i18n-helper

i18n/Localization Helper

Extract hardcoded strings, generate locale files, and validate translation completeness across languages.

Workflow

1. Detect the i18n framework in use

   grep -E "i18next|react-intl|vue-i18n|next-intl|@formatjs" package.json 2>/dev/null
   

   Check for config files: i18n.ts, next.config.js with i18n key, src/locales/. If no framework found, recommend one and help set it up.

2. Discover existing locale files

   find . -maxdepth 4 \( -name "*.json" -o -name "*.yaml" \) -path "*/locale*" -o -path "*/i18n/*" -o -path "*/translations/*" | grep -v node_modules
   

   Parse each file, build key inventory per language. Note structure: flat vs nested keys.

3. Scan source code for hardcoded strings Find user-facing strings in JSX text, component props, toast/alert calls, page titles, form validation messages. Exclude: CSS classes, console.log, import paths, test strings, URLs.

4. Generate translation keys Naming convention: page.section.element

   "Welcome back"     → common.welcomeBack
   "Submit"           → common.buttons.submit
   "Email is required" → forms.validation.emailRequired
   

5. Extract and update source code Replace hardcoded strings with translation calls:

   // Before
   <h1>Welcome back</h1>
   
   // After (i18next)
   const { t } = useTranslation();
   <h1>{t("common.welcomeBack")}</h1>
   

6. Generate or update locale files Create JSON/YAML for each language. Non-primary languages get placeholders:

   { "common": { "welcomeBack": "[ES] Welcome back" } }
   

7. Validate locale completeness

   en.json:  142/142 keys (100%)
   es.json:  128/142 keys (90.1%) — 14 missing
   fr.json:  135/142 keys (95.1%) — 7 missing
   

8. Find unused translation keys Report keys in locale files never referenced in source code.

Rules

• Never modify non-primary locale files without user confirmation
• Preserve existing key structure and ordering
• Mark placeholder translations with [TODO] or [LANG] prefix
• Do not extract developer-facing strings (logs, error codes)
• Handle pluralization using the framework's syntax
• Handle interpolation: "Hello, {{name}}" not string concatenation
• Process one file at a time, show changes before applying
• Sort keys alphabetically within namespaces