AI translates with tone, not just words

I'm attaching a text I translated into [language] and I'm about
to send it to [who: a new client / a long-standing partner /
a government office].

[paste the translated text]

Don't evaluate grammar. Read it through the eyes of a native
speaker in [country] and answer this:
1. Can you tell it's a translation? Where exactly — list the
   sentences and say what gives it away
2. Is the level of formality right for this situation? Where
   is the text too formal, and where is it too familiar
3. Which phrasings would a native speaker never use
4. What would the recipient think about the writer after the
   first three sentences
5. Are there details in the text that mean nothing to the
   recipient

Don't rewrite anything — just list the findings with a citation
of the passage in question.

Translate this text into [language] for [description of the
recipient: who they are, where they're from, what field, my
relationship to them].

First, read these texts of mine in [language]. This is how
I write:

SAMPLE 1:
[paste your own text]

SAMPLE 2:
[paste your own text]

SAMPLE 3:
[paste your own text]

Text to translate:
[paste the text]

Rules:
- match the tone, sentence length, and formality of the samples,
  not of the original
- don't translate literally; write what I would have written if
  I'd written it directly in [language]
- use industry terminology from [field] the way it's actually
  used in [country]
- where you're not sure how to translate a term, leave it in
  parentheses in the original alongside your translation and
  flag it as TODO

At the end, add a short list of places where you departed from
the original, and why.

Translate into [language]. I don't have a sample, so here's a
description instead:

Recipient: [who, country, position, how well we know each other]
Situation: [first contact / ongoing collaboration / complaint /
rejection / apology]
What the recipient should do after reading: [specific action]

Define the tone like this:
- form of address: [first name / last name with title / no
  direct address]
- sentence length: short, one idea per sentence
- pleasantries: [minimum / the usual amount for this culture]
- no superlatives, no exclamation points, no phrases like
  “don't hesitate to reach out”
- closing: a specific next step, not generic politeness

Text: [paste the text]

Give me two versions: one a bit more formal and one a bit more
relaxed, so I can compare and pick.

I'm attaching [5] of my texts in [your language] and [3] texts
in [language] that I wrote myself or was happy with.

[paste the texts]

Describe my writing style in a way detailed enough that someone
could write a new text from the description that sounds like
me. Focus on:
- typical sentence length and structure
- how I open and how I close
- level of formality and how it shows up concretely
- words and phrases I use repeatedly
- what I tend to avoid
- how I structure text (paragraphs, bullet points, headings)

Separately, note where my [your language] style and my [language]
style differ — and whether that difference is deliberate or a
loss in translation.

Output this as instructions for another model, not as an essay
about me.

This text was written for a [home country] audience. I want it
for [country], audience [who], purpose [sales page / proposal /
how-to guide / social media post].

[paste the text]

Don't translate it — localize it. Go through this process:

1. First, list everything in the text that's specific to
   [home country] and would be unclear or inappropriate for
   the target audience: institutions, abbreviations, standards,
   formats, cultural references, units of measure
2. For each item, propose a solution: a local equivalent, an
   explanation, or dropping it — and say why
3. Only then write the localized version
4. Finally, list what I should have decided myself that you
   decided for me

Anywhere this touches law, taxes, or warranties, don't replace
anything — just flag that it needs review by someone familiar
with local regulations.

Write a first-contact email in [language] for [who: role,
company, country].

Context I know:
- how I got this contact: [referral / website / trade show /
  cold outreach]
- what I'm offering: [briefly]
- why this specific person: [a concrete reason, not a generic
  phrase]
- what I want them to do: [a short call / a reply to one
  question / review of a proposal]

Requirements:
- maximum [120] words, this gets read on a phone
- the first sentence says why I'm writing to them specifically
  — not who I am
- no superlatives about our company
- a specific, easy-to-act-on call to action at the end
- politeness at the level normal in [country] for a first
  contact in [field]

Write three variants with different levels of directness, and
for each, one sentence on who it suits and what the risk is.

I need to write a message in [language] that carries bad news.

Situation: [what happened]
Recipient: [who, country, how long we've worked together]
Degree of my responsibility: [my mistake / circumstances /
their mistake]
What I want to preserve: [the relationship / the deadline /
the price / trust]
What I'm offering as a fix: [specifically]

Write the message the way someone in [country] who has handled
this situation a hundred times would write it:
- how much space to give the apology versus the fix, based on
  norms in that culture
- no excuses and no passive constructions that obscure who did
  what
- clearly state when and what happens next

Below the message, note what you did differently than would be
standard in [your language] business communication, and why.

Tomorrow I have a [call / meeting] in [language] with [who,
country] about [topic]. My level is [describe it, e.g. I can
get by, but I'm not confident with technical terms].

Prepare me a cheat sheet:
1. 10 sentences I'll need, in both languages — opening, handing
   over the floor, disagreeing, asking someone to repeat
   something, closing
2. 15 technical terms from [field] with their translation and
   a rough phonetic spelling I can read at a glance
3. 5 polite phrases for buying myself time to think
4. 3 sentences for admitting I didn't understand without
   sounding incompetent
5. What to avoid in a meeting in [country]

Keep it to one page, so I can have it in front of me.

Translate this text back into [your language]. Translate it
literally and faithfully to what the text actually says — NOT
to what you think I meant to say. Don't improve it, don't
smooth it out.

[paste the translated text]

Then compare it with my original:

[paste your original text]

List every place the meaning shifted in a table: original
wording | back-translation | what the difference is | how
serious it is (business, legal, relational).

Check specifically: commitments (what I'm promising), conditions,
deadlines, numbers, degree of certainty (will / should / might).

This text in [language] started out as a translation from
[your language]. The [your language] original is attached too.

[paste both]

You're an experienced proofreader who has handled text for a
company in [country]. List findings, don't rewrite:
1. Errors: grammar, prepositions, articles, collocations
2. Places where the text sounds like a translation even though
   it's grammatically correct
3. Terms used incorrectly or unusually for [field]
4. Meaning shifts against the [your language] original
5. Register: where the text is too formal for the situation,
   and where it's too familiar

For each finding, note how serious it is: blocks sending /
worth fixing / cosmetic.

I'm attaching [10] of my texts in [your language] and their
existing translations into [language].

[paste the texts]

Build a glossary from them for consistent translation:

1. A table: [your language] term | approved translation |
   a note on when it's used | variants to avoid
2. Separately, list terms that were translated inconsistently
   across my texts — for each, list all the variants you found
   and recommend one
3. Separately, list names that should NOT be translated
   (product names, company names, legal entity types) — and how
   they should be inflected or written
4. Phrases I repeat that should have a fixed translation
   (greetings, closings, standard terms)

For point 2, don't decide on your own — flag it as a question
for me.

Translate into [language] per the project's rules.

Text type: [proposal / reply to an inquiry / product description
/ newsletter]
Recipient: [who]
What's different this time: [e.g. this is a repeat client, so
go a bit less formal; or: mention the delay right in the opening]

[paste the text]

Output:
1. The translation
2. Glossary terms you used
3. Terms not in the glossary that should be
4. Places where you weren't sure — with a question for me

Build a set of templates in [language] from these [your language]
texts of mine:

[paste 5-8 typical texts]

For each type:
- a template with [brackets] where information gets filled in
- a more formal variant and a less formal variant
- one sentence on when to use which
- what should NEVER be changed in the template (legally or
  commercially binding wording)

Write the templates so that once the brackets are filled in,
you can't tell it's a template — no generic filler.