Prompting like a proMiddleLesson 976 min read

Prompts for everyday work: email, summaries, tables and translation

Ready-to-adapt prompts for the tasks people do every day, including working in Indian languages.

✦ Ask the tutor 🧪 Lab · 25 min 📝 Lesson test

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Prompts for everyday work: email, summaries, tables and translation

Ready-to-adapt prompts for the tasks people do every day, including working in Indian languages.

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In simple words

AI can be a helpful assistant for writing letters, making short notes from long ones, putting things in tables, and translating. But you are still the boss who checks the work before it goes out.

Here are prompt patterns for common tasks. Change the details in [brackets] to fit your work. Always read and edit the result before you use it.

1. Emails and messages

Emailtext

Write a polite, clear email to [my manager] about [needing
two days' leave next week for a family function].
Tone: respectful and brief. Include: the dates [dates], that
[colleague] can cover urgent work, and a thank-you.
Under 120 words. Give a subject line too.

2. Summaries

Summarytext

Summarise the meeting notes below for team members who
missed the meeting.
Format: 3 key decisions, then action items as a list with
person and deadline.
Use only what is in the notes. If a deadline is missing,
write "no deadline given".

Notes:
[paste notes here]

3. Tables

Tabletext

Turn the text below into a table with columns:
Name | Item | Quantity | Amount (₹).
Don't add any rows or numbers that are not in the text.
At the end, list anything that was unclear.

Text:
[paste order messages here]

Watch out

AI can make arithmetic mistakes and can copy numbers wrongly. For money, totals and stock, check the numbers yourself or use a calculator or spreadsheet.

4. Translation in Indian languages

Translationtext

Translate the notice below from English to [Marathi].
Audience: [housing society residents, including elders].
Use simple, everyday [Marathi], not very formal words.
Keep names, dates and numbers exactly as they are.
After the translation, list any words that were hard to
translate and the choice you made.

Notice:
[paste text here]

Translation quality varies across languages and topics. It is often good for simple, everyday text. For legal, medical or official documents, or anything important, ask a fluent person to review it.

Task	Key phrase to add	What to check
Email	"Tone: respectful; under 120 words"	Names, dates, promises you are making
Summary	"Use only what is in the notes"	Nothing important left out or added
Table	"Don't add rows or numbers not in the text"	Every number against the original
Translation	"Keep names, dates and numbers exactly"	Meaning and tone, with a fluent reader

Note

Don't paste confidential work data into tools your employer hasn't approved. Replace client names and account numbers with placeholders if you must use a general tool.

Try this. Take one real message you need to send this week. Use the email pattern above, then edit the result so it sounds like you before sending.

Watch and read more

Lab

A personal prompt kit of four tested templates for your own work.

~25 min

The problem

Build your own prompt kit for your job, studies or home tasks.

Adapt the four patterns in this lesson (email, summary, table, translation) to real tasks you do.
Test each with realistic but non-confidential sample text.
Check each output: names, numbers, meaning, tone.
Improve each template once based on what went wrong.
Save the four final templates in a notes app for reuse.

You are done when

You have four templates adapted to your real tasks, with [placeholders]
Each was tested with non-confidential text
You checked each output and noted at least one fix
The translation test was checked by you or a fluent speaker

Hard questions

Try to answer before you reveal. If you can answer these, you understood the lesson.

Q1Why can a summary be harmful even when every sentence in it is true?Reveal

A summary chooses what to keep. If it drops a key condition ("only if the budget is approved") or a dissenting opinion, the reader gets a misleading picture from true sentences. Check that the most important decisions, conditions and risks survived.

Q2Why might a translation be accurate word by word but still wrong for the reader?Reveal

Languages carry tone, respect levels and culture. A literal translation can sound rude to elders, too formal for neighbours, or use words that mean something different locally. Good translation keeps the meaning and the relationship, which is why a fluent reader's review matters.

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Questions people ask

Is it okay to send AI-written emails?

Many people use AI to draft. You are responsible for what you send, so read it, fix details, and make it sound like you. Follow your workplace rules about AI use.

Which Indian languages do chatbots handle?

It varies by chatbot and changes over time. Many handle widely spoken languages like Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and others, with varying quality. Test with a short text and ask a fluent speaker to check.

Can AI summarise a long PDF or a voice note?

Some apps accept files or audio, depending on the app and plan. Check the summary against the original for key points, and don't upload confidential files to unapproved tools.

How do I stop it adding things that aren't in my notes?

Say "use only the text below" and ask it to mark anything it's unsure about. Then compare the output with your notes.

Lesson test

5 questions. Get 3 right (60%) to pass and complete this lesson.