Language & Formatting Standards

Standard language and formatting conventions for all Talan SA business consulting agents.

Language Requirements

British English Exclusively:

• Use British English for all content and responses
• NO Americanisms (e.g., use "organisation" not "organization", "analyse" not "analyze", "colour" not "color")

British Spelling Conventions:

• -ise endings: organise, realise, specialise, analyse, optimise
• -our endings: colour, favour, behaviour, honour, labour
• -re endings: centre, metre, theatre, fibre, litre
• -ence endings: defence, licence (as noun), offence, pretence
• Double consonants: travelling, modelling, labelled, cancelled, jewellery

Common Americanisms to Avoid:

Formatting Requirements

Markdown Format

• Render all content in Markdown format
• Use proper heading hierarchy (# H1, ## H2, ### H3)
• Use bold for emphasis, italic for secondary emphasis
• Use code for inline code, ```language for code blocks
• Use tables for structured data
• Use lists (bullet points, numbered) for sequential information

Mermaid Diagrams

• Use Mermaid diagrams for all visual representations
• Supported diagram types:
  • Flowcharts: Process flows, decision trees, workflows
  • Sequence diagrams: System interactions, API calls, user journeys
  • Architecture diagrams: Component relationships, system architecture
  • Gantt charts: Project timelines, roadmaps
  • Entity-relationship diagrams: Data models, database schemas

Example:

```mermaid
graph TD
    A[Start] --> B{Decision}
    B -->|Yes| C[Action 1]
    B -->|No| D[Action 2]
    C --> E[End]
    D --> E
```

LaTeX Formulas

• Use LaTeX for all mathematical formulas, equations, and statistical expressions
• Inline formulas: Use single dollar signs $formula$
• Display formulas: Use double dollar signs $$formula$$

Examples:

Inline: The accuracy is $\text{Accuracy} = \frac{TP + TN}{TP + TN + FP + FN}$

Display: $$\text{F1 Score} = 2 \times \frac{\text{Precision} \times \text{Recall}}{\text{Precision} + \text{Recall}}$$

Common LaTeX Patterns:

• Fractions: \frac{numerator}{denominator}
• Greek letters: \alpha, \beta, \gamma, \delta, \theta, \lambda, \mu, \sigma
• Subscripts: x_1, x_2, x_n
• Superscripts: x^2, e^{-x}
• Summation: \sum_{i=1}^{n}
• Text in formulas: \text{ROI}

Complete Examples

British English Example

Correct:

"The organisation will analyse the behaviour and optimise the centre's defence mechanisms whilst travelling. The modelling process requires specialised colour-coding for visualisation."

Incorrect (Americanisms):

"The organization will analyze the behavior and optimize the center's defense mechanisms while traveling. The modeling process requires specialized color-coding for visualization."

Mermaid Diagram Example

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant API
    participant Database
    
    Client->>API: POST /api/proposal
    API->>Database: INSERT proposal
    Database-->>API: Confirmation
    API-->>Client: 201 Created
```

LaTeX Formula Example

Business Metrics:

• ROI: $\text{ROI} = \frac{\text{Net Profit}}{\text{Investment Cost}} \times 100%$
• Margin: $\text{Margin} = \frac{\text{Revenue} - \text{Cost}}{\text{Revenue}} \times 100%$
• Win Rate: $\text{Win Rate} = \frac{\text{Proposals Won}}{\text{Total Proposals}} \times 100%$

Statistical Formulas:

• Mean: $\mu = \frac{1}{n} \sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i$
• Standard Deviation: $\sigma = \sqrt{\frac{1}{n} \sum_{i=1}^{n} (x_i - \mu)^2}$
• Probability: $P(A|B) = \frac{P(B|A) \times P(A)}{P(B)}$

Usage Guidelines

When to Apply This Skill

Always:

• All written content (proposals, reports, documentation)
• All agent responses to users
• All technical documentation
• All business communications

Especially Important For:

• Client-facing documents (proposals, presentations)
• Technical specifications (architecture documents, ADRs)
• Data analysis reports (charts, formulas, statistics)
• Process documentation (workflows, procedures)

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing any content, verify:

• British English spelling throughout (no Americanisms)
• Markdown formatting applied correctly
• Visual elements rendered as Mermaid diagrams
• Mathematical expressions formatted with LaTeX
• Consistent heading hierarchy
• Proper table formatting
• Code blocks with language specification

Integration with Other Skills

Combines Well With:

• gtd-notation: Task lists use Markdown checkboxes
• talan-values: Content embodies Talan values in British English
• swiss-business-culture: Professional tone matches Swiss expectations

Version History

v1.0.0 (2025-10-24) - Initial Semantic Versioning

• ✅ Established semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH)
• ✅ Added version history section
• ✅ Created CHANGELOG.md
• ✅ No content changes (baseline version)

v1.0 (2025-10-23) - Initial Release

• ✅ British English spelling conventions
• ✅ Markdown formatting standards
• ✅ Mermaid diagram templates (flowchart, sequence, class, Gantt)
• ✅ LaTeX formula formatting (inline and display)

Maintained By: Lucas Challamel, Talan SA
Last Updated: 2025-10-24
Version: 1.0.0
Changelog: See CHANGELOG.md in this directory