Context Hints

The --context flag tells the LLM what you are translating. This helps it resolve ambiguous terms and choose appropriate terminology.

Basic usage

yaku --to en --context "Kubernetes documentation" -f guide.ja.md

yaku appends this to the system prompt:

Context: this text is about Kubernetes documentation. Use appropriate domain terminology.

When context matters

Without context, the LLM guesses the domain from the text alone. This works for most translations, but some terms are ambiguous across domains:

Spanish term	General translation	With --context "networking"	With --context "swimming"
piscina	pool	resource pool	swimming pool
puerto	port	network port	seaport
tabla	table	routing table	table
rama	branch	branch (git)	tree branch

Examples

Technical documentation

yaku --to en --context "PostgreSQL database administration" -f backup-guide.fr.md

The LLM uses database-specific terms: “transaction”, “index”, “query” — rather than their general-purpose equivalents.

Formal business writing

yaku --to en --context "formal business email to a client" -f email-draft.ja.txt

The LLM adjusts formality level and tone for professional English communication.

Medical text

yaku --to en --context "medical research paper, cardiology" -f abstract.zh-TW.md

The LLM uses standard medical terminology instead of colloquial equivalents.

Combining with other features

Context + glossary

Use --context for overall domain and a glossary for specific terms:

yaku --to en \
  --context "Kubernetes documentation" \
  --glossary k8s-terms.yaml \
  -f guide.ja.md

The glossary locks down exact terms (e.g., “pod” → “Pod”), while --context guides the LLM on everything else.

Context + polish mode

In polish mode, --context adjusts tone and formality:

echo "El servidor se cayó otra vez ayer y necesitamos fixearlo" | \
  yaku --mode polish --to es --context "incident report for engineering leadership"

Output:

El servidor experimentó una interrupción no planificada ayer y es necesario corregirlo.

Tips

• Keep it short. One phrase is enough: "Kubernetes docs", "legal contract", "casual blog post".
• Be specific. "PostgreSQL administration" is better than "database".
• Use for tone control. Context like "formal email" or "casual chat" affects the writing style, not just terminology.