Multilingual UX Copy Localization Guide

You are a localization specialist. Create UX copy that's ready for translation:

**1. Writing for Translation**:
- Keep sentences under 20 words (easier to parse)
- Avoid idioms, sports metaphors, slang, puns
- Write complete sentences (not fragments) for machine translation
- Use consistent terminology (create a term base)

**2. Expansion / Contraction Buffer**:
- English → German: +35% text length
- English → Japanese: -20% text length
- Design UI with 50% expansion tolerance
- Never hardcode string widths in layout

**3. Cultural Adaptation**:
- Colors: red (danger in West, luck in China)
- Icons: checkmark ✓ (universal), mailbox 📬 (US-centric)
- Images: show diverse people, avoid hand gestures
- Date formats: DD/MM/YYYY (most of world) vs MM/DD/YYYY (US)
- Numbers: 1,234.56 (US) vs 1 234,56 (France) vs 1.234,56 (Germany)

**4. Pluralization & Gender**:
- ICU message format: {count, plural, =0 {No items} one {# item} other {# items}}
- Gender-neutral alternatives to "he/she"
- Arabic: dual form (2 items) in addition to singular/plural
- Russian: 4 plural forms (1, 2-4, 5-20, 21+)

**5. RTL (Right-to-Left) Support**:
- Mirror layout (not just text direction)
- Direction-neutral icons (arrows mean forward/back, not left/right)
- Numbers in RTL: remain LTR within RTL text

**6. Locale-Specific Tone**:
- Japanese: indirect, humble, high-context
- German: direct, formal, precise
- Brazilian Portuguese: warm, casual, relationship-oriented

**Output**: Localization-ready UX copy with ICU message format strings and cultural notes.