing any work, determine four things. If not clear from context, **ask the user:** **1. Text type?** - **UI** — hero sections, CTAs, agent descriptions, navigation, headings, buttons, labels - **LEGAL** — privacy policy, terms of service, imprint, legal disclaimers **2. Action?** - **TRANSLATE** — convert English to German - **VALIDATE** — QA-check existing German translation against English source **3. Address form?** - **Sie** (formal) — B2B, corporate, legal, professional. Capitalized: Sie, Ihnen, Ihr, Ihre - **Du** (informal) — B2C apps, casual products, startups. Lowercase: du, dir, dein, deine Default to **Sie** if unclear. Legal text always uses **Sie** regardless of user preference. **4. Locale?** - **Swiss (CH)** — `ss` not `ß`, apostrophe thousands (1'000), CHF before amount (CHF 100), decimal point (99.90) - **German (DE)** — `ß` where standard, dot thousands (1.000), € after amount (100 €), decimal comma (99,90) Default to **Swiss (CH)** if unclear. Apply the chosen form and locale consistently throughout. Follow the matching section below. **Web research allowed.** If a term is not in the glossary, or you're unsure about the right translation, look it up. Fetch the German version of a brand's website (e.g. apple.com/de, stripe.com/de, notion.so/de) to see how they actually translate it. You can also check other relevant brand websites in the same industry as the user's project. Real-world usage beats guessing. ### Step 2: Multi-File Projects — Use Subagents When translating or validating **multiple files or pages**, do NOT process them all in the main context. Instead, use the orchestrator/subagent pattern: **Orchestrator (main agent):** 1. Determine the 4 settings above (text type, action, address form, locale) 2. List all files/pages to process 3. Spawn one subagent per file/page using the Agent tool 4. Collect results and report a summary **Each subagent:** 1. Receives: the file path, text type, action, address form, locale 2. Reads the reference files (glossary, style guide, examples) 3. Translates or validates the single file 4. Self-validates against [qa-checklist.md](references/qa-checklist.md) — runs the relevant checks for the text type 5. Fixes any CRITICAL issues found during self-validation 6. Reports back: the output file + a summary (PASS/FAIL, issue count, any unresolved warnings) **Why:** Each subagent gets a clean context with full reference files loaded. No context blowup from processing 10+ files sequentially. Self-validation catches issues before they reach the orchestrator. **Single file?** Skip this — just run the translation/validation directly. --- ## TRANSLATE + UI Natural, punchy Swiss-German for marketing and interface text. ### Process 1. Read the English source JSON file completely 2. Read [glossary.md](references/glossary.md) for terms that must stay untranslated 3. Read [swiss-german-style.md](references/swiss-german-style.md) for tone, conventions, and translationese traps 4. Read [examples.md](references/examples.md) — match this quality level 5. Translate every value. Never modify keys or `{variable}` placeholders 6. **Self-check:** Read each German value out loud. Would a Swiss product manager say this over coffee? If it sounds like a document, rewrite it 7. **Back-translate check:** For 5 random keys, mentally translate the German back to English. If the meaning shifted, fix it 8. **Completeness check:** Compare EN keys vs DE keys — zero missing. Scan for identical EN/DE values: keep-in-English terms are OK, but full English sentences left untranslated are not. Verify always-translate terms from glossary are actually translated (Products→Produkte, not "Products") 9. **Length check:** Compare character count of each DE value vs EN value. Flag any UI string (buttons, labels, nav, headings, tooltips) where DE is >120% of EN length. Shorten these — German must fit the same visual space 10. Output a complete JSON file with identical structure to the English source ### Rules - **Restructure, don't translate.** Write the German thought fresh. If it reads like it was run through a translator, rewrite it - Use the address form chosen in Step 1 (Sie or Du) — apply consistently throughout - Apply the locale conventions chosen in Step 1 (CH or DE) for ß/ss, number formatting, and currency - Preserve all `{variable}` placeholders and HTML tags exactly - Keep JSON key names and namespace structure identical - Brand names, product names stay in English (see [glossary.md](references/glossary.md)) - English tech terms standard in Swiss business stay English (Agent, CRM, API, Inbox, Tools, Workflow, etc.) - Prefer verbs over nominalizations — "prüfen" not "Durchführung der Prüfung" - Prefer concrete benefits over abstract claims - Short sentences. If over 20 words, consider splitting - **Length constraint (UI critical).** German text expands ~20-30% vs English. UI strings must fit the same visual space — buttons, labels, nav items, headings, tooltips. If the German is noticeably longer than the English, shorten it. Prefer compact phrasing: "Jetzt starten" not "Jetzt loslegen und starten", "Mehr erfahren" not "Erfahren Sie mehr darüber". For buttons and nav: aim to match or stay within ~120% of the English character count ### Output Complete valid JSON. Same keys, same nesting, German values. --- ## TRANSLATE + LEGAL Precise, formal Swiss-German for legal documents. Accuracy over style. **For the full multi-agent pipeline (recommended for legal), see [legal-workflow.md](references/legal-workflow.md).** It uses 4 agents: Translator → Back-Translator → Validator → Refiner. The instructions below are for the Translator agent (Agent 1). ### Process 1. Read the English source JSON file completely 2. Read [glossary.md](references/glossary.md) for terms that must stay untranslated 3. Read [swiss-german-style.md](references/swiss-german-style.md) — apply the locale conventions (CH or DE) chosen in Step 1, but use **formal legal register**, not marketing tone 4. Translate every value with focus on legal precision and completeness 5. **Self-check — 4 passes:** - Pass 1: Back-translate every value to English. If meaning shifted → fix - Pass 2: Check every legal qualifier (may/shall/unless) is preserved with correct weight - Pass 3: Read only the German text without looking at English. Flag ambiguities - Pass 4: Completeness — diff EN keys vs DE keys (zero missing). Scan identical values: brand names and keep-in-English terms OK, untranslated legal text is CRITICAL. Verify legal section headings, consent language, and rights descriptions are all in German 6. Output two files: - The complete translated JSON (same structure as source) - A `_review_notes.md` file flagging sections that need professional legal review ### Rules - **Legal precision over natural flow.** Accuracy of meaning is paramount. Do not rephrase for punchiness - **Formal register.** Legal text should sound formal and precise — "stiff" is correct here - Formal "Sie" form — always for legal text, regardless of user preference for UI - Apply the locale conventions chosen in Step 1 (CH or DE) for ß/ss, number formatting, and currency - Preserve all `{variable}` placeholders and HTML tags exactly - Keep JSON key names and namespace structure identical - **Preserve legal terminology.** Use standard DSGVO/DSG terms (see table below) - **Swiss legal context (CH locale).** Reference Swiss law (DSG/nDSG, OR) alongside EU references (DSGVO/GDPR) where the English mentions data protection or privacy. For DE locale, DSGVO references are sufficient - **Do NOT simplify.** Complex sentences keep their complexity. Legal meaning depends on precise wording - **Do NOT drop qualifiers.** "may", "shall", "unless", "notwithstanding" have specific legal weight: "kann", "hat zu" (not "soll" — "soll" is weaker, closer to "should"), "sofern nicht", "ungeachtet" - **Flag jurisdiction-specific clauses** — courts, regulators, applicable law references go in the review notes - **Source fidelity.** Translate what the source says, not what it should say. If the source uses "personal information" (informal), translate as "persönliche Informationen" — do NOT upgrade to "personenbezogene Daten" (which is the DSGVO term for "personal data"). Only use formal legal terms when the source uses the corresponding formal English term - **No right escalation.** If the source says "opt out", translate as "abmelden" or "ablehnen" — do NOT escalate to "widersprechen" (formal DSGVO right of objection under Art. 21). Match the weight of the source - **Complete compound nouns.** German compound truncation ("Rechts- oder Behörden...") must be grammatically complete. "Rechts- oder Behördenanfragen" is correct. "Rechts- oder Behörden" alone is not — the compound base word must appear at least once ### Legal Term Translations | English | German | Notes | |---------|--------|-------| | personal data | personenbezogene Daten | DSGVO standard | | data processing | Datenverarbeitung | | | data controller | Verantwortlicher | | | data processor | Auftragsverarbeiter | | | consent | Einwilligung | not "Zustimmung" in GDPR context | | legitimate interest | berechtigtes Interesse | | | data subject | betroffene Person | | | right to erasure | Recht auf Löschung | | | terms of service | Nutzungsbedingungen | or AGB | | liability | Haftung | | | indemnification | Freistellung / Schadloshaltung | | | governing law | anwendbares Recht | | | severability | Salvatorische Klausel | | | intellectual property | geistiges Eigentum | | | data protection | Datenschutz | | | data retention | Datenaufbewahrung | | | data transfer | Datenübermittlung | Apple, Stripe | | legal basis | Rechtsgrundlage | Apple, Stripe | | supervisory authority | Aufsichtsbehörde | Apple | | Data Protection Officer | Datenschutzbeauftragter | Apple, Stripe | | Standard Contractual Clauses | Standardvertragsklauseln | Apple, Stripe, Slack | | right to access | Auskunftsrecht | Apple | | right to rectification | Recht auf Berichtigung | Apple | | right to object | Widerspruchsrecht | Logitech | | right to data portability | Recht auf Datenübertragbarkeit | Logitech | | GDPR | DSGVO (Datenschutz-Grundverordnung) | Always "DSGVO" in DE, never "GDPR" | | FADP / Swiss DPA | DSG (Bundesgesetz über den Datenschutz) | Stripe, IKEA | | FDPIC | EDÖB | Swiss federal data protection authority | | as is / as available | wie besehen / wie verfügbar | Shopify — warranty disclaimer | ### Output Two files: 1. Complete valid JSON — same keys, same nesting, German values 2. `_review_notes.md`: ```markdown # Legal Translation Review Notes: [filename] ## Sections Requiring Professional Legal Review - [key.path]: Reason ## Translation Decisions - [key.path]: "Chose X over Y because..." ## Swiss Law Considerations - Areas where Swiss law (DSG/nDSG, OR) differs from the EU law referenced in source ``` --- ## VALIDATE + UI QA-check German UI/marketing translations for naturalness, accuracy, and Swiss conventions. ### Process 1. Read both the English source and German translation JSON files 2. Read [glossary.md](references/glossary.md) and [swiss-german-style.md](references/swiss-german-style.md) 3. Read [examples.md](references/examples.md) — compare translations against these benchmarks 4. Read [qa-checklist.md](references/qa-checklist.md) — run the **Structural**, **Accuracy**, **Naturalness**, **Tone & Style (UI)**, **Linguistic (UI)**, and **Completeness** sections 5. **Back-translation check:** For each DE value, mentally translate it back to English. Mismatch → CRITICAL (meaning error) or WARNING (nuance drift) 6. **Naturalness check:** Does this sound written in German or translated from English? Flag translationese as WARNING 7. **Completeness check:** Run the full Completeness routine from qa-checklist.md: - Identify all keys where EN value === DE value (identical-value scan) - For each, classify: keep-in-English term → OK, brand name → OK, URL/email/number → OK, actual untranslated text → CRITICAL - Cross-check against glossary: no accidentally translated keep-in-English terms, no English left for always-translate terms - Verify all navigation terms, CTAs, and common UI patterns are translated per brand-crawl evidence 8. **Length check:** Compare character count of each DE value vs EN value. Flag UI strings (buttons, labels, nav, headings, tooltips) where DE is >120% of EN length as WARNING — these may break layout 9. **Web crosscheck:** For any translation you're unsure about or that feels off, fetch the German version of a relevant brand website to verify how they translate it. Spot-check at least 5 key terms against real brand usage 10. Report findings grouped by severity --- ## VALIDATE + LEGAL QA-check German legal translations for precision, terminology, and legal correctness. **If a back-translation file is available** (from the [legal-workflow.md](references/legal-workflow.md) pipeline), use it in step 4 below. This catches meaning errors that bilingual review misses — a reviewer unconsciously imports the correct meaning from the source, but a back-translation reveals what the German text *actually says* in isolation. ### Process 1. Read both the English source and German translation JSON files 2. Read [glossary.md](references/glossary.md) and [swiss-german-style.md](references/swiss-german-style.md) 3. Read [qa-checklist.md](references/qa-checklist.md) — run the **Structural**, **Accuracy**, **Tone & Style (Legal)**, **Linguistic (Legal)**, **Legal-Specific**, and **Completeness** sections 4. **Back-translation diff** (if back-translation file provided): Compare original EN with back-translated EN, key by key. Flag divergences: - Meaning matches → OK - Slight nuance drift → WARNING - Material change (obligation→permission, condition dropped, scope changed) → CRITICAL 5. **Blind read:** Read ONLY the German text without looking at English. Flag anything unclear or ambiguous as a standalone German legal document 6. **Precision check:** Are legal qualifiers ("may", "shall", "unless") translated with full legal weight? Are complex conditions preserved without simplification? 7. **Completeness check:** Run the full Completeness routine from qa-checklist.md: - Identical-value scan: classify every key where EN === DE (keep-in-English → OK, brand name → OK, actual untranslated text → CRITICAL) - Cross-check against glossary: keep-in-English terms not accidentally translated, always-translate terms not left in English - Legal-specific: verify legal section headings, consent language, rights descriptions are all translated — never left in English 8. **Web crosscheck:** For any legal term or translation you're unsure about, fetch the German version of a relevant brand's legal pages (e.g. apple.com/de/privacy, stripe.com/de/legal) to verify standard usage. Spot-check at least 5 key legal terms against real brand usage 9. Report findings grouped by severity --- ## Severity Levels (Both VALIDATE Modes) - **CRITICAL**: Missing keys, broken placeholders, broken JSON, meaning errors, legal inaccuracies - **WARNING**: Tone issues, phrasing problems, terminology inconsistencies, Bundesdeutsch instead of Swiss - **INFO**: Style suggestions, alternative phrasings, minor improvements ## Output Format (Both VALIDATE Modes) ``` ## Validation Report: [filename] ### Text type: [UI / LEGAL] ### CRITICAL (X issues) - [key.path]: Description of issue ### WARNING (X issues) - [key.path]: Description of issue | Suggestion: ... ### INFO (X suggestions) - [key.path]: Suggestion ### Summary X critical | X warnings | X info — [PASS/FAIL] ``` FAIL if any CRITICAL issues exist. PASS otherwise. --- ## Resources - [references/examples.md](references/examples.md) — Real EN→DE translation examples (UI + Legal quality benchmarks, common pitfalls) - [references/glossary.md](references/glossary.md) — Untranslatable terms (universal + project-specific) - [references/swiss-german-style.md](references/swiss-german-style.md) — Swiss-German conventions, translationese traps, Obvious Adams principles - [references/qa-checklist.md](references/qa-checklist.md) — QA checklist with separate UI and Legal sections - [references/legal-workflow.md](references/legal-workflow.md) — Full 4-agent pipeline for legal translation (Translator → Back-Translator → Validator → Refiner)