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AI prompts for translation between English, Hindi and Punjabi

AI assistants translate between English and Hindi well enough for everyday use, and Punjabi usually a little less surely. They are fast and they can explain their choices, which a simple translation tool cannot. They also make mistakes that a reader who does not know the other language cannot see: a wrong tone, a word that is too bookish, a name translated when it should not be. These prompts ask the assistant to show its work.

The prompts

Translate naturally

Translate the text below from [LANGUAGE] to [LANGUAGE]. It is for [WHO WILL READ IT AND WHERE, FOR EXAMPLE CUSTOMERS ON A SHOP NOTICE]. Use the words people use in daily life, not bookish ones. Keep names, brand names, amounts and dates unchanged. After the translation, list any word or phrase you were unsure about and the other choice you considered.

[PASTE THE TEXT]

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

Choose the tone

Translate this into [LANGUAGE] in two versions: one formal, for an official letter, and one friendly, for a message to people I know. Point out the main differences between the two.

[PASTE THE TEXT]

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

Explain a sentence I do not understand

Explain this [LANGUAGE] sentence to me in [LANGUAGE]. First give the overall meaning. Then go phrase by phrase. Point out any idiom that does not mean what the words say, and tell me the tone: formal, casual, polite or rude.

[PASTE THE SENTENCE]

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

Check a translation

Here is an original text and a translation of it. Compare them. List anything that is missing, added, or changed in meaning or tone. Then rate how natural the translation reads to a native reader and suggest improvements. Do not rewrite everything.

Original: [PASTE]
Translation: [PASTE]

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

Script and transliteration

Write the following [HINDI / PUNJABI] text in [DEVANAGARI / GURMUKHI / ROMAN LETTERS], keeping the pronunciation. Do not translate it.

[PASTE THE TEXT]

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

A glossary for my work

I often translate text about [SUBJECT, FOR EXAMPLE SCHOOL NOTICES OR SHOP BILLS] between English and [LANGUAGE]. Make a glossary of thirty terms I am likely to need, with the everyday word people actually use and, where different, the formal word. Mark terms that are normally left in English.

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

How to adapt these prompts

Say who will read it. A notice for villagers, a letter to a government office and a post for young customers need different words for the same message.
Ask for everyday language. Without that line, Hindi translations often come out in a heavy, Sanskrit-style register that nobody speaks. Many common terms are simply the English word written in the local script, and you can ask for that.
Name the script. Punjabi can be written in Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi. Say which you want.
Keep numbers and names fixed. The line about names, amounts and dates prevents the most damaging mistakes.
Translate in small pieces and read each one. Long texts are more likely to lose a sentence.

Have a person read important translations

For anything that matters, such as a legal paper, a medical instruction, an official application, a contract or a public sign, have someone who knows both languages read the result. A machine translation can be fluent and still wrong, and fluency hides the mistake. Courts, embassies and many offices need a certified human translation in any case.

A useful self-check is to paste the translation into a new conversation and ask for it to be translated back. If the meaning has changed on the return trip, something went wrong on the way out.

Do not paste documents containing identity numbers, bank details or medical information. Remove those parts and add them back by hand.

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This is an independent site. It is not connected with any company that makes AI assistants. The prompts are plain text and can be used in any AI chat assistant. An AI assistant can give wrong or made-up answers: check anything important before you rely on it, and do not paste private details into a prompt.