localize-zh

Chinese Translation Rules (zh / 中文)

Distilled from the production translation prompts (zh.ts, zh-hant.ts, zh-hant-tw.ts, zh-hant-hk.ts) AND domain knowledge of Chinese localization politics. Follow these rules verbatim — they are model-agnostic and produce consistent native-quality output without political missteps.

⚠️ READ FIRST — Political Red Lines

These rules apply across ALL variants. Violating any of them can cause real customer escalation, public backlash, app store removal, or legal exposure (especially in HK post-2020). They override every other rule in this skill.

1. NEVER mix Simplified and Traditional characters in one output. Mixing 软件設定 or 軟體设置 is the single most damaging error possible — perceived as lazy/AI-slop and sometimes politically careless. Particularly watchful pairs: 设/設, 体/體, 国/國, 个/個, 这/這, 们/們, 时/時, 后/後, 发/發, 会/會, 学/學, 实/實, 应/應, 当/當, 还/還, 关/關, 开/開, 听/聽, 见/見, 业/業, 处/處, 务/務. Validate the entire output is 100% one script.
2. NEVER write `中國台灣 / 中国台湾` in Taiwan-targeted content. Use 台灣 alone.
3. NEVER write `祖國 / 祖国` (motherland) in TW or HK content unless the source explicitly contains it and the user has confirmed the framing.
4. NEVER use `內地` (inner land) in TW content — 內地 is the PRC-framed term implying Taiwan is peripheral. Use 中國大陸 or 大陸 for TW.
5. NEVER use `中華民國` (Republic of China) in CN content unless quoting historical source.
6. NEVER use bare `$` for NTD or HKD — always NT$ or HK$ to disambiguate from USD/CNY.
7. NEVER mix `民國` calendar with `公元/西元` dates in the same document.
8. DEFAULT to "Country/Region" labels (國家/地區 Traditional, 国家/地区 Simplified) instead of "Country" — universal safe choice for dropdowns containing Taiwan/HK/Macau.
9. NEVER ship CCP, KMT, DPP, or leader names unsolicited; treat as red-flag terms requiring user confirmation.
10. In HK content (post-2020 NSL), AVOID restricted political phrases (光復香港, 時代革命, 2019 protest slogans) — these have legal implications under the National Security Law.

If the source text contains any of: 祖国/祖國, 光復香港, 時代革命, 中華民國, Taiwan, Province of China, Taiwan, China, 中國台灣, or specific leader/party names — STOP and confirm the user's intent before translating.

Mindset

你是一位極其挑剔的中文作家，痛恨從英文直譯而來的不自然表達。

Reject literal English calques. Restructure fully into natural Chinese. Common English terms (API, URL, AI, app) are acceptable when they're standard in the target variant — HK tolerates code-mixing; CN and TW prefer native terms.

Variant Selection (run FIRST)

Chinese has three variants that directly conflict on script, vocabulary, formality, currency, AND political framing. Applying the wrong variant produces output that reads as foreign or — worse — politically tone-deaf.

If the user has not specified the variant, before translating call AskUserQuestion with:

• Question: Which Chinese variant should I target?
• Header: ZH variant
• Options:

1. Simplified Chinese — Mainland (zh-CN / zh-Hans) — 简体字, 您/你 with 您 in B2B, 保存/设置/登录/视频/软件/网络, RMB ¥/元, "..." quotes.
2. Traditional Chinese — Taiwan (zh-Hant-TW) — 繁體字 (TW forms 嘆/著/裡), defaults to 您, 儲存/設定/登入/影片/軟體/網路, NTD NT$, 「」 quotes, strict native-term preference.
3. Traditional Chinese — Hong Kong (zh-Hant-HK) — 繁體字 (HK forms 歎/着/裏), defaults to 你, 儲存/設定/登入/影片/軟件/網絡 (hybrid: Traditional script but selectively aligns with CN on hardware/networking terms), HKD HK$, 「」 quotes, English code-mixing acceptable.

If unsure how to label the user request: ask explicitly. The cost of mislabeling is much higher than the cost of one extra question.

After confirmation, apply: Universal Chinese base + the chosen variant's deltas. Do NOT cross-apply variant rules.

Pre-Translation Setup

1. Variant confirmed above. Lock in script (Simplified vs Traditional) and character-form (TW vs HK).
2. Formality (address form) — pick 您 (formal) or 你 (neutral) and use it consistently throughout. Default by variant: CN business → 您; TW → 您; HK → 你.
3. Quotation marks — "..." for CN; 「」 (with 『』 nested) for TW + HK.
4. Currency — ¥/元 (CN), NT$/新台幣 (TW), HK$/港幣 (HK). NEVER bare $.
5. Placeholders — Preserve {variables} and ICU plural syntax exactly.

Register Auto-Detection (run after Variant Selection + Pre-Translation Setup, before translating)

If the user has NOT specified 您 or 你, infer from source text register. Match output to source — formal source → 您; informal source → 你. The default differs by variant (see below).

Formal source signals → output 您 / 您的

• Hedging / polite modals: "please", "kindly", "we recommend", "could you", "would you mind"
• Passive / impersonal: "users are advised", "it is recommended", "applicants must"
• No contractions: "do not", "cannot", "we will"
• Domain vocabulary: legal, financial, healthcare, regulatory, enterprise B2B, government, insurance, banking
• Third-person / distance: "the user must", "customers should"
• Long sentences, formal connectors (然而, 此外, 而且)
• Brand voice: bank, insurance, government, B2B SaaS, healthcare, legal tech
• No exclamations or emojis

Informal source signals → output 你 / 你的

• Contractions: "don't", "you'll", "it's", "we're"
• Casual greetings: "hey", "hi there", "yo", "hi 👋"
• Second-person directness, exclamations, emoji (🎉 😎 🚀 ✨)
• Slang: "cool", "awesome", "no worries", "kinda"
• Consumer-app voice: gaming, social, lifestyle, dating, fitness, kids
• Sentence fragments and conversational filler

Mixed / ambiguous source → defaults differ by variant

• zh-CN: default to 您 for B2B/financial; 你 for general consumer. When ambiguous, prefer 您.
• zh-Hant-TW: default to 您. Reserve 你 for explicitly casual consumer apps.
• zh-Hant-HK: default to 你. Reserve 您 for government/luxury/banking. HK is uniquely informal-default.

Explicit user override

If the user says "use 您" / "use 你" / "formal" / "casual", their instruction wins.

Worked examples (zh-CN; substitute Traditional + variant glyphs as needed)

After detection: keep the chosen form consistent. NEVER mix 您/你 across pronouns, possessives, OR imperatives.

HK code-mixing interaction with register

• HK informal: English code-mixing fully acceptable in casual contexts: 按 Save 制儲存, check 你的 email, schedule 一個 meeting.
• HK formal: minimize English mixing — use 儲存 not Save, 電郵 not email, 會議 not meeting.
• pt-CN/TW: do NOT code-mix even in informal contexts — keep Chinese throughout.

Universal Chinese Base (apply to ALL three variants)

1. Full-width punctuation in Chinese text

Use full-width 。，：；！？（）. Half-width allowed ONLY inside URLs, email addresses, code, English text, and currency-with-numbers.

Enumeration uses 、 for items: 蘋果、香蕉 (NOT 蘋果,香蕉).

Note: quote-mark convention differs by variant — see variant deltas.

2. Measure words (量詞 / 量词) — required for countable nouns

Common counters: 种/種 (kinds, languages), 个/個 (general items), 篇 (articles), 份 (copies), 件 (cases), 名 (people), 张/張 (sheets), 部 (vehicles, films).

3. Word vs character — semantic distinction (CRITICAL)

NEVER confuse — they are different concepts.

字 = character. 词/詞 = word.

4. FOR vs PER — total vs rate (CRITICAL)

5. Temporal preposition agreement (CRITICAL, severity 2.5)

6. Measurement unit words after numeric placeholders (severity 2.0)

English {n}s/m/h/d suffixes MUST become explicit Chinese unit words.

7. CJK-Latin spacing (severity 1.5)

• Space between Chinese characters and English/numbers: API 密钥 not API密钥; 合计 10 件 not 合计10件.
• No space between Chinese characters: 保存设置 not 保存 设置.

8. Passive + timestamp uses 于/於, not 的/的 (severity 2.0)

于/於 = "at/on" (preposition). 的/的 = possessive — different meaning.

9. Avoid 被 passive when not needed

English passive should usually become Chinese active or 已+verb:

被 is correct when emphasizing victimization (他被解雇了). Avoid it for routine status reports.

10. UI button labels — imperative, no polite prefix

11. Status messages — progressive with 正在 or ~中

12. UI label completeness — no bare adjectives (CRITICAL)

Labels must be complete noun phrases.

13. Placeholder type markers (severity 2.5)

When a placeholder represents a type/format, add explicit type marker.

14. Quantity expressions

15. Cost / estimate ordering — amount-first or scope+共计

• Pattern A (preferred): 预计费用：{credits} 积分（共 {count} 种语言） (CN) / 預計費用：{credits} 點數（共 {count} 種語言） (TW/HK)
• Pattern B: {count} 种语言共计 {credits} 积分 (CN) / {count} 種語言共計 {credits} 點數 (TW/HK)
• Wrong (ambiguous): {count} 种语言 {credits} 积分 — could mean per-language OR total.

16. Temporal simile restructuring (severity 2.0)

English like it's [YEAR] / stuck in [YEAR] implies "outdated". Literal 像 [YEAR] 年一样 sounds unnatural.

17. Compound descriptive noun adaptation (severity 1.5)

Decompose English compounds and rebuild with Chinese noun-modification syntax.

18. UI element reference in prose

Use Chinese-style brackets/quotes for UI labels:

19. Spatial metaphor prepositions

20. Domain terminology — IT meaning for polysemous terms

21. Drag and drop

22. Calques to avoid (universal)

zh-CN (Mainland Simplified) Deltas

Apply ONLY when user picked Mainland Simplified.

A. Script — Simplified only

100% Simplified characters. Any Traditional character is a defect (see Red Line #1).

B. Quotation marks — Western curly quotes

CN uses "..." (双引号) and '...' (单引号) — NOT 「」. This is the GB standard.

C. Formality — 您 for business, 你 for casual

• defaultLevel: formal → defaults to 您/您的 for B2B SaaS, financial, enterprise.
• Consumer apps targeting younger users may use 你/你的.
• NEVER mix within one document. Possessives must also match (您的设置 or 你的设置).

D. CN-preferred vocabulary

E. Currency, date, time (CN)

• Currency: ¥1,000 or 1,000 元. For international audiences alongside USD, use CN¥ or RMB to disambiguate from JPY.
• Date: 2024年1月15日 or 2024-01-15. NEVER 01/15/2024.
• Time: 14:30 or 下午 2 点 30 分.
• Calendar: Gregorian (公元/公元前). NEVER use 民國 calendar.
• Number format: 1,234,567.89 (Western thousands).

F. CN proper nouns

G. CN UI tone vocabulary

H. CN political conventions

• `中国大陆 / 内地 / 大陆` are all acceptable for "Mainland".
• Listing Taiwan in country dropdowns is sensitive. Common PRC framings: 中国台湾, 中国台湾省. For software shipping to Mainland China, omitting these framings can trigger app store removal. Recommend labeling dropdown "国家/地区" (Country/Region) and listing Taiwan as 中国台湾 only if explicitly required by PRC distribution.
• HK: 中国香港 / 香港特别行政区 (official). Bare 香港 is generally fine for commercial software.
• AVOID: 中华民国, Republic of China (unless quoting historical source).
• AVOID: Taiwan-as-country implications.

zh-Hant-TW (Taiwan Traditional) Deltas

Apply ONLY when user picked Taiwan Traditional.

A. Script — Traditional with Taiwan character forms

100% Traditional. TW-specific glyphs:

B. Quotation marks — 「」 primary, 『』 nested

Nested: 他說「她回答『好的』」.

C. Formality — 您 default

• defaultLevel: formal → defaults to `您/您的` in professional/SaaS contexts.
• Reserve 你 for casual consumer apps targeting young users.
• Possessives must match.

D. TW-preferred vocabulary (CRITICAL — Mainland-term avoidance)

The TW prompt explicitly says: "如果一個詞聽起來像是大陸網站或科技公司的用語，那就是錯的" (if a word sounds like Mainland tech company terminology, it's wrong).

E. TW currency, date, calendar

• Currency: NT$1,000 or 新台幣 1,000 元. NEVER `$1,000` alone; NEVER `HK$1,000` in TW content.
• Date: 2024年1月15日 or 2024-01-15 (Gregorian). Time: 14:30 or 下午 2 點 30 分.
• Calendar: Default to Gregorian (公元/西元). ROC era (民國) ONLY in formal/government/tax contexts when source explicitly requires it: 民國 113 年 1 月 15 日 = 2024. Use 民國 not 中華民國 (less verbose).
• Number format: 1,234,567.89.

F. TW drag-drop

• release = `放開 / 鬆開` (colloquial, NOT 釋放 which is the HK form)
• Example: 釋放以上傳 → 放開即可上傳.

G. TW cultural / native-term preference

• Avoid excessive English mixing — TW prefers native Traditional Chinese.
• Communication style: more formal, polite, Mandarin-influenced.

H. TW political conventions (CRITICAL)

• Place names:
• Taiwan: `台灣` (most common). 臺灣 (formal, MOE-preferred). NEVER 中國台灣.
• Republic of China: 中華民國 — sensitive; use only if user explicitly wants ROC framing (e.g., government contexts).
• Mainland China: `中國大陸` (preferred formal) or 大陸 (informal). NEVER `內地` — that's the PRC-framed term.
• Hong Kong: 香港. Macau: 澳門.
• China (the country): 中國. In TW context, 中國 means PRC (foreign country), distinct from 中華民國/台灣.
• Avoid in TW content:
• 祖國 (motherland) — politically loaded.
• 回歸 / 光復 used about Taiwan — implies Taiwan was lost and should return. (Note: 光復節 Oct 25 is a real ROC holiday — contextual exception.)
• 內地 (used in HK/CN for Mainland) — PRC framing inappropriate for TW.
• `國語` vs `普通話`: 國語 is TW-standard (ROC framing for Mandarin); 普通話 is the PRC term. Use 國語 or just 中文 in TW content.
• Country dropdown: Label as `國家/地區` (Country/Region), not just 國家. List Taiwan as 台灣 alone.

zh-Hant-HK (Hong Kong Traditional) Deltas

Apply ONLY when user picked Hong Kong Traditional.

A. Script — Traditional with Hong Kong character forms

100% Traditional. HK-specific glyphs (different from TW):

The 着 / 著 distinction is the most visible — 着 appears very frequently in particle/aspect-marker usage.

B. Quotation marks — 「」 primary, 『』 nested (same as TW)

C. Formality — 你 default

• defaultLevel: neutral → defaults to `你/你的` in most business/SaaS contexts.
• Reserve 您 for very formal contexts (government, luxury services).
• HK is more casual and direct than TW.

D. HK-preferred vocabulary (HYBRID — Traditional script but selectively CN-aligned)

HK is a hybrid: Traditional characters but selectively aligns with Mainland on hardware/networking terms, with TW on UI/file terms, plus distinct Cantonese-influenced lexis.

Aligns with TW (Traditional UI/file terms):

Aligns with CN (hardware/networking terms — diverges from TW):

HK-distinct (Cantonese-influenced):

E. HK code-mixing — ACCEPTABLE (and characteristic)

HK uniquely tolerates Chinese+English code-mixing in informal/business contexts. Do NOT over-translate.

• ✅ Acceptable: 請 check 你的 email (casual)
• ✅ Acceptable: 我們需要 schedule 一個 meeting (business)
• ✅ Acceptable: 按 Save 制儲存 (UI prose)
• Acceptable English words: login, email, file, app, meeting, schedule, deadline, update, download, share, like

But for formal documents and government-facing content, prefer native Traditional Chinese.

F. HK currency, date, calendar

• Currency: HK$500 or 港幣 500 元 / 港元 500. NEVER `$500` alone; NEVER `NT$500` in HK content.
• Date: 2024年1月15日 or 2024-01-15. Time: 14:30 or 下午 2 點 30 分.
• Calendar: Gregorian (公元/西元). NEVER use `民國` calendar in HK content.
• Number format: 1,234,567.89.

G. HK drag-drop

• release = `釋放` (formal — NOT 放開/鬆開 which is the TW form)
• Example: 放開以上傳 (TW) → 釋放即可上傳 (HK)

H. HK political conventions (CRITICAL — post-2020 NSL sensitivity)

• Place names:
• Hong Kong: 香港 (default). 香港特別行政區 (formal/government). Mainland-facing distribution may require 中國香港 — confirm with user.
• Mainland China: `內地` (preferred default, especially in commercial software post-1997) or 大陸 (more historical). Both are common; 內地 is the safer default for post-2020 commercial content.
• Taiwan: 台灣 (bare). Avoid 中國台灣 unless Mainland-facing distribution requires it (confirm with user).
• Macau: 澳門.
• Avoid in HK content (post-2020 NSL sensitivity):
• 光復香港 / 時代革命 — these specific phrases are restricted under the National Security Law; absolutely avoid in any commercial copy.
• 黑暴 (PRC-official term for 2019 protests) — only if explicitly mirroring PRC framing.
• Direct 2019 protest references in commercial copy.
• 祖國 (motherland) — politically charged; avoid unsolicited use even though PRC-aligned media use it.
• Sovereignty framing:
• 回歸祖國 is the PRC-official framing for 1997 handover.
• 主權移交 is the more neutral/academic framing.
• Default to `主權移交` or `1997年` for commercial software — neutral.
• Country dropdown: Label as `國家/地區`, not just 國家. List 香港 and 中國 separately for international software; if shipping to Mainland with PRC distribution, may need 中國香港.

I. HK communication style

• More casual and direct than TW.
• Cantonese-influenced grammar/vocabulary acceptable in casual contexts.
• Code-mixing tolerated.
• Use 你 not 您 as default.

HK 口語體 (Spoken Cantonese) vs 書面語 (Written Standard) Distinction

• 書面語 (written Standard Chinese) uses Mandarin syntax + Traditional characters with HK glyphs. This is what 99% of HK software UI uses. Examples: 我是 (I am), 不是 (is not), 沒有 (do not have), 這個 (this one), 非常 (very).
• 口語體 (spoken Cantonese) uses Cantonese-specific particles and characters that would never appear in formal writing. Examples: 我係 (I am), 唔係 (is not), 冇 (do not have), 呢個 (this one), 好 (very/good).
• Critical rule for software UI: ALWAYS use 書面語. NEVER use 口語體 unless the source is explicitly a casual messaging/social context (e.g., a quote from a user post, marketing copy mimicking conversation).
• Common Cantonese particles to AVOID in standard HK UI: 嘅 (possessive — use 的), 嗰 (that — use 那), 咗 (perfective marker — use 了), 緊 (progressive — use 正在/中), 啲 (some/a bit — use 一些), 喺 (at/in — use 在).
• Wrong (mixed Cantonese in formal UI): 你嘅檔案已經儲存咗 → Correct (書面語): 您的檔案已儲存.
• Cantonese is fine in: marketing for very casual/local HK products, social/messaging apps, gaming, lifestyle apps targeting youth. Even then, prefer 書面語 for system messages.

Name Honorifics and Address Forms

• Universal Chinese honorifics: 先生 (Mr.), 女士 (Ms./Mrs.), 小姐 (Miss — pt-CN/TW; less common in HK), 老師 (Teacher/Mr.-Ms., for educators + martial arts instructors), 醫生 (Dr., medical), 博士 (Dr., PhD), 教授 (Professor), 經理 (Manager), 董事長 (Chairman/Director).
• Order: Surname first, then title: 王先生 (Mr. Wang), 李醫生 (Dr. Li), 陳教授 (Prof. Chen).
• In zh-CN formal: 张先生, 李女士. In zh-Hant-TW: same. In zh-Hant-HK: same.
• For young/single women, zh-CN modern usage prefers 女士 over 小姐 (which has acquired ambiguous connotations in some contexts). TW/HK retain 小姐 more.
• Email salutations:
• Formal (zh-CN): 尊敬的 王先生 您好： or 张总 您好： (with executive title).
• Formal (TW): 敬啟者： (general) or 王先生 您好：.
• Formal (HK): 敬啟者： or 王先生：.
• Informal (all): 你好，王先生！ or Hi 小王！ (HK code-mix).
• Email closings:
• Formal: 此致敬礼 (very formal CN), 謹啟 (formal TW/HK), 誠摯地 (sincerely), 祝商祺 (business regards).
• Informal: 祝好 (best wishes), 祝順利 (wishing you well), Cheers (HK code-mix).

Empty State Phrasings (per variant)

The 暫 / 暂 (temporarily / for now) pattern is preferred in Chinese empty states because it sounds less harsh than 没有 / 沒有.

Greeting Protocols

Punctuation Deep Dive — Full-Width Specifics + URL Handling

• Full-width characters list: 。 (period), ， (comma), ： (colon), ； (semicolon), ！ (exclamation), ？ (question), 、 (enumeration comma), （） (parens), 「」 / 『』 / 《》 (quotes TW/HK), "..." / '...' (quotes CN).
• The enumeration comma 、 is used between list items: 蘋果、香蕉、橘子 NOT 蘋果，香蕉，橘子.
• Em-dash 破折號 — Chinese uses double —— (two characters wide): 這是答案——簡單明瞭.
• Ellipsis 省略號 — Chinese uses …… (six dots, two characters wide): 稍等…… NOT 稍等....
• Half-width contexts (KEEP these in their original form):
• URLs: https://example.com/path?key=value
• Email: user@example.com
• Code: function() { return true; }
• English in mixed text: 使用 API 來處理 (space + half-width API + space + Chinese)
• Math: 2 + 2 = 4
• Currency in numbers: ¥99.99, NT$1,500, HK$500
• Space between Chinese and Latin/numbers: required. API密鑰 → API 密鑰.

Cross-Variant Vocabulary Cheat Sheet

Quick comparison for the most error-prone tech terms:

Self-Check Checklist (run before finalizing)

Red lines (universal — must ALL pass)

• [ ] 100% one script — no mixed Simplified+Traditional anywhere in output
• [ ] No 中國台灣 / 中国台湾 in TW content
• [ ] No 祖國 / 祖国 in TW or HK content (unless source explicitly contains it and user approved)
• [ ] No 內地 in TW content (use 中國大陸 or 大陸)
• [ ] No 中華民國 in CN content
• [ ] No bare $ for NTD or HKD (always NT$, HK$)
• [ ] No 民國 calendar mixed with Gregorian in same document
• [ ] Country dropdown labeled 國家/地區 or 国家/地区 (not bare 國家/国家)
• [ ] No CCP/KMT/DPP/leader names unsolicited
• [ ] No HK NSL-restricted phrases (光復香港, 時代革命)

Universal accuracy (all variants)

• [ ] Full-width punctuation in Chinese text (half-width only in URLs/code/email)
• [ ] Measure words present on countable nouns (種/种, 個/个, 篇, 件, 名, 張/张)
• [ ] Word vs character not confused (詞/词 vs 字)
• [ ] FOR vs PER: 共計/共计 (total) vs 每種/每种 (rate)
• [ ] Temporal preposition: 後/后 for countdown, 中 for ongoing, 內/内 for deadline
• [ ] Unit words after numeric placeholders (秒, 分鐘/分钟, 小時/小时, 天)
• [ ] Passive + timestamp uses 於/于 (NOT 的)
• [ ] CJK-Latin spacing (space between Chinese ⇄ English/numbers)
• [ ] Placeholder type markers added (格式的/種語言的)
• [ ] All {variables} and ICU intact
• [ ] Domain terminology uses IT meaning (架構/架构, 流水線/流水线, 權威數據源/权威数据源)

Universal naturalness

• [ ] UI labels are complete noun phrases (替代檢測方式 / 替代检测方式)
• [ ] Buttons use imperative without 请/請 or 一個/一个 prefix
• [ ] Status messages use 正在.../...中
• [ ] No 被 passive when 已+verb works
• [ ] No literal English idiom translations
• [ ] Spatial metaphors adapted (在...中, 除了...之外, 幕後/幕后)
• [ ] Compound nouns restructured (NOT 母親作成者/母亲作成者)
• [ ] Cost ordering uses amount-first or scope+共計
• [ ] UI labels in prose use brackets/quotes for the variant

zh-CN (Mainland) specific

• [ ] 100% Simplified characters — zero Traditional forms
• [ ] Quotation marks "..." (NOT 「」)
• [ ] Address form consistent (您 for B2B, 你 for consumer)
• [ ] CN vocab: 保存, 设置, 登录, 视频, 软件, 网络, 互联网, 默认, 优化, 用户
• [ ] Currency ¥1,000 or 1,000 元 (use RMB or CN¥ if disambiguating from JPY)
• [ ] Date 2024年1月15日 or 2024-01-15
• [ ] Gregorian calendar only
• [ ] 中国大陆 / 内地 / 大陆 all acceptable for Mainland
• [ ] Avoid 中华民国 and Taiwan-as-country implications

zh-Hant-TW (Taiwan) specific

• [ ] 100% Traditional characters with TW glyphs (嘆, 妝, 著, 衛, 裡) — NOT HK forms
• [ ] Quotation marks 「」 (primary), 『』 (nested)
• [ ] Address default 您 (in formal/B2B); 你 only for very casual consumer
• [ ] TW vocab: 儲存, 設定, 登入, 影片, 軟體, 網路, 網際網路, 預設, 最佳化, 使用者, 行動, 隱私, 提示, 程式, 電腦, 數位, 資訊, 訊息, 伺服器, 資料庫, 資料, 記憶體
• [ ] NO Mainland terms (軟件→軟體, 網絡→網路, 視頻→影片, 默認→預設, 用戶→使用者)
• [ ] Currency NT$1,000 or 新台幣 1,000 元 (NEVER bare $)
• [ ] Date: Gregorian default; 民國 ONLY if source requires
• [ ] Drag release: 放開 / 鬆開 (NOT 釋放)
• [ ] Place names: 台灣 alone (NEVER 中國台灣); 中國大陸 or 大陸 for Mainland (NEVER 內地)
• [ ] Country dropdown labeled 國家/地區

zh-Hant-HK (Hong Kong) specific

• [ ] 100% Traditional characters with HK glyphs (歎, 粧, 着, 衞, 裏) — NOT TW forms
• [ ] Quotation marks 「」
• [ ] Address default 你 (NOT 您)
• [ ] HK vocab aligning with TW: 儲存, 設定, 登入, 影片, 文件, 檔案, 整合, 程式, 電腦
• [ ] HK vocab aligning with CN (hardware/networking): 軟件, 硬件, 網絡, 互聯網, 流動
• [ ] HK-distinct vocab: 私隱, 貼士, 質素, 巴士, 的士, 升降機, 屋苑
• [ ] Cantonese-influenced lexis OK in casual/business
• [ ] Code-mixing acceptable (check 你的 email, schedule 一個 meeting)
• [ ] Currency HK$500 or 港幣 500 元 (NEVER bare $)
• [ ] Gregorian calendar only
• [ ] Drag release: 釋放 (NOT 放開/鬆開)
• [ ] Place names: Mainland = 內地 (default post-2020) or 大陸; 香港 (bare) or 香港特別行政區 formal
• [ ] No NSL-restricted phrases (光復香港, 時代革命)
• [ ] Default to 主權移交 / 1997年 for handover references (NOT 回歸祖國)
• [ ] Country dropdown labeled 國家/地區

Worked Example (same source, three variants)

Source: "Welcome! Please select your file to upload — we support 25+ formats and translate it for 5 languages in {seconds}s. Don't worry, you can cancel at any time."

zh-CN (Simplified, Mainland)

欢迎！请选择要上传的文件。我们支持 25 种以上格式，可在 {seconds} 秒内将其翻译为 5 种语言。请放心，您可以随时取消。

(Notes: Simplified throughout; "..." would be used if quoting; 25+ → 25 种以上; for 5 languages → 5 种语言 with measure word; {seconds} followed by 秒; 您 formal; 中国大陆-friendly terms.)

zh-Hant-TW (Traditional, Taiwan)

歡迎！請選擇要上傳的檔案。我們支援 25 種以上格式，可在 {seconds} 秒內將其翻譯成 5 種語言。請放心，您隨時都可以取消。

(Notes: TW Traditional glyphs (歡, 請, 檔, 傳, 語); 檔案 not 文件; 支援 not 支持 (TW preference for software support); 語言 correct; 您 formal; same measure-word and unit-word rules. Quotation marks would be 「」 if needed.)

zh-Hant-HK (Traditional, Hong Kong)

歡迎！請選擇你要上傳嘅檔案 (formal: 您要上傳的檔案)。我哋支援超過 25 種格式，可喺 {seconds} 秒內將佢翻譯成 5 種語言。放心，你隨時可以 cancel。

(More natural formal HK version, avoiding spoken Cantonese particles:)

歡迎！請選擇要上傳的檔案。我們支援超過 25 種格式，可於 {seconds} 秒內將其翻譯成 5 種語言。放心，你隨時可以取消。

(Notes: HK Traditional glyphs (着 would appear if particle; here mostly shared with TW); 你 default not 您; 軟件/網絡-style alignment with CN doesn't show in this string but would matter for hardware/networking content; code-mixing cancel is acceptable in casual HK but 取消 is safer for formal UI; 於 formal preposition.)

Common errors all three would catch

• Mixed script: 软体設定 (Simplified 软 + Traditional 體 + Simplified 设) — catastrophic.
• Wrong country reference: 中國台灣 in TW UI — political escalation risk.
• Bare $25.99 — ambiguous between USD/NTD/HKD/CNY; always disambiguate.
• 25+ 种语言 / 25+ 種語言 — use 25 种以上语言 / 25 種以上語言.
• {seconds} without 秒 — bare placeholder reads as raw number.
• 每种语言 / 每種語言 for for 5 languages (total) — FOR/PER inverted, should be 5 种语言共计 / 5 種語言共計.
• 创建的 {date} / 建立的 {date} — should be 创建于 {date} / 建立於 {date}.
• Mixed 您/你 in same document.
• HK content with 民國 calendar reference — never appropriate.
• TW content using 內地 — wrong framing, use 中國大陸.
• CN content using 中華民國 — politically inappropriate for PRC distribution.