# Translation, Reframing & Audience Shift Template

## Workflow

Copy this checklist and track your progress:

```
Translation Template Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Characterize source and target audiences
- [ ] Step 2: Map translation requirements
- [ ] Step 3: Execute translation
- [ ] Step 4: Validate fidelity
- [ ] Step 5: Finalize and deliver
```

**Step 1**: Complete [Section 1: Audience Characterization](#1-audience-characterization) for both source and target.

**Step 2**: Fill out [Section 2: Translation Mapping](#2-translation-mapping) to identify gaps and strategy.

**Step 3**: Use [Section 3: Translated Content](#3-translated-content) to perform the translation.

**Step 4**: Apply [Section 4: Fidelity Validation](#4-fidelity-validation) to verify semantic accuracy and audience fit.

**Step 5**: Complete [Section 5: Delivery Package](#5-delivery-package) with final content and rationale.

---

## 1. Audience Characterization

### Source Audience

**Expertise Level:**
- [ ] Expert (domain fluent, comfortable with jargon, wants depth)
- [ ] Intermediate (familiar with basics, needs some context)
- [ ] Novice (no background assumed, needs plain language)

**Primary Goals:**
- [ ] Decision-makers (want options, trade-offs, recommendations)
- [ ] Implementers (want specifics, how-to, constraints)
- [ ] Learners (want understanding, context, mental models)
- [ ] Stakeholders (want impact, status, next steps)

**Context:**
- **Time available**: [e.g., 5 minutes, 30 minutes, unlimited for reference]
- **Medium**: [Email, document, presentation, conversation, etc.]
- **Familiarity with topic**: [Deep context, some awareness, completely new]
- **Sensitivity**: [Public/external, internal/private, confidential]

**Cultural/Demographic:**
- **Language comfort**: [Native English, non-native, specific terminology expected]
- **Generation/age**: [Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, Boomer - affects tone/references]
- **Industry background**: [Tech, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government, etc.]
- **Geography**: [US, Europe, Asia, global - affects idioms, examples, formats]

**Tone & Style of Source:**
- **Formality**: [Formal, semi-formal, casual, conversational]
- **Emotion**: [Neutral, enthusiastic, concerned, celebratory]
- **Perspective**: [First person, third person, passive voice]
- **Length/depth**: [Brief, moderate, comprehensive, exhaustive]

### Target Audience

**Expertise Level:**
- [ ] Expert (domain fluent, comfortable with jargon, wants depth)
- [ ] Intermediate (familiar with basics, needs some context)
- [ ] Novice (no background assumed, needs plain language)

**Primary Goals:**
- [ ] Decision-makers (want options, trade-offs, recommendations)
- [ ] Implementers (want specifics, how-to, constraints)
- [ ] Learners (want understanding, context, mental models)
- [ ] Stakeholders (want impact, status, next steps)

**Context:**
- **Time available**: [e.g., 1 minute, 10 minutes, will read thoroughly]
- **Medium**: [Email, document, presentation, conversation, etc.]
- **Familiarity with topic**: [None, minimal, some background]
- **Sensitivity**: [Public/external, internal/private, confidential]

**Cultural/Demographic:**
- **Language comfort**: [Native English, non-native, avoid jargon]
- **Generation/age**: [Affects communication style, references, emoji use]
- **Industry background**: [Different from source? Requires analogy bridge?]
- **Geography**: [Same or different from source? Affects examples, units, dates]

**Desired Tone & Style:**
- **Formality**: [Formal, semi-formal, casual, conversational]
- **Emotion**: [Neutral, encouraging, urgent, reassuring]
- **Perspective**: [First person (we/I), second person (you), third person]
- **Length/depth**: [TL;DR, brief summary, moderate detail, comprehensive]

### Audience Gap Analysis

**Expertise gap:** Source is [expert/intermediate/novice] → Target is [expert/intermediate/novice]

**Gap size:** [Small (1 level) / Moderate (2 levels) / Large (expert ↔ novice)]

**Implication:** [If large gap: Requires significant simplification/elaboration and bridging analogies]

**Goal misalignment:** Source focused on [decision/implementation/learning] → Target needs [decision/implementation/learning]

**Implication:** [Requires emphasis shift - highlight different aspects of same information]

**Context difference:** Source has [time/medium/familiarity] → Target has [time/medium/familiarity]

**Implication:** [Requires length/format/explanation level adjustment]

**Cultural/Demographic difference:** Source is [demographic] → Target is [demographic]

**Implication:** [Requires idiom replacement, reference changes, example adaptation]

---

## 2. Translation Mapping

### Translation Type Classification

Select primary translation type(s):

- [ ] **Technical ↔ Business** (engineering details ↔ business value)
- [ ] **Strategic ↔ Tactical** (vision/goals ↔ actions/tasks)
- [ ] **Expert ↔ Novice** (domain jargon ↔ plain language)
- [ ] **Formal ↔ Informal** (professional report ↔ casual communication)
- [ ] **Long-form ↔ Summary** (comprehensive ↔ highlights)
- [ ] **Internal ↔ External** (company context ↔ customer-facing)
- [ ] **Cross-Cultural** (one culture/generation/industry → another)
- [ ] **Medium Shift** (written ↔ spoken, document ↔ presentation)

### Translation Strategy

Based on audience gap, select strategy:

**If simplifying (expert → novice, technical → business):**
- **Remove**: [Jargon, technical details, implementation specifics, edge cases, nuance]
- **Add**: [Definitions, analogies, "why this matters", examples, context]
- **Shift emphasis**: [How it works → Why it matters | Metrics → Outcomes | Process → Impact]
- **Bridge technique**: [Use familiar domain to explain unfamiliar - analogies, metaphors]

**If elaborating (novice → expert, business → technical):**
- **Remove**: [Over-explanations, basic definitions, hand-holding]
- **Add**: [Precision, technical terms, caveats, edge cases, constraints, methodology]
- **Shift emphasis**: [Simplified model → Accurate complexity | Outcomes → Metrics | Impact → Process]
- **Depth technique**: [Add layers of detail, specify units/quantification, cite sources]

**If changing tone (formal ↔ informal):**
- **Formal → Informal**: Active voice, contractions, first/second person, simple language, conversational flow
- **Informal → Formal**: Remove contractions, third person, passive where appropriate, professional terminology, structured sections

**If compressing (long → summary):**
- **Structure**: Inverted pyramid (most important first)
- **Preserve**: Core findings, key recommendations, critical caveats, next steps
- **Remove**: Supporting details, full context, exhaustive examples, tangents
- **Ratio target**: [e.g., 50:1, 10:1, 3:1 depending on need]

**If cross-cultural/demographic:**
- **Replace**: Culture-specific idioms, references, examples with universal or target-culture equivalents
- **Adapt**: Date formats, measurement units, communication norms
- **Clarify**: Assumptions that source culture takes for granted

### What Must Change

| Element | Source | Target | Reason |
|---------|--------|--------|--------|
| **Jargon/terminology** | [Technical terms used] | [Plain language equivalent] | [Target expertise level lower] |
| **Tone/formality** | [Current tone] | [Desired tone] | [Target audience expects X] |
| **Emphasis** | [What's highlighted now] | [What should be highlighted] | [Target cares about Y not Z] |
| **Length** | [Current length] | [Target length] | [Time constraints] |
| **Structure** | [Current organization] | [Target organization] | [Medium change] |
| **Examples/analogies** | [Current examples] | [Relatable examples for target] | [Cultural/domain difference] |
| **Details level** | [Current depth] | [Target depth] | [Expertise gap] |

### What Must Preserve (Semantic Fidelity)

**Critical to maintain accuracy:**
- Core facts: [List key facts that must remain true]
- Relationships: [Cause-effect, dependencies, constraints that must be preserved]
- Limitations/caveats: [Important qualifications that can't be dropped]
- Implications: [What this means for the audience - must remain accurate]
- Quantification: [Numbers, timelines, magnitudes - can round but not distort]

**Verification test:** "Would an expert in the source domain confirm this translation is accurate?"

---

## 3. Translated Content

### Original Content (Brief Excerpt)

[Paste relevant excerpt from original, or summarize if very long]

**Key points in original:**
1. [Point 1]
2. [Point 2]
3. [Point 3]
4. [Point 4]
5. [Point 5]

### Translated Version

[Write full translated version here, formatted for target medium]

**If target medium is email:** Use short paragraphs, bullets, bold for key points, skimmable structure.

**If target medium is presentation:** Slide-friendly bullets, one main idea per slide/section, visual cues.

**If target medium is document:** Clear headers, sections, reference format, comprehensive.

**If target medium is conversation:** Conversational language, questions to check understanding, interactive.

**Example structure for executive summary:**

---

**[Title - Clear, jargon-free]**

**Bottom line up front (BLUF):** [1-2 sentence core message - what they need to know]

**Key findings/decisions:**
- [Point 1 - phrased for target audience with their priorities]
- [Point 2]
- [Point 3]

**Recommendation:** [Clear action with rationale]

**Next steps:** [What happens now, timeline, who's responsible]

**Context (if needed):** [Brief background only if target needs it]

---

### Translation Diff

**What changed from original:**

| Aspect | Change Made | Rationale |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| Jargon | [Replaced "X" with "Y"] | [Target doesn't know X, Y is familiar equivalent] |
| Details | [Removed implementation specifics] | [Target is decision-maker, not implementer] |
| Emphasis | [Highlighted business value over technical approach] | [Target cares about ROI, not how it works] |
| Tone | [Changed from formal report to conversational email] | [Target prefers approachable communication] |
| Length | [Reduced from 5 pages to 1 page] | [Target has 5 minutes, not 30 minutes] |
| Structure | [Inverted pyramid - key finding first] | [Target may not read to end, need headline first] |
| Examples | [Replaced code snippet with business analogy] | [Target doesn't read code, needs business framing] |
| Cultural | [Replaced "home run" with "big win"] | [International audience, baseball reference excludes them] |

**What preserved:**

| Aspect | How Preserved | Verification |
|--------|---------------|--------------|
| Core facts | [Still states X happened on Y date with Z impact] | [Accuracy check: yes] |
| Relationships | [Still shows A caused B, which enabled C] | [Cause-effect intact: yes] |
| Caveats | [Still notes limitation that it only works under condition X] | [Qualification preserved: yes] |
| Implications | [Still conveys that this means we can now do Y] | [Meaning intact: yes] |
| Numbers | [Still cites 30% improvement, rounded from 32.7%] | [Within acceptable range: yes] |

---

## 4. Fidelity Validation

### Validation Checks

**CRITICAL - Semantic Fidelity:** "Would source domain expert confirm this is accurate?"
- [ ] Core facts accurate (no distortions from simplification)
- [ ] Cause-effect relationships preserved
- [ ] Critical caveats included when relevant
- [ ] Implications correct for target
- [ ] No semantic drift (facts still true, just rephrased)

**Audience Appropriateness:** "Would target find this clear and useful?"
- [ ] Expertise level matched (not too technical or too simple)
- [ ] Jargon explained when needed, avoided when unknown
- [ ] Addresses target's primary goals (decide/implement/learn)
- [ ] Tone appropriate for audience and context
- [ ] Length respects time constraints

**Emphasis & Medium:**
- [ ] Leads with target's priorities (not source's)
- [ ] Detail level right (enough to understand, not overwhelming)
- [ ] Structure fits medium (email skimmable, doc structured, presentation visual)
- [ ] Actionable if needed (clear next steps)

**Cultural/Demographic (if applicable):**
- [ ] Idioms/references work for target culture/generation
- [ ] Examples relatable to target's context
- [ ] No unstated cultural assumptions

**If semantic fidelity fails:** STOP. Revise to restore accuracy before proceeding.

---

## 5. Delivery Package

### Final Translated Content

[Paste polished final version here, ready for delivery to target audience]

### Translation Metadata

**Translation performed:**
- Date: [Date]
- Source audience: [Brief characterization]
- Target audience: [Brief characterization]
- Translation type: [e.g., Technical → Business, Expert → Novice]
- Primary changes: [e.g., Removed jargon, added business framing, compressed 10:1]

### Translation Rationale

**Why this translation approach:**

[Explain the key decisions made and why - helps stakeholders understand the translation choices]

**Example:**
"Original was written for engineering team (expert audience) with deep technical detail. Translated for executive stakeholders (decision-makers) who need business implications, not implementation details. Removed technical jargon (distributed lock manager → timing issue), shifted emphasis from how it was fixed to customer impact and prevention, compressed from 3 pages to 3 paragraphs. Preserved: timeline, affected systems, root cause category, resolution confidence. Business value: Executives can quickly understand incident impact, assess risk, and approve resources for prevention—without needing to understand technical implementation."

### Validation Summary

**Semantic fidelity:** ✓ Core facts verified accurate by [source domain expert / self-check against rubric]

**Audience match:** ✓ Tone, depth, and emphasis appropriate for [target audience characterization]

**Emphasis aligned:** ✓ Highlights [key priorities for target audience]

**Medium optimized:** ✓ Formatted as [target medium] with appropriate structure

**Limitations/compromises:** [Note any unavoidable trade-offs, e.g., "Some technical nuance lost for brevity, but core accuracy preserved" or "Simplified causal chain for accessibility, details available in appendix"]

**Minimum Standard:** Use rubric (evaluators/rubric_translation_reframing_audience_shift.json). Average score ≥ 3.5/5.

---

## Common Pitfalls to Avoid

**Semantic drift** - Facts become inaccurate through simplification. Fix: Verify each simplification preserves truth.

**Talking down** - Condescending tone to novices ("even you can understand this"). Fix: Respectful explanations.

**Jargon mismatch** - Too technical for target or too vague. Fix: Define or avoid per target knowledge.

**Missing "so what?"** - Technical details without business impact. Fix: Every technical detail answers "why does target care?"

**Missing "how?"** - Strategic vision without tactical translation. Fix: Every goal specifies concrete actions.

**Lost nuance** - Critical caveats omitted for brevity. Fix: Preserve important qualifications even in summaries.

**Cultural assumptions** - Idioms or references that exclude target. Fix: Replace with universal or target-culture equivalents.

**Wrong emphasis** - Highlighting what you find interesting vs. what target needs. Fix: Lead with target's priorities.

**Unverified accuracy** - Assuming translation is correct without checking. Fix: Test with "would source expert confirm this?"