[FM Discuss] translation of manuals and software interface localization

[Edward Mokurai Cherlin]

On Sun, April 1, 2012 3:09 pm, Tomi Toivio wrote:
> Hi,
>
> This is a bit of a meta-FM question, since it goes beyond the scope of FM
> itself, but this is still quite important when we talk about translating
> manuals, since the localization project should be finished before we can
> translate a manual properly.

Yes, where are we on the localization project? I seem to remember that
it was going to be ready Real Soon Now[TM] about a year ago. I need it
yesterday times several hundred.

> What do other people translating FM manuals do with missing, bad or
> incomplete interface localizations? The manual just doesn't look too good
> if some or all of the program interface is in English.
>
> I tend to run into localization issues all the time when
> translating/writing manuals, but it seems like too much extra work to go
> and download some .po file, translate it and try to submit it. However, if
> the localization is done on a wiki-like platform such as Launchpad or
> Translatewiki,

Pootle, too.

> it becomes quite easy to localize some strings as required
> by the manual translation project.
>
> In the case of OpenStreetMap I just went to Translatewiki and
> http://translatewiki.net/wiki/Special:Contributions/Tomi_Toivio but still
> it is not possible to translate all of the software interfaces shown in
> the
> manual there, it only has Potlatch 2 and the OSM website, but no JOSM or
> mobile editors, dunno where those are localized.
>
> Just a little poll, what do people working with non-English manuals think:
>
> 1) Localization isn't a part of writing manuals in FM, it should be
> ignored
> 2) Go and translate at least the strings that are visible in the manuals

Translate _everything_.

http://translate.sugarlabs.org/

> --
> Best Regards
> Tomi Toivio
> Open Source Coordinator
> http://fi.flossmanuals.net/
> tomi at flossmanuals.net
> +358453536625

-- 
Edward Mokurai (默雷/निशब्दगर्ज/نشبدگرج) Cherlin
Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks