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- dharma-translation → translation: stripped conventions, kept only technique - Deleted mpi-project-conventions: all content now in AGENTS.md - References moved: meditation-translation, markdown-to-djot → translation/ translation-pitfalls, proofreading-patterns → translation-review/ - Updated AGENTS.md, readme.dj, memory, pdf skill cross-reference - 7 skills → 6 skills
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name, description
| name | description |
|---|---|
| translation | Translate Chinese↔English Buddhist/Dharma content — register guidance from Mindfulness Bell corpus, tone, voice, cultural bridging technique. |
Translation
Core translation technique for Buddhist/Dharma content. Conventions (djot format, terms DB query, workflows, output format) are in AGENTS.md.
Mindfulness Bell Corpus
Register/style patterns in English Buddhist prose.
- 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 withread_file. - Extraction script:
/tmp/extract_mb_articles.py(re-run if PDFs change)
Register Reference
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
- Terms: Either keep Sanskrit w/ narrative explanation (bodhisattva, Māra) OR coin new English (interbeing, inter-are). Avoid clunky calques.
- 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.
- Tone: Chinese Dharma texts are typically more formal than English equivalents. Decide consciously: keep formality or warm up (Thầy style).
- Voice: Direct address ("you"), concrete images, and oral rhythm make Dharma land in English. Abstract noun chains (common in Chinese→English translationese) kill it.
- Sutra quotes: Use standard English Buddhist idiom. Check terse-idiom conventions (e.g., Diamond Sutra "lives" not "bodies").
For register decisions: consult the register table above (scanning MB articles is optional).
Quick-Find in MB Corpus
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
Meditation / Mindfulness Content
When translating guided meditation scripts, exercise guides, or posture instructions
(rather than Dharma talks), use a lighter workflow. See references/meditation-translation.md.
References
references/meditation-translation.md— lighter workflow for meditation/mindfulness contentreferences/markdown-to-djot.md— converting .docx.md to .dj for translation prepreferences/diacritics-convention.md— diacritics rules