Localize Id

Localize: Indonesian (id → Bahasa Indonesia)

You are translating source text into Indonesian for Indonesia. This skill captures grammar, register, UI conventions, formatting, and Indonesian-specific failure modes — with critical disambiguation from its sister language Malaysian (Bahasa Melayu / ms).

Scope & Variants

One standard:

• id-ID — Bahasa Indonesia as used in Indonesia. Official language of Indonesia.

No widely-distinguished regional variants in software localization. Indonesia uses bahasa baku (standard Indonesian) for all formal contexts.

Native name: Bahasa Indonesia (the language).

Identity Guardrail — NOT Malaysian (CRITICAL)

Indonesian (id) and Malaysian (ms / Bahasa Melayu) are sister languages with ~85% lexical overlap but distinct standards. They are mutually intelligible to a degree but have systematically different vocabulary in tech, UI, and modern domains because they were standardized separately and drew loanwords from different sources:

• Indonesian — heavy Dutch colonial influence (kantor, sepatu, gratis, buncis, jendela, handuk, pulpen), some Javanese, Sanskrit, Arabic.
• Malaysian — heavy Arabic/Islamic and English influence; less Dutch.

Mixing the two is a quality failure, especially in tech UI. NEVER translate Indonesian content via Malaysian intermediaries or vice versa.

Tech Vocabulary Disambiguation Table (the most important table in this skill)

| English | Indonesian (USE) | Malaysian (DO NOT USE for Indonesian) | |---|---|---| | Upload | unggah | muat naik | | Download | unduh | muat turun | | Settings | pengaturan / setelan | tetapan | | Update | perbarui / mutakhirkan | kemas kini | | Window | jendela | tetingkap | | Message | pesan | mesej | | Delete | hapus | padam | | Paste | tempel | tampal | | File | file / berkas | fail | | Browse (files) | jelajahi / telusuri | semak imbas | | Office | kantor | pejabat | | Office (work for someone) | (use jabatan) | pejabat (Malaysian = office) | | Can / able | bisa | boleh (Malaysian — in Indonesian "boleh" is informal "may") |

False Friends with Malaysian (DANGER — different meanings, same spelling)

| Word | Indonesian meaning | Malaysian meaning | |---|---|---| | kereta | train (short for "kereta api") | car (the everyday car) | | butuh | need (standard verb) | vulgar (genitalia) — DO NOT USE THIS WORD IN MALAYSIAN | | pusing | dizzy / headache | to spin / to turn around | | punggung | back (body part) | buttocks | | sulit | difficult | confidential / secret | | comel | (rare) | cute (common) | | abang | older brother (informal) | older brother / boyfriend |

If you are writing Indonesian, you can use these freely in Indonesian senses. Just NEVER assume the meaning carries over to Malaysian.

Day Names — DIFFER from Malaysian

| Day | Indonesian | Malaysian | |---|---|---| | Monday | Senin | Isnin | | Tuesday | Selasa | Selasa (same) | | Wednesday | Rabu | Rabu (same) | | Thursday | Kamis | Khamis | | Friday | Jumat | Jumaat | | Saturday | Sabtu | Sabtu (same) | | Sunday | Minggu | Ahad |

Minggu in Indonesian also means "week" — context disambiguates.

Times of Day — 4 periods (NOT 3 like Malaysian)

| Period | Indonesian | Approximate time | Greeting | |---|---|---|---| | Morning | pagi | 04:00–11:00 | Selamat pagi | | Midday | siang | 11:00–15:00 | Selamat siang | | Afternoon | sore | 15:00–18:30 | Selamat sore | | Evening / Night | malam | 18:30–04:00 | Selamat malam |

(Malaysian uses only 3: pagi / petang / malam — no "siang" or "sore" distinction.)

Number Format — European (Dutch-influenced)

• Decimal separator: comma (3,14)
• Thousands separator: period (1.000.000)
• Format: 1.234.567,89
• ❌ 1,234.56 (Anglo) → ✅ 1.234,56
• This is the OPPOSITE of Malaysian (which uses Anglo format).

Currency: IDR Rupiah

• Indonesia uses the rupiah (Rp / IDR). NOT Malaysian ringgit (RM).
• Format: Rp 1.000.000 or Rp1.000.000 (period thousands, no decimals for small denominations — the rupiah is heavily inflated, sub-1000 amounts essentially nonexistent in UI)
• ❌ RM 1,000 (Malaysian) → ✅ Rp 1.000.000
• ❌ Rp 1,000,000 (Anglo format) → ✅ Rp 1.000.000

Register

Default level: FORMAL (Anda) for software UI, errors, documentation, marketing.

| Level | Pronoun | Use case | |---|---|---| | Formal | Anda (capitalized) | Business UI, professional software, customer-facing | | Informal | kamu | Consumer apps with casual brand voice, social, youth | | Inclusive "we" | kita | Building connection — includes listener (use for warm, friendly tone) | | Exclusive "we" | kami | Excludes listener (use for "we, the company") |

Rules:

• Choose ONE pronoun level (Anda OR kamu) per file.
• Use kita for warm/inclusive tone where the user is part of the action ("Mari kita mulai!" = Let's start!).
• Use kami when speaking AS the company TO the user ("Kami akan memberitahu Anda" = We will notify you).

Examples:

• ❌ "Anda mau hapus gak?" (formal Anda + slang gak) → ✅ "Apakah Anda ingin menghapus file ini?"
• ❌ "kamu yakin mau hapus?" (then Anda elsewhere in same file) → mix is wrong
• ✅ "Mari kita mulai perjalanan Anda" (inclusive warm tone using kita + Anda — acceptable in marketing)

Formal vs Colloquial Vocabulary

Professional UI must use bahasa baku (standard formal Indonesian):

| Colloquial (AVOID) | Formal (USE) | Meaning | |---|---|---| | gak / nggak | tidak | not / no | | udah | sudah | already | | aja / doang | saja | only / just | | gimana | bagaimana | how | | gini / gitu | begini / begitu | like this / that | | emang | memang | indeed | | banget | sangat / sekali | very | | kayak / kaya | seperti | like / as | | soalnya | karena | because | | dong | (none — sentence particle) | (intensifier, omit in formal) | | ya / iya | (acceptable in many contexts) | yes |

Colloquial is acceptable ONLY in: casual/youth-oriented apps with explicit informal tone, marketing content deliberately targeting informal register.

Critical Hard Rules

Affix System: me- / di- / ber- / -kan / -i (severity 2.0)

Indonesian's grammar runs on affixation. Roots become verbs with prefixes/suffixes:

| Affix | Function | Example | |---|---|---| | me- | active transitive verb | menulis (write), membaca (read), mengirim (send) | | di- | passive | ditulis (was written), dibaca (was read) | | ber- | intransitive / stative | berlari (run), berdiri (stand) | | ke- | nominal | kebersihan (cleanliness), keadilan (justice) | | pe- | agent noun | penulis (writer), pembaca (reader) | | -kan | transitive / causative | menggunakan (use, with object), mempertimbangkan (consider) | | -i | intensive / locative | memenuhi (fulfill), menulisi (write on) | | -an | abstract noun | bulanan (monthly), tulisan (writing) |

Nasal Assimilation with me- (severity 1.5)

The me- prefix changes form based on the initial consonant of the root:

| Root consonant | Becomes | Example (root → form) | |---|---|---| | p, b, f | mem- | padam → memadam (extinguish), beli → membeli (buy) | | t, d | men- | tulis → menulis (write), dorong → mendorong (push) | | k, g, h | meng- | kirim → mengirim (send), gambar → menggambar (draw) | | s | meny- | simpan → menyimpan (save), sapu → menyapu (sweep) | | vowels | meng- | unggah → mengunggah (upload), ambil → mengambil (take) | | l, m, n, r, w, y, ng, ny | me- (no change) | larang → melarang (forbid), masuk → memasuki (enter) |

Common errors:

• ❌ mepadam → ✅ memadam (p → m)
• ❌ metulis → ✅ menulis (t → n)
• ❌ mekirim → ✅ mengirim (k → ng)
• ❌ mesimpan → ✅ menyimpan (s → ny)

The initial consonant is assimilated/replaced for p, t, k, s. For other consonants, the prefix simply attaches without modification.

Transitive -kan Suffix (severity 2.0)

Verbs with direct objects, or in imperative/suggestion contexts, MUST use the -kan suffix.

| Wrong (intransitive) | Correct (transitive with -kan) | |---|---| | Pertimbang untuk memperbaiki | Pertimbangkan untuk memperbaiki (Consider improving) | | Guna variabel | Gunakan variabel (Use the variable) | | Tambah konten | Tambahkan konten (Add content) | | Hilang file | Hilangkan file (Remove file) | | Pikir tentang ini | Pikirkan tentang ini (Think about this) |

The bare root (Pertimbang, Guna, Tambah, Hilang) is grammatically incomplete when there's an object. -kan marks transitivity and is required.

"untuk" + Verb Requires me- Prefix (severity 2.0)

When untuk (to / in order to) introduces a verb phrase, the verb MUST be in the me- prefixed form.

| Wrong | Correct | |---|---| | untuk unggah file | untuk mengunggah file | | untuk edit dokumen | untuk mengedit dokumen | | untuk ubah format | untuk mengubah format | | untuk simpan perubahan | untuk menyimpan perubahan | | untuk kirim email | untuk mengirim email |

This is one of the most-missed rules. Bare roots after untuk are a hallmark of bad translation.

Reduplication for Plurality (severity 2.0)

Indonesian has no grammatical number marker. Plural is marked by reduplication — but ONLY when no number is present.

| Context | Form | Example | |---|---|---| | Plural, no number | reduplication | "Upload Files" → "Unggah file-file" | | Plural, no number | reduplication | "View books" → "Lihat buku-buku" | | With number/quantifier | NO reduplication | "5 files" → "5 file" (NOT "5 file-file") | | With number/quantifier | NO reduplication | "{count} items" → "{count} item" | | ICU with # | NO reduplication | {count, plural, other {# file}} | | Generic / collective | NO reduplication often | "Semua file" (all files — collective, no reduplication needed) |

ICU pattern (Indonesian has only other effectively — no plural distinction needed):

{count, plural,
  other {# file}
}

The two branches of failure:

• ❌ "Unggah file" when meaning "Upload Files" (plural) — missing reduplication
• ❌ "5 file-file" when meaning "5 files" — wrong reduplication

Adverb Placement — After the Verb (severity 1.5)

Manner adverbs (secara X / dengan X) follow the main verb, not the auxiliary.

| Wrong (adverb before verb) | Correct (adverb after verb) | |---|---| | akan secara otomatis mendeteksi | akan mendeteksi secara otomatis | | Sistem secara otomatis akan mendeteksi | Sistem akan mendeteksi secara otomatis | | dengan cepat menyelesaikan | menyelesaikan dengan cepat |

The adverb sits after the lexical verb, not between modal/auxiliary and verb.

UI Conventions

Button Labels — Short Imperative

Indonesian buttons use short imperative verbs, often bare roots that function as commands:

| English | Indonesian | Notes | |---|---|---| | Save | Simpan | | | Delete | Hapus | NOT Padam (which is Malaysian) | | Cancel | Batal / Batalkan | Both acceptable | | Submit | Kirim | | | Upload | Unggah | NOT Muat naik (Malaysian) | | Download | Unduh | NOT Muat turun (Malaysian) | | Search | Cari | | | Edit | Edit / Ubah | | | Copy | Salin | | | Paste | Tempel | NOT Tampal (Malaysian) | | Close | Tutup | | | Open | Buka | | | Browse | Jelajahi / Telusuri | NOT Semak imbas (Malaysian) | | OK / Confirm | OK / Konfirmasi | |

❌ "Silakan klik di sini untuk menyimpan" (verbose) → ✅ "Simpan"

Status Messages — Impersonal

Use impersonal forms (me- prefix with no subject, OR nominal). NEVER first person.

| Wrong (first person) | Correct (impersonal) | |---|---| | Saya sedang memuat... | Memuat... / Sedang memuat... | | Kami menyimpan file Anda... | Menyimpan... / Penyimpanan berhasil | | Saya memproses... | Memproses... |

The system speaks impersonally. "Saya" (I) for system messages sounds bizarre.

Drag-and-Drop Vocabulary

• seret = drag
• lepas = drop / release
• ❌ "drag" / "drop" (English) — wrong

✅ Seret file ke sini                       (drag files here)
✅ Seret dan lepas file ke sini             (drag and drop files here)
✅ Pilih file atau seret ke sini            (select files or drag here — complete or clause)
❌ Pilih file atau seret                     (incomplete — finish the phrase)
❌ Drag file ke sini                         (English calque)

Error Messages — Direct Predicate

Indonesian error messages favor direct predicate form over verbose nominal constructions:

• ❌ "Terjadi kesalahan saat menyimpan file" (verbose nominal "an error occurred when saving the file")
• ✅ "File tidak dapat disimpan" (File cannot be saved — direct predicate)
• ✅ "Tidak dapat menghubungkan ke server" (Cannot connect to server — direct predicate)

Punctuation, Numbers, Dates, Currency

Quotation Marks

• Standard double quotes "..." or single '...' — both common, be consistent
• No special "Indonesian quote marks"

Numbers (European format — opposite of Malaysian)

• Decimal separator: comma (3,14)
• Thousands separator: period (1.000.000)
• Format: 1.234.567,89
• ❌ 3.14 (Anglo decimal) → ✅ 3,14
• ❌ 1,000,000 (Anglo thousands) → ✅ 1.000.000

Dates — DD/MM/YYYY

• Numeric: 15/01/2024 (slashes)
• Word form: 15 Januari 2024 (day + month name + year)
• Long form: Senin, 15 Januari 2024 (with day name)
• ❌ 01/15/2024 (US) → ✅ 15/01/2024

Indonesian months (always capitalized in formal writing): Januari, Februari, Maret, April, Mei, Juni, Juli, Agustus, September, Oktober, November, Desember.

Time

• 24-hour: 14:30 or 14.30 (period as colon is also acceptable)
• Word form: 2 sore (2 PM in afternoon period) or pukul 14:30
• "Jam" or "pukul" for "o'clock" (jam 2 = at 2 o'clock)

Currency: IDR Rupiah

• Format: Rp 1.000.000 or Rp1.000.000 (period thousands, no decimal for round amounts)
• ❌ Rp 1,000,000 (Anglo) → ✅ Rp 1.000.000
• ❌ RM 1,000 (Malaysian) → ✅ Rp ...

Comma Rules

NO comma before coordinating conjunctions (atau, dan):

• ❌ "Seret file ke sini, atau klik" → ✅ "Seret file ke sini atau klik"
• ❌ "Simpan file, dan tutup" → ✅ "Simpan file dan tutup"

COMMA before subordinating conjunctions:

• tetapi / namun (but): "Sederhana, tetapi efektif"
• yang (which / that): "File yang Anda pilih"
• jika (if): "Klik di sini, jika ingin melanjutkan"
• karena (because): "Tidak berfungsi, karena file tidak ditemukan"
• ketika / saat (when): "Tunggu, ketika proses selesai"
• supaya / agar (so that): "Simpan, supaya perubahan tersimpan"

Terminology Quick Reference

| English | Indonesian | NOT (Malaysian) | |---|---|---| | Save | Simpan | (same) | | Delete | Hapus | Padam | | Cancel | Batal / Batalkan | (same) | | Submit | Kirim | Hantar | | Upload | Unggah | Muat naik | | Download | Unduh | Muat turun | | Settings | Pengaturan / Setelan | Tetapan | | Update | Perbarui / Mutakhirkan | Kemas kini | | Search | Cari | (same) | | Edit | Edit / Ubah | (Sunting) | | Copy | Salin | (same) | | Paste | Tempel | Tampal | | Close | Tutup | (same) | | Open | Buka | (same) | | Browse (files) | Jelajahi / Telusuri | Semak imbas | | File | File / Berkas | Fail | | Folder | Folder / Direktori | (same / Folder) | | Window | Jendela | Tetingkap | | Message | Pesan | Mesej | | User | Pengguna | (same) | | Password | Kata sandi / Password | Kata laluan | | Username | Nama pengguna | (same) | | Log in | Masuk / Login | Log masuk | | Log out | Keluar / Logout | Log keluar | | Dashboard | Dasbor / Dashboard | Papan pemuka | | Account | Akun | Akaun | | Email | Email / Surel | E-mel | | Click | Klik | (same) | | Load

…

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: i18n-agent
• Source: i18n-agent/i18nstack
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://i18nagent.ai

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.