Upgrade to Scala 3.7.4 and Modernization Audit

.gitignore

@@ -52,4 +52,8 @@ build/
 .DS_Store
 
 ### Scala ###
-.bsp/
+.bsp/
+
+### JVM crash logs ###
+hs_err_pid*.log
+core.*

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+# Contributing to Valar
+
+Thanks for your interest in contributing to Valar.
+
+## Getting Started
+
+1. Fork the repository
+2. Clone your fork: `git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/valar.git`
+3. Create a branch: `git checkout -b your-feature-branch`
+
+## Development Setup
+
+Requirements:
+- JDK 21+
+- sbt 1.10+
+
+Build and test:
+```bash
+sbt compile
+sbt test
+```
+
+Run tests for a specific module:
+```bash
+sbt valarCore/test
+sbt valarMunit/test
+sbt valarTranslator/test
+```
+
+Format code:
+```bash
+sbt scalafmtAll
+```
+
+Check formatting:
+```bash
+sbt scalafmtCheckAll
+```
+
+## Project Structure
+
+```
+valar/
+  valar-core/        # Core validation library
+  valar-munit/       # MUnit testing utilities
+  valar-translator/  # i18n support
+  valar-benchmarks/  # JMH benchmarks
+```
+
+## Submitting Changes
+
+1. Ensure all tests pass: `sbt test`
+2. Check formatting: `sbt scalafmtCheckAll`
+3. Write clear commit messages
+4. Open a pull request against `main`
+
+## Guidelines
+
+- Keep changes focused. One feature or fix per PR.
+- Add tests for new functionality.
+- Update documentation if needed.
+- Follow existing code style.
+
+## Running Benchmarks
+
+```bash
+sbt "valarBenchmarks / Jmh / run"
+```
+
+## Questions
+
+Open an issue for questions or discussion.