Outer-Wilds-SK-Translation-Mod/docs/glossary.md

# Glossary / Slovník — Outer Wilds SK

Fixed Slovak renderings for proper nouns and recurring terms, so names stay
**identical everywhere** in `assets/Translation.xml`. Follow this file when
translating; propose changes here (not ad-hoc in the XML).

> **Status:** first draft. This is a machine-assisted starting point — every
> `❓ review` row still needs a **Slovak-speaking review pass** before it is
> final. `🔒 locked` rows are considered settled unless there's a strong reason.

---

## 0. Tone & register (locked)

- **Address the player informally — *ty*, not *vy*.** Outer Wilds has a warm,
  around-the-campfire tone; the Hearthians are your friends. Use *ty* / informal
  imperatives (e.g. *"Pozri sa"*, not *"Pozrite sa"*) throughout menus, prompts,
  and dialogue.
- **Sentence case** for UI labels (Slovak convention), not Title Case.
- **Keep the source's voice per speaker.** Nomai text is formal and precise;
  Hearthian dialogue is casual. Register can shift by *speaker*, but the
  player is always addressed as *ty*.
- **Diacritics always** — á ä č ď é í ĺ ľ ň ó ô ŕ š ť ú ý ž. Never strip them.

## 1. General rules

- **Never edit `<key>`.** Translate only `<value>`. (See `CLAUDE.md`.)
- **Preserve inline markup verbatim:** `&lt;color=…&gt;…&lt;/color&gt;`,
  `&lt;i&gt;…&lt;/i&gt;`, entities `&lt; &gt; &amp;`. Translate the words, keep
  the tags and the exact color names (`lightblue`, `orange`, …).
- **Keep speaker prefixes verbatim:** `POKE:`, `CLARY:`, `SOLANUM:`, etc. — do
  not translate or reorder the label.
- **Declension:** Slovak inflects. A glossary entry gives the base (nominative)
  form; decline it naturally in context (*na Timber Hearth*, *z Dark Bramble*,
  *Nomajom*). Keep the **stem/spelling** from this table so search-and-replace
  stays reliable.
- **Character names are kept in English** (they're geology terms — Hornfels,
  Slate, Gabbro, Riebeck, Feldspar, Chert, Esker, Hal, Gossan, Marl, Tuff,
  Tephra, Galena, Moraine, Rutile, Spinel, Mica, Porphy, Arkose…). Decline
  where natural: *Gabbrovi*, *s Riebeckom*, *Hala*.

---

## 2. Peoples & beings

| English | Slovak | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nomai (species & individual) | **Nomai** | 🔒 | Treat as indeclinable proper noun where possible; if declined, stem *Nomaj-* (*Nomajovia* pl., *Nomajom*). Keep spelling **Nomai** in nominative for consistency. |
| Hearthian(s) | **Hearthian** (sg.), **Hearthiani** (pl.) | ❓ | Adj. *hearthiansky*. Alt. considered: fully Slovak coinage — rejected for recognizability. |
| the Owlks *(DLC, fan term)* | **Owlk** (sg.), **Owlkovia** (pl.) | ❓ | The game never names them; community term. Keep as loanword. |

## 3. Celestial bodies & places

Decision: **meaningful, evocative names are translated** (they read as flavor,
not as labels); plain proper-noun place names are **kept in English**. All
still `❓ review`.

| English | Slovak | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| the Sun | **Slnko** | 🔒 | |
| Sun Station | **Slnečná stanica** | 🔒 | |
| Timber Hearth (home planet) | **Timber Hearth** | ❓ | Kept in English. Alt.: *Drevený kozub* — evocative but risky for a home-planet name. |
| The Attlerock (moon) | **Attlerock** | ❓ | Kept. |
| Brittle Hollow | **Brittle Hollow** | ❓ | Kept. Alt.: *Krehká dutina*. |
| Hollow's Lantern (moon) | **Hollow's Lantern** | ❓ | Kept. Alt.: *Lampáš*. |
| Hourglass Twins | **Presýpacie dvojčatá** | ❓ | Ember + Ash together. |
| Ember Twin | **Žeravé dvojča** | ❓ | *ember* = žeravý uhlík/pahreba. |
| Ash Twin | **Popolavé dvojča** | ❓ | *ash* = popol. Keep consistent with "Ash Twin Project" below. |
| Giant's Deep | **Obrova hlbina** | ❓ | Alt.: keep "Giant's Deep". |
| Dark Bramble | **Temné tŕnie** | ❓ | *bramble* = tŕnie/ostružina. |
| The Interloper (comet) | **Votrelec** | ❓ | *interloper* = votrelec. |
| Quantum Moon | **Kvantový mesiac** | 🔒 | |
| White Hole / Black Hole | **biela diera / čierna diera** | 🔒 | Lowercase (common noun). |
| Black Hole Forge | **Vyhňa čiernej diery** | ❓ | *forge* = vyhňa. |
| The Stranger *(DLC)* | **Cudzinec** | ❓ | Alt.: keep "The Stranger". |
| Echoes of the Eye *(DLC title)* | **Ozveny Oka** | ❓ | DLC name; may also stay in English on store/menus. |

## 4. Story, projects & artifacts

| English | Slovak | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| the Eye of the Universe | **Oko vesmíru** | 🔒 | Short form: **Oko**. Keep any color markup around "Eye". |
| the Eye (short) | **Oko** | 🔒 | |
| Eye Signal | **signál Oka** | ❓ | |
| Ash Twin Project | **Projekt Popolavého dvojčaťa** | ❓ | 106 hits — high impact. If too long for UI, consider keeping "Ash Twin Project". Must match the "Ash Twin" choice above. |
| the Vessel (Nomai ship) | **Plavidlo** | ❓ | *vessel* = plavidlo. |
| Warp Core | **warpové jadro** | ❓ | Alt.: *deformačné jadro*. |
| Advanced Warp Core | **pokročilé warpové jadro** | ❓ | |
| Ghost Matter | **prízračná hmota** | ❓ | |
| the Nomai statue | **socha Nomai** | ❓ | |
| supernova | **supernova** | 🔒 | |
| the time loop | **časová slučka** | 🔒 | |

## 5. Tools, UI & systems

| English | Slovak | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ship log | **lodný denník** | 🔒 | |
| Rumor Mode (ship log) | **režim fám** | ❓ | |
| Map Mode (ship log) | **režim mapy** | 🔒 | |
| Signalscope | **Signalscope** | ❓ | Device name; kept. Alt.: *Signáloskop*. |
| Little Scout / Scout | **Prieskumník** | ❓ | The camera probe. Alt.: *Skaut*, *sonda*. |
| Scout Launcher | **vrhač prieskumníka** | ❓ | Match the "Scout" choice. |
| the Translator (Nomai) | **Prekladač** | 🔒 | |
| Autopilot | **autopilot** | 🔒 | |
| Landing Camera | **pristávacia kamera** | 🔒 | |

---

## 6. Open questions (resolve during review)

1. **Planet names — translate or keep?** Section 3 currently mixes both
   (translate the evocative ones, keep the plain proper nouns). A native
   reviewer should confirm this reads naturally and isn't jarringly
   inconsistent. The single biggest downstream dependency is **Ash Twin →
   Ash Twin Project** (106 hits).
2. **"Nomai" declension** — keep fully indeclinable, or allow the *Nomaj-* stem
   in oblique cases? Affects many dialogue lines.
3. **UI length** — some Slovak renderings are longer than the English (e.g.
   *Projekt Popolavého dvojčaťa*). Verify against on-screen space in Phase 6/7;
   fall back to the English term where it overflows.
4. **DLC titles** (*Echoes of the Eye*, *The Stranger*) — translate in prose but
   possibly keep English where they function as a product/title.