LANGUAGE_SUPPORT
# Skyfeed Language and Localisation Support
Version v0.1.0-dev1
Skyfeed is a Canadian-focused weather engine and must provide native support for Canadian languages. This includes fully localised weather conditions, warnings, UI labels, and community/province names. The localisation system is shared with Telefact, so both systems display information consistently.
This document describes the localisation model, supported language bundles, file structure, selection rules, and long-term objectives.
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1. Supported Locales
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Skyfeed currently supports the following Canadian languages:
en-CA
Canadian English
Default system language
fr-CA
Canadian French
Required for federal bilingual standards
Matches terminology used by Environment Canada and Radio-Canada
iu-CA
Inuktitut
Written in syllabics
Primary language for Nunavut and northern communities
Provides localised place names and weather vocabulary
Additional languages may be added in future releases.
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2. Locale Selection Rules
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Skyfeed selects a language using the following priority:
1. If the user has configured a language in config/default.json, use it.
2. If the user specifies a language using a CLI flag, use it for that run.
3. On the first run, Skyfeed will prompt the user to choose a language.
4. If a translation key is missing for the chosen language, fall back to en-CA.
Telefact inherits the same localisation engine and will display pages using the configured language.
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3. Localisation File Structure
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All localisation bundles and place-name dictionaries are stored in:
internal/i18n/
Skyfeed uses the following files:
internal/i18n/en_CA.json
internal/i18n/fr_CA.json
internal/i18n/iu_CA.json
These contain:
locale code
language name
weather condition translations
weather alert translations
UI text
formatting rules
Place name dictionaries are separate:
internal/i18n/places_provinces.json
internal/i18n/places_nunavut.json
internal/i18n/places_cities.json (future)
Example of a translation structure:
{
"locale": "en-CA",
"language_name": "English",
"conditions": {
"clear": "Clear",
"snow": "Snow",
"freezing_rain": "Freezing Rain"
},
"alerts": {
"tornado_warning": "Tornado Warning",
"fog_advisory": "Fog Advisory"
},
"ui": {
"loading": "Loading...",
"fetching_weather": "Fetching latest weather..."
}
}
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4. Inuktitut (iu-CA) Support
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Inuktitut support includes:
1. Full syllabic script (ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ)
2. Basic Roman orthography (future toggle)
3. Translation of all Nunavut community names
4. Translation of major northern place names in NWT (future)
5. Weather condition vocabulary
6. Weather alert vocabulary
The goal is to provide a natural-feeling experience for northern users based on public Inuktitut terminology resources.
Inuktitut keys that do not have translations will fall back to en-CA.
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5. Region-Based Default Language Logic
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Skyfeed may automatically choose a default language based on detected location:
Quebec
Default: fr-CA
Secondary: en-CA
Rest of Canada
Default: en-CA
Users may override these defaults.
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6. First-Run Language Prompt
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On first run, the CLI or TUI will display:
Please select your language
1. English (en-CA)
2. Français (fr-CA)
3. ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ (iu-CA)
The selected language will be saved in:
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7. Localised Weather Alerts
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All alert types defined in TAXONOMY.md must provide translations for:
en-CA
fr-CA
iu-CA
Example:
tornado_warning
en-CA: Tornado Warning
fr-CA: Alerte Tornade
iu-CA: ᐊᓂᖅᑕᖅᑐᖅ ᐅᓪᓗᖓ
If a translation is unavailable in iu-CA or fr-CA, Skyfeed will use the English version automatically.
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8. Localised Weather Conditions
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Normalised condition keys (see WEATHER_TAXONOMY.md) must be translated.
Examples:
clear
en-CA: Clear
fr-CA: Dégagé
iu-CA: ᐅᖃᓕᒫᓂᖅ
snow
en-CA: Snow
fr-CA: Neige
iu-CA: ᐊᐳᑦ
freezing_rain
en-CA: Freezing Rain
fr-CA: Pluie Verglaçante
iu-CA: ᓯᕗᓂᖅ ᐱᒋᐊᓂ
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9. Localised UI Terminology
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Examples:
Fetching latest weather...
en-CA: Fetching weather data...
fr-CA: Récupération des données météo...
iu-CA: ᐊᐅᓪᓚᓂᖅ ᐅᑎᖃᑦᑕᖅ
Current conditions
en-CA: Current Conditions
fr-CA: Conditions Actuelles
iu-CA: ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑐᖅ
Feels like
en-CA: Feels Like
fr-CA: Ressenti
iu-CA: ᐋᖅᑭᖅ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᓂᖅ
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10. Localised CLI Output
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Skyfeed will translate all textual output, including:
City names
Province names
Weather descriptions
Wind and visibility data
Warnings and colour-coded alerts
Error and status messages
Example French output:
Cornwall, Ontario
14:05 EST
Ciel dégagé
Ressenti 22°C
Vent O 10 km/h
Avertissement de pluie
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11. UI and Telefact Integration
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Skyfeed GUI
Uses the same translation bundles
Respects user language preference
Telefact
All pages, headings, alerts, and conditions will use the correct language bundle
Inuktitut news feeds will be supported as they become available
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12. Testing Localisation
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Tests must ensure:
All missing keys fall back to en-CA
Invalid locale codes default to en-CA
iu-CA renders properly even with partial translations
Weather numerical formatting follows Canadian standards
Wind directions convert correctly per language
Additionally, a debug command will allow testing all languages:
skyfeed debug-languages --location "Iqaluit, NU"
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13. Future Language Expansion
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Future Canadian languages may include:
Cree (cr-CA)
Ojibwe (oj-CA)
Innu (innu-CA)
Dene (den-CA)
Dakelh
Mohawk
These will be added gradually as vocabulary sets become available.
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14. Limitations
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Some weather concepts may lack simple Inuktitut or Cree translations
Non-standard alerts may require English fallback
Some community names outside Nunavut may not have official Indigenous forms
Translation refinement from native speakers may be required
Skyfeed must always remain functional even if translations are incomplete.
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End of LANGUAGE_SUPPORT.md
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