arXiv Paper Translator

Translate academic papers from arXiv by downloading LaTeX source, translating content while preserving structure, and generating translated PDFs with technical reports.

Workflow Overview

1. Download & Extract – Get LaTeX source from arXiv
2. Translate – Translate English narrative content to Chinese following LaTeX-specific rules
3. REVIEW PHASE – MUST COMPLETE before compiling
4. CJK Support & Localize Labels – Add xeCJK, localize labels
5. Compile .tex Files – Generate translated PDF using XeLaTeX
6. Report – Create technical summary document

Prerequisites

Check local xelatex installation:

xelatex --version

If not installed, make sure Docker is installed and available.

docker --version

This skill requires XeLaTeX to compile translated PDFs. If not installed locally, Docker will be used instead.

Recommend using xu-cheng/latex-docker Docker images.

e.g. Tex Live full distribution (only linux/amd64):

# NOTICE: ghcr.1ms.run is a mirror of ghcr.io.
docker pull ghcr.1ms.run/xu-cheng/texlive-debian:20260101 --platform linux/amd64
# => docker pull ghcr.io/xu-cheng/latex-debian:20260101 --platform linux/amd64

If both local XeLaTeX and Docker are not installed, then STOP trying to run this skill. And Ask user question: “XeLaTeX or Docker is required to compile translated PDFs. Which one do you want to use? I’ll help you to setup.”

Step 1: Download LaTeX Source

Extract ARXIV_ID from user input.

Download and extract source code from arXiv:

# Download LaTeX source (replace ARXIV_ID with user-specified paper ID)
ARXIV_ID="2206.04655"
mkdir -p arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}
wget -q https://arxiv.org/e-print/${ARXIV_ID} -O arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}/paper_source.tar.gz
mkdir -p arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}/paper_source
tar -xzf arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}/paper_source.tar.gz -C arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}/paper_source

Verify extraction:

# List files to understand structure
tree arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}/paper_source

Step 2: Translate LaTeX Files

IMPORTANT: Before translating, read references/translation_guidelines.md for detailed rules.

Translation Workflow

Step 2.1. Copy all files from paper_source/ to paper_cn/:

Option 1 – Using cp (standard):

cd arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}
mkdir -p paper_cn
cp -r paper_source/* paper_cn/

Option 2 – Using rsync (better for incremental sync):

cd arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}
mkdir -p paper_cn
rsync -av paper_source/ paper_cn/

All .tex files in paper_cn/ will be translated in-place later.

Step 2.2. Gather Context (MANDATORY):

Before ANY translation, you MUST extract:

1. Paper Title: From \title{...} in main file
2. Abstract: From \begin{abstract}...\end{abstract} or \abstract{...} in main file
3. Paper Structure: List all sections and which .tex file contains each
4. Key Terminologies: Build terminology table from paper content

For some glossaries or terminologies you don’t know how to translate, you can ASK user question for definition.

This information is REQUIRED for translation tasks.

Read references/translation_prompt.md for the prompt template.

Step 2.3. Dispatch Translation Tasks

Identify files to translate:

• Find main file (contains \documentclass{…}, usually main.tex, paper.tex, template.tex, etc.)
• Filter .tex files that need translation (skip macro-only files if any, or user specified files)
• Create list of files to translate

Translation Strategy:

1. Translate main file first (sequential)

   • Builds shared terminology context
   • Ensures consistency for other files

2. Translate other files:

   • If 3+ files: Dispatch in parallel
   • If 1-2 files: Sequential translation

Each translation Task:

• Task type: general-purpose subagent
• Input: File path in paper_cn/ directory
• Action: Read file → Translate → Edit file (Update file content with translated text)
• Must follow references/translation_prompt.md
• Must use gathered context (title, abstract, structure, terminologies)

Example command to find main .tex file:

find paper_cn/ -name "*.tex" -exec grep -l '\\documentclass' {} \; | head -1

Step 3: Review Translation

After all translation Tasks are completed, you MUST review the translated content following references/review_checklist.md to verify:

1. File Completeness Check
2. LaTeX Command Spelling
3. CJK Catcode Issues
4. Translation Quality Check
5. Content Spot-Check

Perform fixes as needed based on review findings.

CRITICAL: Before proceeding to Step 4, you must confirm:

• All review checks completed
• Any issues identified and fixed
• Translation quality verified

Step 4: Add Chinese Support

IMPORTANT: Follow references/chinese_support.md to configure CJK fonts and localize labels.

Modify main .tex file to include xeCJK package and set CJK fonts.

e.g. for Fandol font (which is included in TexLive Docker image):

\usepackage{xeCJK}
\setCJKmainfont{FandolSong}[ItalicFont=FandolKai]  % 宋体 - 正文，\emph 用楷体
\setCJKsansfont{FandolHei}    % 黑体 - 标题、\textsf
\setCJKmonofont{FandolFang}   % 仿宋 - 代码、\texttt

If running locally, Ask user for font preference before configuring. Check available fonts with fc-list :lang=zh family.

Step 5: Compile Translated PDF

Option 1: Local XeLaTeX

# Basic compilation
xelatex main.tex

# If paper has bibliography (recommended approach)
xelatex main.tex
bibtex main
xelatex main.tex
xelatex main.tex

Or use latexmk for automated compilation:

latexmk -xelatex main.tex

Option 2: Docker with TeX Live

# change working directory to arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}
cd /path/to/arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}
docker run --rm \
  -v "$(pwd)/paper_cn":/workspace \
  -w /workspace \
  ghcr.1ms.run/xu-cheng/texlive-debian:20260101 \
  latexmk -xelatex main.tex

Step 6: Generate Technical Report

If user requests a technical summary, spawn a subagent following references/summary_prompt.md to create a technical summary using assets/report_template.md.

Save report: arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}/technical_report.md

Final Deliverables

1. Translated PDF: paper_cn/<main-file>.pdf
2. Technical report: arXiv_${ARXIV_ID}/technical_report.md
3. TeX Source: paper_cn/ directory with all translated LaTeX files

Common Issues & Solutions

References

• Translation rules: references/translation_guidelines.md
• Translation prompt: references/translation_prompt.md
• Review checklist: references/review_checklist.md
• Chinese support: references/chinese_support.md
• Report template: assets/report_template.md
• Makefile template (optional): assets/Makefile.template