translation-files/skills/dharma-translation/SKILL.md

name, description, category

name	description	category
dharma-translation	Translate Chinese↔English Buddhist/Dharma content using the MPI term database and Mindfulness Bell corpus for register guidance.	research

Dharma Translation

When translating Chinese↔English Buddhist/Dharma content, consult TWO resources before producing output:

1. Terms database — for established term translations
2. Mindfulness Bell corpus — for register/style patterns in English Buddhist prose

Resources

Terms DB

• DB: /home/user/documents/mpi/terms-search/termlib.duckdb
• CLI: /home/user/documents/mpi/terms-search/search.py <query>
• Source tables priority: DoT定稿 > 内部特色词 > 佛教术语 > 经论名
• See /home/user/documents/mpi/terms-search/SKILL.md for full API details

Mindfulness Bell Corpus

• Location: /home/user/meta/www.files/public/The Mindfulness Bell/
• 6 issues: MB92–MB97 (2023–2026), each ~84–116 pages
• Index: index.yaml (article titles, authors, pages)
• Articles: ~/documents/jingxin-lessons/Mindfulness Bell/articles/MB{92..97}/*.md — 93 individual markdown files with YAML frontmatter. Read directly with read_file.
• Extraction script: /tmp/extract_mb_articles.py (re-run if PDFs change)

Register Reference (from MB corpus analysis)

Four registers observed, useful as style targets:

Register	Example	Key features
Dharma talk	Thầy (MB94 "Roses and Garbage", MB97 "Go as a River")	Short sentences, concrete images, coined terms ("interbeing"), oral address ("It's clear?"), Sanskrit kept with narrative explanation
Teaching lineage	Sister Đoan Nghiêm (MB93 "Our Patriarch Liễu Quán")	"We" voice, terms explained, cultural bridging ("like Jesus"), dates woven into narrative, still oral
Personal narrative	Mick McEvoy (MB94 "Touching the True Nature")	First-person, confessional, borrowed Dharma vocabulary, emotional directness, vernacular
Editorial	Brother Pháp Lưu (MB94 welcome letter)	Polished but warm, conceptual framing, "we" address

Translation Principles (observed from MB corpus)

1. Terms: Either keep Sanskrit w/ narrative explanation (bodhisattva, Māra) OR coin new English (interbeing, inter-are). Avoid clunky calques.
2. Cultural bridging: Add bridges for Western readers. A Chinese text mentioning 孔子 can stay; explain the function. Đoan Nghiêm's "like Jesus" is the pattern.
3. Tone: Chinese Dharma texts are typically more formal than English equivalents. Decide consciously: keep formality or warm up (Thầy style).
4. Voice: Direct address ("you"), concrete images, and oral rhythm make Dharma land in English. Abstract noun chains (common in Chinese→English translationese) kill it.
5. Sutra quotes: Use standard English Buddhist idiom. Check terse-idiom conventions (e.g., Diamond Sutra "lives" not "bodies").

Workflow

1. Load both terms-search and dharma-translation skills (and mpi-project-conventions for output conventions)
2. For each key term in the source: search the terms DB first (HTTP API at port 8910)
3. For register decisions: consult the register table above (scanning MB articles is optional)
4. Translate directly — never call external translation APIs. Agent IS the model.
5. Write target.dj alongside source.dj. Match source line count exactly.
6. After translation, offer to align against the terms DB for verification

MB Article Quick-Find

Common article types to search for register examples:

• Thầy's Dharma talks: search index for "Thích Nhất Hạnh" + page ≤ 10
• Sister/brother teachings: search for "Sister" or "Brother" + "DHARMA TEACHING"
• Personal narratives: first-person voice, often pages 8–60
• Lineage/history: "Patriarch," "ancestor," dates in text