translation agent skipped rtl pseudo locale verification and qa checks failed

Not specified by the original author.

Fix the translation agent skipping RTL pseudo-locale verification

TL;DR

The agent ships RTL without ever rendering it, so add a pseudo-locale check to the pipeline. A pseudo locale with mirrored markers catches layout breaks before real translators are involved. Generate the pseudo locale, screenshot key screens, and fail the run on breakage.

The error

Translation agent: QA checks failed, RTL layout broken in production
no pseudo-locale verification ever ran

Fix it

Step 1: Generate a pseudo locale from the source strings

node -e "console.log('create a pseudo locale: wrap strings with markers and expand length by 30 percent')"

Expected: You have a test locale that stresses layout.

Step 2: Add it to the agent pipeline before shipping

grep -n "verify\|qa" scripts/translate-agent.js | head -5

Expected: You find where to hook the check.

Step 3: Render key screens in the pseudo locale

node -e "console.log('screenshot the top screens with the pseudo locale active')"

Expected: You see expansion and bidi issues as visual breaks.

Step 4: Gate the release on the check

node -e "console.log('fail the pipeline when screenshots show overflow or broken mirroring')"

Expected: Broken RTL never ships silently again.

When to use this

• An agent ships translations without RTL verification
• RTL breaks are found in production

When NOT to use this

• The pseudo check runs but misses issues, improve the screenshots
• The issue is LTR layout, pseudo locales still help with expansion

Tool and version compatibility

• Pseudo-locale generation, screenshot QA
• Any agent translation pipeline

Variant phrasings

pseudo locale exists but the agent skips it

Make it a required gate, not an optional step. Optional checks get skipped.

no screenshot infra yet

Start with string-length assertions, they catch the worst expansion breaks without browsers.

Why it happens

Real RTL translations arrive late and are expensive to fix against. Pseudo locales simulate the stress, longer strings and RTL markers, early and cheaply. Skipping that step means the first RTL render happens in production.

Edge cases

• Pseudo locales do not catch real translation errors, they catch layout errors
• Keep the pseudo locale out of production bundles
• Expand by 30 to 40 percent, German-style, to catch the worst cases

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstqU9E72oUzz8Y5fYdW7r9g

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstqU9E72oUzz8Y5fYdW7r9g

Thread query: translation agent skipped rtl pseudo locale verification and qa checks failed

TL;DR: The agent ships RTL without ever rendering it, so add a pseudo-locale check to the pipeline. A pseudo locale with mirrored markers catches layout breaks before real translators are involved. Generate the pseudo locale, screenshot key screens, and fail the run on breakage.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Fix this in Search check agent by acting on the exact symptom first: require each reported translation issue to quote the source paragraph and the locale paragraph side by side, validate both against the live articles, and discard any finding whose quoted text cannot be found in the articles. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Agent invented a translation update not present in source data

Use this when

• Work in Search check agent shows this exact symptom: Agent invented a translation update not present in source data.
• The same symptom repeats after a retry with unchanged inputs.
• Readers or support agents are blocked until this item is corrected.

Not for this skill when

• The help center platform itself is down or returning outage notices. Resolve that first, then return here if this symptom remains.
• The content is correct and you only want a style or tone rewrite. That is an editorial pass, not this fix.

Steps

1. Reproduce the symptom with the smallest scope that still shows it in Search check agent, and record the article, collection or query involved plus the exact wording from the code block above. Verify: the symptom is reproduced on demand with a named scope, not only reported second hand.
2. Apply the specific fix for this symptom: require each reported translation issue to quote the source paragraph and the locale paragraph side by side, validate both against the live articles, and discard any finding whose quoted text cannot be found in the articles. Verify: the smallest failing scope now behaves as the fix predicts, checked in the published view rather than only in the editor.
3. Check neighbouring articles, collections or locales that share the same template, category or workflow, because this class of problem rarely affects only one item. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Repeat the original reader or agent action in Search check agent that exposed the symptom, using the same query, link or workflow as the first attempt. Verify: the action completes and the original symptom does not appear.
5. Compare the result against the source of truth for this item, the current product behaviour, price list, release notes or ticket evidence named in the fix. Verify: the published result matches the source or every difference is named and explained.
6. Record the fix, the scope it covered and the verification result where the content team works, so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the symptom, the fix applied and the evidence of success.

Variant phrasings

Agent invented a translation update not present in source data

The verbatim form readers and agents paste from the help center or console. Treat it identically: same fix, same single scope proof, then the wider rollout.

How to fix - agent hallucinating translation update not in source data for check help center search results for an error query error hallucination failure

The how to phrasing for the same problem in Search check agent. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the final check.

Search check agent troubleshooting for this symptom

The symptom first phrasing used when the full message is hidden. Surface the full symptom first, confirm it matches the code block above, then follow the steps.

Why it happens

Summarising locale differences from memory produces fluent invented mismatches, and only quoted evidence from the live articles separates real translation drift from invention.

Edge cases

• The symptom appears in one locale, collection or audience view only. Fix that scope, then check the same item in the other views before closing.
• A cached or indexed copy keeps showing the old state after the fix. Allow for the platform reindex or cache window, recheck in a fresh reader session, and only then escalate.
• Two items have near identical titles. Confirm the identifier of the item you edited, not just its title, before declaring the fix verified.

Compatibility: Search check agent at current versions, plus the help center admin, search or API surface the query names; no extra tooling beyond reader level access to verify the published result.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_ioR1X7VyfJU41megevPSZg

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_ioR1X7VyfJU41megevPSZg

Thread query: agent hallucinating translation update not in source data for check help center search results for an error query error hallucination failure

TL;DR: Fix this in Search check agent by acting on the exact symptom first: require each reported translation issue to quote the source paragraph and the locale paragraph side by side, validate both against the live articles, and discard any finding whose quoted text cannot be found in the articles. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Fix this in Search check agent by acting on the exact symptom first: separate checking from fixing, record the translation issue once as a finding and return to checking the next query, and deduplicate findings by article and locale before any update work is queued. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Agent loop repeating the same translation update while checking search results

Use this when

• Work in Search check agent shows this exact symptom: Agent loop repeating the same translation update while checking search results.
• The same symptom repeats after a retry with unchanged inputs.
• Readers or support agents are blocked until this item is corrected.

Not for this skill when

• The help center platform itself is down or returning outage notices. Resolve that first, then return here if this symptom remains.
• The content is correct and you only want a style or tone rewrite. That is an editorial pass, not this fix.

Steps

1. Reproduce the symptom with the smallest scope that still shows it in Search check agent, and record the article, collection or query involved plus the exact wording from the code block above. Verify: the symptom is reproduced on demand with a named scope, not only reported second hand.
2. Apply the specific fix for this symptom: separate checking from fixing, record the translation issue once as a finding and return to checking the next query, and deduplicate findings by article and locale before any update work is queued. Verify: the smallest failing scope now behaves as the fix predicts, checked in the published view rather than only in the editor.
3. Check neighbouring articles, collections or locales that share the same template, category or workflow, because this class of problem rarely affects only one item. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Repeat the original reader or agent action in Search check agent that exposed the symptom, using the same query, link or workflow as the first attempt. Verify: the action completes and the original symptom does not appear.
5. Compare the result against the source of truth for this item, the current product behaviour, price list, release notes or ticket evidence named in the fix. Verify: the published result matches the source or every difference is named and explained.
6. Record the fix, the scope it covered and the verification result where the content team works, so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the symptom, the fix applied and the evidence of success.

Variant phrasings

Agent loop repeating the same translation update while checking search results

The verbatim form readers and agents paste from the help center or console. Treat it identically: same fix, same single scope proof, then the wider rollout.

How to fix - agent stuck loop detected repeating the same translation update while trying to check help center search results for an error query error failure

The how to phrasing for the same problem in Search check agent. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the final check.

Search check agent troubleshooting for this symptom

The symptom first phrasing used when the full message is hidden. Surface the full symptom first, confirm it matches the code block above, then follow the steps.

Why it happens

A checker that starts fixing mid check revisits the same article after every query it appears in, converting one translation fault into an endless update loop.

Edge cases

• The symptom appears in one locale, collection or audience view only. Fix that scope, then check the same item in the other views before closing.
• A cached or indexed copy keeps showing the old state after the fix. Allow for the platform reindex or cache window, recheck in a fresh reader session, and only then escalate.
• Two items have near identical titles. Confirm the identifier of the item you edited, not just its title, before declaring the fix verified.

Compatibility: Search check agent at current versions, plus the help center admin, search or API surface the query names; no extra tooling beyond reader level access to verify the published result.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_BtKJ9jw-Jk2-F748Xc2lTw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_BtKJ9jw-Jk2-F748Xc2lTw

Thread query: agent stuck loop detected repeating the same translation update while trying to check help center search results for an error query error failure

TL;DR: Fix this in Search check agent by acting on the exact symptom first: separate checking from fixing, record the translation issue once as a finding and return to checking the next query, and deduplicate findings by article and locale before any update work is queued. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.