Implement Internationalization (i18n) Support for Global Accessibility

[wonderwomancode]

Summary

Implement comprehensive internationalization (i18n) support to make the AlternateFutures CLI accessible to non-English speaking users worldwide. This aligns with our mission as a censorship-resistant, privacy-focused platform serving a global audience.

Current State: English-only CLI (365 strings in /locales/en.json)
Desired State: Multi-language support with auto-detection, starting with Spanish

Problem Statement

The CLI currently only supports English, which:

• Limits accessibility for non-English speaking users (majority of world population)
• Contradicts our mission of global censorship resistance
• Reduces adoption in non-English speaking markets
• Creates barriers for international developers

Success Criteria

• Language auto-detection from system locale
• Spanish localization complete (365 strings translated)
• Emoji accessibility mode (--no-emoji flag)
• Documentation for contributors to add new languages
• All tests pass with new i18n system
• No breaking changes to existing English users

Implementation Phases

Phase 1: Infrastructure

• Implement detectLanguage() function (check AF_LANGUAGE env var, fall back to system LANG)
• Update locale loading to support multiple languages
• Implement plural handling for English and Spanish

Phase 2: Spanish Localization

• Translate all 365 strings to Spanish
• Create /locales/es.json and /locales/es.d.ts
• Native speaker review for technical accuracy

Phase 3: Accessibility

• Add --no-emoji CLI flag and NO_EMOJI env var
• Replace emoji icons with text equivalents for screen reader compatibility
• Terminal width detection for responsive formatting

Phase 4: Documentation & Testing

• Create /docs/i18n.md guide
• Update README with language support section
• Comprehensive test coverage (40+ unit tests, 10+ integration tests)

Phase 5: Package & Release

• Update package.json files array
• CI/CD updates for multi-language testing
• Beta release, then stable v0.3.0

Technical Requirements

• No new dependencies - use existing translation infrastructure
• Performance: <1ms language detection, <10ms locale loading
• Bundle size increase: <50KB for Spanish locale
• Backward compatible with English-only users

Future Languages (prioritized by demand)

1. Portuguese (pt)
2. French (fr)
3. German (de)
4. Mandarin (zh)
5. Japanese (ja)

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See .github/issues/INTERNATIONALIZATION_TICKET.md for full implementation details including code examples, test plans, and rollout strategy.

Estimate: 3 weeks (15 working days)