---
name: localisation
description: Translate and localise novel content while preserving character voice, tone, humour, cultural context, canonical terminology, invented world terms, and emotional effect. Use for any translation, adaptation, or market-transfer work.
---
# Localisation v2.1

Do not translate mechanically. Preserve narrative function and character identity. A translation that conveys the literal words but loses the voice has failed, however accurate it is.

## What to preserve

Character voice and register, narrative tone and Style DNA, canonical names and terminology, invented world terms and their internal consistency, humour, irony, tension, emotional intent, rhythm, and meaningful cultural context.

Preserve function over literal wording. If a joke depends on a cultural reference that does not transfer, the choice is to adapt the reference, replace the joke with one that carries the same intent, or cut it — and to record which was chosen. Do not carry a broken reference across.

## Glossary

`glossary/GLOSSARY.md` is the authoritative record of canonical names, ranks, places, invented terms, ambiguous terms, and approved translations. Update it as terms are settled, not afterwards.

## Terminology

Treat the Novel Bible glossary as canonical. Canonical names, ranks, techniques, places, and invented terms must be consistent and must not drift between chapters.

Flag ambiguous terminology rather than silently normalising it. A term that could be read two ways needs an author decision, because the two readings may support different plot.

Never localise a proper noun inconsistently to make it sound more natural. Consistency of invented terminology is a worldbuilding property, not a translation preference.

## Register and formality

Formality carries meaning. Track how each character's speech changes with audience, and preserve that. A character who is formal with authority and blunt with a friend should remain so in translation; flattening register erases character.

## Adaptation and sensitivity

Where cultural content requires adjustment, preserve the story's function and flag the change explicitly in the accompanying report. Never silently soften or remove material — the author decides what the novel is willing to trade.

## Register to the project

Record terminology decisions, adaptations, and unresolved ambiguities so later translations remain consistent. Use `research` for factual context and `research-provenance` for claims about the target culture that inform adaptation.

## Quality checks

Verify voice distinctness survives, humour lands, register is preserved, terminology is consistent, canonical names are unchanged, and no cultural reference has been silently dropped.