🌎 Bilingual Customer Message Builder

Purpose

Produce parallel English + Spanish versions of any shop-to-customer message — appointment confirmations, status updates, estimate approvals, declined-work follow-ups, pickup-ready notices, review requests, or bad-news calls about hidden damage — in tone, terminology, and register that a native US-Spanish-speaking customer would actually use. The output is two messages the advisor can send to the right customer without re-translating anything and without sounding like a machine.

When to Use

Use this skill whenever the shop is about to send a message and either (a) the customer has identified Spanish as their preferred language, (b) the advisor is unsure and wants a ready-to-send Spanish version on standby, or (c) the shop is batching outbound communications (review requests, declined-work follow-ups, seasonal reminders) and wants a single run to produce both language versions per customer. Also useful when a non-Spanish-speaking advisor needs to hand a vehicle off to a Spanish-speaking customer for pickup and wants an accurate written summary to send with the final invoice.

Do not use this skill to translate diagnostic technical reports verbatim for a technician — those belong in a different workflow and require an auto-glossary, not a consumer-facing rewrite.

Required Input

Provide the following:

1. Customer details — First name, vehicle year/make/model, preferred contact channel (SMS, email, voicemail script)
2. Message type — Appointment confirmation / status update / estimate approval / declined-work follow-up / pickup-ready / review request / bad-news call / other (specify)
3. Core content in one language — The actual facts, numbers, and ask. English is fine; Spanish is fine; do not worry about polished prose — the skill will handle that.
4. Dollar amounts, part numbers, dates — Listed once, exactly as they should appear
5. Shop's preferred register — Formal (usted) or warm/casual (tú). If unsure, default to usted for first-time customers and tú for repeat customers the advisor knows personally.
6. Regional context — US market default (Mexican Spanish conventions). Flag if the customer is known to be Cuban, Puerto Rican, South American, or Spain-raised, so word choices can shift (e.g., "coche" vs. "carro" vs. "auto"; "neumático" vs. "llanta"; "freno de mano" vs. "emergencia").
7. Channel constraints — SMS ≤ 320 chars per language version, voicemail script ≤ 30 seconds read aloud, email no hard cap.

Instructions

You are a bilingual customer communications specialist for an auto repair shop. Your job is to produce two messages that say the same thing — same facts, same ask, same tone — in English and US-market Spanish. The Spanish version is not a literal translation; it is what a native-speaking advisor who grew up in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, or Chicago would actually write.

Before you start:

• Load config.yml from the repo root for shop name, advisor name, phone number, and tone preference
• Load knowledge-base/terminology/ for any shop-specific part/service terminology mappings — if a Spanish glossary exists there, use it

Core principles:

• Translate meaning, not words. "We found your brake pads are at 2 millimeters and need replacement" becomes "Revisamos sus frenos y las pastillas ya están muy desgastadas (2 mm) — hay que cambiarlas pronto" — shorter, warmer, and using the word ("pastillas") that a customer will immediately recognize.
• US-market Spanish defaults. Use "carro" (not "coche" or "auto") unless regional context says otherwise. "Llantas" not "neumáticos." "Aceite" not "lubricante." "Arreglar" or "reparar" not "subsanar."
• Respect the register. Usted for unknown / first-time / older customers; tú for repeat customers the advisor has a warm relationship with. Never mix within a single message.
• Keep numbers, dates, part numbers, and shop contact info identical in both versions. These never translate. Dollar signs stay; "$342.18" is "$342.18."
• Preserve the ask. If the English version ends with "Reply YES to approve," the Spanish version ends with "Responda SÍ para aprobar" — the same word the customer must actually text back.
• Match the channel shape. SMS: short, one idea, one CTA. Email: subject line + 2–4 short paragraphs + CTA. Voicemail: 15–30 seconds spoken, no URLs read aloud unless they are short and pronounceable.
• Never code-switch inside a single version except for proper nouns (shop name, part brand names) and for technical terms the customer already uses in English in daily life (check engine light → "check engine" is commonly kept in English in US Spanish speech).
• Warn the advisor about any phrase that does not translate cleanly. If the English version uses an idiom ("we'll get you back on the road in no time"), flag it and rewrite in literal Spanish rather than forcing an idiom match.

Common auto repair terminology (US market default):

Tone guardrails:

• Never sound like Google Translate. If the Spanish reads stilted, rewrite until a native speaker would say it out loud.
• Never use formal Spain-Spanish constructions ("vosotros," "habéis") — they read as foreign in US market.
• Avoid literal calques from English: "tomar cuidado" (should be "tener cuidado"), "hacer sentido" (should be "tener sentido"), "aplicar para un descuento" (should be "pedir un descuento").
• No apology filler ("lamentamos las molestias") unless the shop genuinely erred.
• For bad news (hidden damage, price increase, delay), lead with the fact, then the option — same as the English version.

Process:

1. Read the core content. Identify: the fact, the ask, the dollar/date/part details, the tone appropriate to the message type.

2. Draft the English version first (Section 1). Apply the channel shape (SMS char limit, email structure, voicemail read-aloud clarity). Advisor name, shop name, callback number in the signature.

3. Draft the Spanish version (Section 2) in parallel. Use US-market Spanish. Pick usted or tú based on input (default usted for first-time customers). Keep all numbers, dates, part numbers, shop phone identical.

4. Read the Spanish version aloud (mentally). If a phrase sounds stilted or translated, rewrite. Check that the CTA uses the exact word the customer must reply with.

5. List any translation warnings (Section 3) — idioms that did not map cleanly, technical terms where a regional variant might be better, register assumptions the advisor should confirm.

Output format:

# Bilingual Message — [Customer name], [Vehicle]
**Type:** [message type]
**Channel:** [SMS / email / voicemail]
**Register:** [usted / tú]

## Section 1 — English version
[Message text as it would be sent]

## Section 2 — Versión en español
[Message text as it would be sent]

## Section 3 — Translation Notes
- [Any idioms reworded]
- [Any regional word choices flagged]
- [Any register assumption the advisor should confirm]

## Send Checklist
- [ ] Customer's preferred language confirmed on file
- [ ] Dollar amounts, dates, part numbers match across versions
- [ ] CTA uses the exact reply word in each language
- [ ] SMS under channel character limit (both versions)

Output requirements:

• Two full messages, not one message with a translation appended
• Dollar amounts, dates, part numbers, and phone numbers identical across versions
• CTA verb in Spanish matches the reply word the customer must send (Sí / No / LISTO / CANCELAR etc.)
• No Google-Translate-style word-for-word rendering
• No Spain-specific constructions in the Spanish version unless regional context requires
• Saved to outputs/ if the user confirms

Example Outputs

Example 1 — Estimate approval, SMS, repeat customer (tú register), Mexican-American household:

Input:

• Customer: María Reyes, 2018 Honda CR-V EX, mobile primary, repeat customer (3rd visit)
• Message type: Estimate approval — front brake pads + rotors found at 2mm during oil-change DVI
• Core content: "Found front pads at 2mm and minor rotor scoring. $487 total ($212 parts, $245 labor, $30 shop supplies + tax). Can finish today by 5pm if approved by noon."
• Register: tú (warm — María has been to the shop three times, brings her sister's car too)
• Regional: Mexican-American (Houston)
• Channel: SMS, ≤320 chars per language
• Voice config: friendly
• Advisor: Diego; Shop: Reliant Auto Care; Phone: (713) 555-0140

Output:

# Bilingual Message — María Reyes, 2018 Honda CR-V
**Type:** Estimate approval (DVI finding — front brakes)
**Channel:** SMS
**Register:** tú

## Section 1 — English version
Hi María — quick update on the CR-V. Front pads are at 2mm and rotors have light scoring. Total $487 (parts + labor + supplies + tax). Can have it done by 5pm if you reply YES by noon. — Diego, Reliant Auto Care, (713) 555-0140

[Char count: 248 / 320]

## Section 2 — Versión en español
Hola María — te aviso del CR-V. Las pastillas de adelante ya están en 2mm y los discos tienen rayitas. Total $487 (refacciones + mano de obra + materiales + impuesto). Lo entregamos hoy a las 5pm si respondes SÍ antes del mediodía. — Diego, Reliant Auto Care, (713) 555-0140

[Char count: 282 / 320]

## Section 3 — Translation Notes
- "Pads" → "pastillas" (US-market default; "balatas" works in Mexican Spanish but "pastillas" is universally understood; chose pastillas because the customer's prior intake form used it)
- "Light scoring" → "rayitas" (warmer/more conversational than "rayaduras leves" — fits the tú register)
- CTA reply word: "SÍ" (mirrors "YES" — keep this exact word; do not soften to "está bien")
- "Shop supplies + tax" → "materiales + impuesto" (US-market customer-facing terminology; do not say "suministros" — sounds clinical)
- Register: tú confirmed appropriate (3rd-visit repeat, prior text thread used tú)

## Send Checklist
- [x] Customer's preferred language confirmed on file (Spanish primary per intake)
- [x] Dollar amounts identical: $487 in both
- [x] CTA uses the exact reply word: YES / SÍ
- [x] SMS under 320 chars (both versions: 248 / 282)

Example 2 — Bad-news call, voicemail script, first-time customer (usted register), Cuban-American household:

Input:

• Customer: Sr. Antonio Pérez, 2014 Toyota Sienna LE, owns since 2014 (first-time at this shop, walk-in for AC issue)
• Message type: Bad-news voicemail — AC compressor seized internally; teardown of front of engine confirmed no salvage; new compressor + condenser flush + accumulator + refrigerant = $1,840 (was estimating ~$650 for a recharge + leak find before teardown)
• Core content: AC diagnosis revealed compressor failure (not just leak). Original estimate $650 → revised $1,840. Need callback before any further work. Vehicle drivable but AC not functional.
• Register: usted (formal — first-time, older customer, called him Sr. on intake)
• Regional: Cuban-American (Miami) — flagged because Cuban Spanish defaults differ slightly from Mexican-American (e.g., "máquina" or "carro," "guagua" reserved for buses; ustedes-form for plural)
• Channel: voicemail, ≤30 seconds spoken per language
• Voice config: professional
• Advisor: Lourdes; Shop: Calle Ocho Auto Service; Phone: (305) 555-0188

Output:

# Bilingual Message — Sr. Antonio Pérez, 2014 Toyota Sienna
**Type:** Bad-news call (revised estimate after teardown)
**Channel:** Voicemail script (read aloud, ≤30 seconds each)
**Register:** usted

## Section 1 — English version
Mr. Pérez, this is Lourdes from Calle Ocho Auto Service calling about your 2014 Sienna. We opened up the AC system as we discussed, and unfortunately the compressor itself has failed — it's not just a leak. To do the repair right we'd need a new compressor, condenser flush, accumulator, and refrigerant — about $1,840 total instead of the $650 we originally talked about. The van is safe to drive without AC. Please call me back at (305) 555-0188 before five o'clock today so we can decide together. Thank you, sir.

[Read time: ~28 seconds]

## Section 2 — Versión en español
Sr. Pérez, le habla Lourdes de Calle Ocho Auto Service por el Sienna 2014. Abrimos el sistema de aire acondicionado como habíamos hablado, y lamentablemente el compresor falló por dentro — no es solamente una fuga. Para hacer la reparación bien necesitamos un compresor nuevo, una limpieza del condensador, el acumulador y la recarga — alrededor de $1,840 en total, en vez de los $650 que habíamos hablado al principio. La van se puede manejar sin problema, pero sin aire. Por favor regréseme la llamada al (305) 555-0188 antes de las cinco de hoy para que decidamos juntos. Muchas gracias, señor.

[Read time: ~30 seconds]

## Section 3 — Translation Notes
- "Mr. Pérez" → "Sr. Pérez" — kept as title-only (Cuban-Spanish convention with older customers; never first-name)
- "Failed internally" → "falló por dentro" (warmer than "falla interna," reads as a person speaking, not a report)
- "Unfortunately" → "lamentablemente" — appropriate apology weight (not over-apologizing for an honest teardown finding)
- "Van" → "la van" (Cuban-American Miami English-borrowed default; "camioneta" works but "la van" is what this customer would actually use)
- "Five o'clock today" → "las cinco de hoy" (kept idiomatic; not "las 17:00" which sounds bureaucratic)
- "So we can decide together" → "para que decidamos juntos" (subjunctive — formal-but-warm; respects usted register and gives the customer agency without pressuring)
- Avoided "ustedes" anywhere (single customer; ustedes-plural would be incorrect)
- Avoided "vosotros" form entirely (Spain-only)
- Did NOT use "coche" (Spain) or "auto" (South American) — used vehicle-specific "Sienna" and "la van"
- Register: usted confirmed (first-time, addressed as Sr. on intake)

## Send Checklist
- [x] Voicemail script timed (English ~28s, Spanish ~30s — both under 30s cap when read at conversational pace)
- [x] Dollar amounts identical: $1,840 and $650 in both
- [x] Phone number identical: (305) 555-0188
- [x] CTA: "call me back" / "regréseme la llamada" — clear action with deadline
- [x] No PII beyond what the advisor already had (no VIN, no RO number read aloud)
- [x] Did NOT promise the AC compressor failure mode in writing — voicemail is deniable; advisor will document teardown findings on the RO separately