# D007 - Build-time AI Translation

> D007 - Build-time AI Translation: a note from the Obsidian vault behind https://saifsiddiqui.in.

Canonical URL: https://saifsiddiqui.in/hi-latn/brain/d007-build-time-ai-translation/ (this is its markdown representation; the same URL serves HTML to browsers)
Other languages: en: https://saifsiddiqui.in/brain/d007-build-time-ai-translation/ · hi: https://saifsiddiqui.in/hi/brain/d007-build-time-ai-translation/ · kn: https://saifsiddiqui.in/kn/brain/d007-build-time-ai-translation/ · ur: https://saifsiddiqui.in/ur/brain/d007-build-time-ai-translation/ · te: https://saifsiddiqui.in/te/brain/d007-build-time-ai-translation/ · ar: https://saifsiddiqui.in/ar/brain/d007-build-time-ai-translation/

**Type:** decision  
**Status:** accepted  
**Created:** 2026-07-17  
**Tags:** decision, i18n, ai

## D007: Translations: build-time AI from English

**Context:** [D006 - i18n Seven Languages and RTL](/brain/d006-i18n-seven-languages-and-rtl/) needs 6 non-English catalogs. Saif said translations come *from English*.

**Options considered:**
- Runtime translation, kills performance, SEO, caching. Rejected.
- Manual human translation only, highest quality, slowest/costliest.
- **Build-time AI translation (Claude) from the `en` catalog**, committed as static files, human-reviewed per locale.

**Decision:** build-time AI translation (chosen by Saif).

**Why:** SEO-clean + cacheable like human translation, cheap + fast like machine. English stays the single source of truth; a build script regenerates the others. On-brand for [Saif's](/brain/about-saif/) AI skills.

**Trade-offs:** raw AI output needs a review gate before going live (esp. RTL/Nastaliq line-breaking + diacritics). Documenting that human-review gate is itself a mature-AI-usage signal. See [Internationalization](/brain/internationalization/).

## Yahan se linked

- [D006 - i18n Seven Languages and RTL](/hi-latn/brain/d006-i18n-seven-languages-and-rtl/)
- [D015 - Defer Content Translation](/hi-latn/brain/d015-defer-content-translation/)
- [Internationalization](/hi-latn/brain/internationalization/)
- [Open Questions](/hi-latn/brain/open-questions/)
- [Phase 6 - Translation Tooling](/hi-latn/brain/phase-6-translation-tooling/)
- [Portfolio Brain](/hi-latn/brain/portfolio-brain/)
- [Roadmap](/hi-latn/brain/roadmap/)

Saare notes: [/hi-latn/brain/](/hi-latn/brain/)

---

Mohd Saif, Product Engineer. I build solutions, not dead software.
Email: saifmd238@gmail.com · GitHub: https://github.com/Saif-09 · LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohd-saif-134076141/ · Résumé (PDF): https://saifsiddiqui.in/resume

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