translate: Finish translation

skills/translation-review/SKILL.md

@@ -212,6 +212,7 @@ Do not run extraction pipelines until scope is clear.
 - **Verify patches with `cat`** — `read_file` dedup makes it unreliable
 - **Re-read before fixing** — user may have made interim edits
 - **Em-dash drift (translation mode only)**: AGENTS.md mandates `—` (Unicode em-dash) → `---` (three hyphens) in English djot for the translation workflow. When proofreading an existing DOCX manuscript, do NOT flag em-dashes — the manuscript's English is authoritative and this is a formatting concern for the translation workflow. If you're in translation mode and the target has Unicode em-dashes, run a single find/replace `—` → `---`. Long files typically have 30–50 such instances.
+  - **Before raising this**: confirm the user wants mechanical cleanup. The user may deliberately leave `—` in the .dj because it's their working source — the conversion to `---` is something they do themselves at the docx-export step, or they may want comments/findings only. Default: ask before applying a 100+ instance find/replace. If unsure, mention it in `translation-findings.dj` with a note that it's mechanical, but do NOT auto-apply.
 - **Batch terminology lookups** — when checking many terms against the terms DB, run them in one `execute_code` script that loops over a query list and calls `search.py` via `subprocess.run`. One terminal call per term floods the context with repetitive output.
 - **Proofread ≠ translation review** — when the user says "校对" or "proofread" and the input is a DOCX manuscript with existing English, you are in proofread mode. Do NOT flag translation quality, terminology, or djot formatting. Do NOT apply patches to bilingual.dj unless asked. Write `edit-suggestions.dj` with manuscript-level issues only. If the user later asks for translation review of the same article, write findings to a separate `translation-findings.dj`.
 

skills/translation-review/references/translation-pitfalls.md

@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ Patterns found in CN→EN translation review. Add to this file as new patterns e
 人生佛教 (Taixu's "Buddhism for Human Life") and 人间佛教 (Yinshun's "Humanistic Buddhism")
 are distinct doctrinal positions in modern Chinese Buddhism. Do not conflate both into
 "Humanistic Buddhism." When the source uses 人生佛教, render as "Buddhism for Human Life"
-or "Human Life Buddhism."
+or "Human Life Buddhism." User may propose a deliberately non-standard rendering
+("Buddhism for daily lives") — that's their call. Don't unilaterally pick from
+the standard set without checking.
 
 ### 心性论 → buddha-nature (WRONG)
 
@@ -44,6 +46,20 @@ Check every occurrence of "compassion" in a translation against the source:
 生存层面 = the existential/survival dimension. Not just earning wages.
 → "survival-level needs" or "the level of basic existence"
 
+### 修学 → "practice" (drops study dimension)
+
+修学 combines 修 (practice/cultivation) and 学 (study/learning). Rendering only
+as "practice" loses the study dimension. Use "practice and study" or
+"cultivation and learning" — especially in 静心学堂/Dharma study contexts where
+the academic dimension is emphasized.
+
+### 信仰者 → "believers" (Christian connotation)
+
+信仰者 = "people of faith" but in Buddhist context, "believers" carries Christian
+overtones. Use "practitioners" or "adherents" to avoid the implication. Reserve
+"believers" for contexts where the source explicitly uses 信徒 or where the
+Christian parallel is the point.
+
 ## Loss of Dharma meaning
 
 ### 生生增上 → continuously elevate our life (INCOMPLETE)
@@ -54,6 +70,29 @@ Check every occurrence of "compassion" in a translation against the source:
 
 ## Degree / register shifts
 
+### "tantamount to" drops 几乎
+
+几乎 = "almost." "tantamount to" = "is in fact." Dropping 几乎 strengthens the
+claim. Source "几乎等同于一次全球化运动" = "almost equivalent to a globalization
+movement," NOT "tantamount to a globalization movement."
+
+### "untenable" for 都是不行的 (overstates)
+
+都是不行的 = "is not acceptable / won't do." "Untenable" = "indefensible" or
+"cannot be maintained." Too strong. Use "impermissible" or "is not acceptable."
+
+### "monumental event" for 大事 (slight stretch)
+
+大事 = "a major event" or "an event of importance." "Monumental" is typically
+reserved for tasks, errors, or achievements (e.g. "monumental task,"
+"monumental mistake"). "Event of great importance" or "landmark event" is more
+idiomatic.
+
+### "perennial" for 永恒 (wrong register)
+
+永恒 = eternal/ultimate. "Perennial" = recurring (per year, per season). They
+are not synonyms. Use "eternal" or "ultimate."
+
 ### 学部委员 → Member (UNDERSTATES)
 
 学部委员 is CASS's highest academic title, equivalent to "Academician."
@@ -83,6 +122,19 @@ or "rose and fell together."
 圣 (sage) and 贤 (worthy) are distinct Confucian categories. Collapsing both
 to "a sage" loses the distinction. → "sagehood and worthiness" or "a sage or worthy."
 
+### "must" overuse from 应当/倡导
+
+Source patterns 应当 (should), 倡导 (advocate/champion), 今后要 (going forward, should)
+often get rendered as "must" by reflex. "must" in English is a strong directive
+appropriate only for 一定要, 必须, 务必. Default to "should" or "ought to" for
+recommendations. A whole section may be 倡导 without 一定 anywhere — don't
+manufacture urgency the source doesn't have.
+
+### 文明 → culture (WRONG)
+
+文明 is "civilization," not 文化 "culture." When a text discusses 文明传播
+(civilizational transmission), do not substitute "cultural transmission."
+
 #### 因病返贫 → "back into poverty"
 "返贫" means becoming poor due to illness, not returning to previous poverty. Use "into poverty" or "driven into poverty."
 

skills/translation/SKILL.md

@@ -58,6 +58,18 @@ excessive blank clusters. See `references/bilingual-format.md`.
 Trailing `  ` (two spaces) on source lines indicate soft line breaks (paragraph
 continuations). Preserve these markers on both source and target lines.
 
+### Terminology decisions: user is the source of truth
+
+When the user proposes a non-standard rendering (e.g. "人间佛教 should be
+'Buddhism for daily lives'") or asks for your input ("although I don't know
+what X should be"), respond with a brief options table — strengths and
+weaknesses — and let them choose. Do NOT unilaterally commit to a rendering
+and start applying it across the file. The user often has a reason for their
+proposal (e.g. deliberate departure from terms DB convention) or a strong
+opinion they haven't voiced yet. Once they pick, then apply consistently and
+annotate in the inline `{% %}` comment WHY this rendering was chosen so future
+editors know it was deliberate, not a slip.
+
 ## Quick-Find in MB Corpus
 
 Common article types to search for register examples: