# Rule: Multilingual Support Requirements

## Overview

All LinkML slot files MUST include multilingual support with translations in the following languages:

| Code | Language | Required |
|------|----------|----------|
| `nl` | Dutch | ✅ Yes |
| `de` | German | ✅ Yes |
| `fr` | French | ✅ Yes |
| `ar` | Arabic | ✅ Yes |
| `id` | Indonesian | ✅ Yes |
| `zh` | Chinese (Simplified) | ✅ Yes |
| `es` | Spanish | ✅ Yes |

---

## Required Multilingual Fields

### 1. `alt_descriptions`

Provide faithful translations of the English `description` field:

```yaml
slots:
  my_slot:
    description: >-
      To possess a specific structural arrangement or encoding standard.
    alt_descriptions:
      nl: >-
        Het bezitten van een specifieke structurele rangschikking of coderingsstandaard.
      de: >-
        Das Besitzen einer spezifischen strukturellen Anordnung oder eines Kodierungsstandards.
      fr: >-
        Posséder un arrangement structurel spécifique ou une norme de codage.
      ar: >-
        امتلاك ترتيب هيكلي محدد أو معيار ترميز.
      id: >-
        Memiliki susunan struktural tertentu atau standar pengkodean.
      zh: >-
        拥有特定的结构安排或编码标准。
      es: >-
        Poseer una disposición estructural específica o un estándar de codificación.
```

### 2. `structured_aliases`

Provide translated slot names/labels for each language:

```yaml
slots:
  has_format:
    structured_aliases:
      - literal_form: heeft formaat
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: nl
      - literal_form: hat Format
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: de
      - literal_form: a un format
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: fr
      - literal_form: لديه تنسيق
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: ar
      - literal_form: memiliki format
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: id
      - literal_form: 具有格式
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: zh
      - literal_form: tiene formato
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: es
```

---

## Translation Guidelines

### DO:
- Translate the semantic meaning faithfully
- Preserve technical precision
- Use natural phrasing for each language
- Keep translations concise (similar length to English)

### DON'T:
- Paraphrase or expand beyond the original meaning
- Add information not present in the English description
- Use machine translation without review
- Skip any of the required languages

---

## Complete Example

```yaml
id: https://nde.nl/ontology/hc/slot/catalogue
name: catalogue
title: catalogue

slots:
  catalogue:
    slot_uri: crm:P70_documents
    description: >-
      To systematically record, classify, and organize items within a structured 
      inventory or database for the purposes of documentation and retrieval.
    alt_descriptions:
      nl: >-
        Het systematisch vastleggen, classificeren en ordenen van items binnen een 
        gestructureerde inventaris of database voor documentatie en terugvinding.
      de: >-
        Das systematische Erfassen, Klassifizieren und Ordnen von Objekten in einem 
        strukturierten Inventar oder einer Datenbank für Dokumentation und Abruf.
      fr: >-
        Enregistrer, classer et organiser systématiquement des éléments dans un 
        inventaire structuré ou une base de données à des fins de documentation et de récupération.
      ar: >-
        تسجيل وتصنيف وتنظيم العناصر بشكل منهجي ضمن جرد منظم أو قاعدة بيانات لأغراض التوثيق والاسترجاع.
      id: >-
        Mencatat, mengklasifikasikan, dan mengatur item secara sistematis dalam 
        inventaris terstruktur atau database untuk tujuan dokumentasi dan pengambilan.
      zh: >-
        在结构化清单或数据库中系统地记录、分类和组织项目，以便于文档编制和检索。
      es: >-
        Registrar, clasificar y organizar sistemáticamente elementos dentro de un 
        inventario estructurado o base de datos con fines de documentación y recuperación.
    structured_aliases:
      - literal_form: catalogiseren
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: nl
      - literal_form: katalogisieren
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: de
      - literal_form: cataloguer
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: fr
      - literal_form: فهرسة
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: ar
      - literal_form: mengkatalogkan
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: id
      - literal_form: 编目
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: zh
      - literal_form: catalogar
        predicate: EXACT_SYNONYM
        in_language: es
```

---

## Validation Checklist

Before completing a slot file, verify:

- [ ] `alt_descriptions` provided for all 7 languages (nl, de, fr, ar, id, zh, es)
- [ ] `structured_aliases` provided for all 7 languages
- [ ] Translations are faithful to the English original
- [ ] No language is skipped or left empty
- [ ] Arabic and Chinese characters render correctly

---

## See Also

- Rule 1: Preserve Original Descriptions (LINKML_EDITING_RULES.md)
- Rule 2: Translation Accuracy (LINKML_EDITING_RULES.md)
- Rule 3: Description Field Purity (LINKML_EDITING_RULES.md)

---

**Version**: 1.0.0
**Created**: 2026-02-03
**Author**: OpenCODE