Multilingual sites

How to set up multilingual site when you also want to use views, panels, CCK, override taxonomy terms? When you have more then two languages and user generated content?
When you want to be able to translate pretty much everything from nodes to field labels, menu items, block titles, mission statement, user profiles... without the site breaking if something hasn't been translated?
Are there moments when you're better of just adding t functions?

Modules covered include:
• CCK
• Panels
• Views
• block translation
• cck translation
• content type translation
• i18n
• menu translation
• profile translation
• string translation
• synchronize translation
• taxonomy translation
• views translation
• active translation
• tContact