Translate Toolkit & Pootle guide:translation

guide:translation:accelerators

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:43:21 +0000

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	- Avoid letters that are only one pixel wide, e.g. i and l.		- Avoid letters that are only one pixel wide, e.g. i and l.
	- Make sure the character is actually available on the users keyboard. Accented characters such as ä might or might not be present on a keyboard in the language.		- Make sure the character is actually available on the users keyboard. Accented characters such as ä might or might not be present on a keyboard in the language.
-	- If your language uses diacritics under certain letters such as ț, ḓ or ọ, avoid these characters as well, as the underline might run through the diacritic. You should almost never be choosing a letter with any diacritic, since users might not be able to use the access key by pressing a single keyboard key. Rather avoid letters with accelerators unless you are very sure that they will be usable by the end-users.	+	- If your language uses diacritics under certain letters such as ț, ḓ or ọ, avoid these characters as well, as the underline might run through the diacritic. You should almost never be choosing a letter with any diacritic, since users might not be able to use the access key by pressing a single keyboard key. Rather avoid letters with diacritics unless you are very sure that they will be usable by the end-users.
	- No available character. Usually in Asian languages where a keyboard is Western. Translate the word into your language and use the original English accelerator. Ie "&File" -> "XXXX(&F)". In Mozilla you can safely ignore defining the accelerator in which case it will default to the English version (FIXME: validate this :)		- No available character. Usually in Asian languages where a keyboard is Western. Translate the word into your language and use the original English accelerator. Ie "&File" -> "XXXX(&F)". In Mozilla you can safely ignore defining the accelerator in which case it will default to the English version (FIXME: validate this :)
	- Non-letters like numbers and punctuation marks can be used if they are present on a standard keyboard as is common amongst the speakers of your language. This will usually only be a relevant choice if it was chosen for the source text as well.		- Non-letters like numbers and punctuation marks can be used if they are present on a standard keyboard as is common amongst the speakers of your language. This will usually only be a relevant choice if it was chosen for the source text as well.

guide:translation:arabic_plurals

Tue, 12 May 2009 16:45:27 +0000

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-	<note warning>This page is now dated. Please see [[http://wiki.arabeyes.org/%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A#.D8.A7.D9.84.D8.AC.D9.85.D9.88.D8.B9\|the page at Arabeyes]].	+	<note warning>This page is now dated. Please see [[http://wiki.arabeyes.org/%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%BA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%AF\|the page at Arabeyes]] ([[http://wiki.arabeyes.org/Plural_Forms\|in English]]).
	</note>		</note>

guide:translation:brandnames

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 07:44:19 +0000

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	* Mozilla: Editor, Mail & News - are all translatable. Unlike The OpenOffice.org case these are probably best translated. A user would say I edit my webpages with the Mozilla Editor. Unlike OpenOffice.org were a user might say 'to do that you need to open Calc and go to...'. Editor is much more generic then the OpenOffice.org examples.		* Mozilla: Editor, Mail & News - are all translatable. Unlike The OpenOffice.org case these are probably best translated. A user would say I edit my webpages with the Mozilla Editor. Unlike OpenOffice.org were a user might say 'to do that you need to open Calc and go to...'. Editor is much more generic then the OpenOffice.org examples.
	* KDE: kaddressbook - an unoriginal name for an application. This probably should be translated. But be aware a user can only run kaddressbook from the command line by actually typing 'kaddressbook' it will not work if they type the translated name, this is not an issue if your users make use of the GUI and not the command line.		* KDE: kaddressbook - an unoriginal name for an application. This probably should be translated. But be aware a user can only run kaddressbook from the command line by actually typing 'kaddressbook' it will not work if they type the translated name, this is not an issue if your users make use of the GUI and not the command line.
		+
		+
		+	===== Simple Policy =====
		+
		+	Want a quick and easy policy on brand names?
		+
		+	Do not translate any brand or application name

	===== Policy ideas =====		===== Policy ideas =====

guide:translation:capitalisation

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:30:51 +0000

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	===== Choosing your style =====		===== Choosing your style =====

-	The first thing to remember is that you do not need to slavishly follow English title case. By all means if your language follows this convention then use it. But if is doens't then please use the normal case style used in your language.	+	The first thing to remember is that you should be adapting the software to the conventions of your culture and language. You do not need to slavishly follow English title case. By all means if your language follows this convention then use it. But if is doesn't, then please use the normal case style used in your language. Very few languages actually use the style of title case as much as English do. Rather just follow the normal rules for capitalisation in your language.

	===== Starting capitals or the lack thereof =====		===== Starting capitals or the lack thereof =====

-	You will notice that certain sentences do not start with a capital. Try to match these capitals as they are often done for a reason. Sometimes they represent phrases that will be joined at runtime (this is a bad practice and should be reported to the programmer for correction)	+	You will notice that certain sentences do not start with a capital. Try to match these capitals as they are often done for a reason. Sometimes they represent phrases that will be joined at runtime (this is a bad practice and should be reported to the programmer for correction).

	To check your staring capitals use [[toolkit:pofilter]]		To check your staring capitals use [[toolkit:pofilter]]

guide:translation:casual_language

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 15:48:33 +0000

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-	A snippet from Malcolm Hunter - the British English translator. You might want to	+	====== Casual Translations ======
-	take note of his points and remove these from your translations	+

		+	Computers are rather formal. In fact if they were too friendly we wouldn't enjoy using them.
		+	You don't expect a computer to talk to you as a friend you expect it to give you the information
		+	you need with the minimum of fuss and then get out of the way:
		+
		+	We prefer:
		+	The file could not be found
		+
		+	To:
		+	That file that you were looking for I can't seem to find it. Help!
		+
		+
		+	In your translations you have the opportunity of removing language that is too casual. Be
		+	carefull when translating games and kiddies programs as you might want to keep informal
		+	language.
		+
		+	Here is a snippet of an email from Malcolm Hunter - one of the British English translator. You might want to
		+	take note of his points and remove these from your translations.
		+
		+	<code>
	Something I've forgotten to mention:		Something I've forgotten to mention:

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	Thanks,		Thanks,
	Malcolm		Malcolm
		+	</code>

guide:translation:commonerrors

Thu, 03 Mar 2005 07:46:39 +0000

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	+	====== Common Translation Errors ======
	+
	+	Translators - even professional translators - usually make these error when
	+	translating computer software.
	+
	+	===== Overview of common errors =====
	+
	+	==== Capitalisation ====
	+
	+	Wrong: no capitalisation in translation\\
	+	Correct: translation follows translation language capitalisation convention
	+
	+	==== Double words ====
	+
	+	//Translator could not decide which word was more appropriate//
	+
	+	Wrong: two translated words for one original word\\
	+	Correct: choose one word if you have two options
	+
	+	==== Translated things that should stay in English ====
	+
	+	Wrong: translating program function name like get_file_attributes()\\
	+	Correct: leave program syntax or function names untranslated
	+
	+	==== Variables ====
	+
	+	Wrong: variables left out of translation\\
	+	Correct: variable in translation in the correct order for the language
	+
	+	Wrong: environment variable names (eg. EDITOR) and possible fixed values (eg. COLOR, TRANSPARENT) translated\\
	+	Correct: left in English and perhaps surrounded by single quotes to indicate that they are not in the target language on purpose.
	+
	+	==== Punctuation ====
	+
	+	Wrong: leaving out end punctuation and whitespace (eg. ''"File: "'')\\
	+	Correct: copying end punctuation and whitespace almost exactly as the original into the translation.
	+
	+	Wrong: adding missing fullstops to translated sentence\\
	+	Correct: if full sentences do not contain a fullstop in the original do not add one to the translation.
	+
	+	Wrong: adding exclamation marks (!) to the translation when they occur in the original\\
	+	Correct: use exclamation marks to correspond with the tone of the application and the convention of the translated language. Ie you may leave them out of the translation.
	+
	+	Wrong: leaving out ellipses (...)\\
	+	Correct: always add ellipses to the translation
	+
	+	==== Accelerators ====
	+
	+	Wrong: leaving out accelerators (either _&~ depending on the application)\\
	+	Correct: if the original has an accelerator so should the translation
	+
	+	Wrong: placing the accelerator exactly in the same position as the original\\
	+	Correct: place the accelerator on the word / syllable / part of the sentence
	+	that is accented in its pronunciation or is the focus of the sentence.
	+
	+	Wrong: using the same letter for accelerator keys\\
	+	Correct: try to vary the letters chosen as the accelerator key (in some
	+	languages almost all words start with U or I. In this case make an effort to
	+	choose other letters)
	+
	+	==== HTML ====
	+
	+	Wrong: HTML tags are translated\\
	+	Correct: HTML tags are not translated
	+
	+	Wrong: translatable HTML entities are not translated\\
	+	Correct: translate items that will be viewable. Eg HTML img tag's alt entity <img alt="translate me">, a tag's title
	+	entity <a href=blah title="translate me">.

guide:translation:creating_new_words

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 21:42:43 +0000

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	acronym is to most people disasociated with the actual words that make up		acronym is to most people disasociated with the actual words that make up
	the acronym. Some languages do choose to define		the acronym. Some languages do choose to define
		+
	the expanded acronyms in their language but keep the original English acronym. Finally some		the expanded acronyms in their language but keep the original English acronym. Finally some
	languages have translations of these acronyms, use them if you feel that		languages have translations of these acronyms, use them if you feel that
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	aware of http may cause some people to battle with accessing the internet.		aware of http may cause some people to battle with accessing the internet.

		+	===== Notes =====
		+
		+	The following email reply from Chusslove Illich (caslav ilic at gmx net) gives some
		+	more pointers when creating new words.
		+
		+	<code>
		+	> [: Dwayne Bailey :]
		+	> But don't be too paranoid as even if they're not the best word they
		+	> are merely place holders for ideas. People will learn what these
		+	> ideas are.
		+
		+	I think this is very important point. Often, translators try to think of
		+	translation which is "intuitively understood", "friendly to the
		+	beginners", etc. In my opinion, these considerations are almost
		+	counter-productive, as then one easily ends up with translations which are
		+	of questionable usability -- not determining original idea uniquely enough
		+	or simply too long.
		+
		+	An example of this from my language would be "formal translation" (ie.
		+	currently used in translation of Windows, KDE and Gnome) of "driver",
		+	which if translated back to English is "management program". It is both
		+	ambiguous (eg. "printer management program" is most certainly not "printer
		+	driver") and way too long.
		+
		+	I think it is better to, whenever possible, draw ideas and associations
		+	from the fields you know to work: English language itself, other
		+	languages with long tradition in science, older branches of science in own
		+	native language.
		+
		+	Again, in the example of "driver" in my language, there actually exists an
		+	excellent (IMO, of course) translation, and that is the literal one (of
		+	"driver" in "cattle driver", not in "bus driver"); it is very short (2
		+	syllables, 5 letters only), already used in my language in eg. mechanical
		+	engineering, used in many European languages (eg. German "der Treiber"),
		+	and keeps the same association as in English (it "drives" the device).
		+
		+	> You might want to involve some linguists in the translation as they
		+	> will be better equipped to select and adapt words.
		+
		+	This would also be a great advantage. Whenever you want to use
		+	transcription of English word, or coin a new native word, linguist can
		+	tell you whether it fits well into spelling and pronunciation rules of
		+	your language.
		+
		+	Also, he can signal whether a coined word is following the language
		+	tradition (ie. will not sound too unnatural to the speakers) or not. Eg. in
		+	my language it is not traditional to make double-noun or noun-verb
		+	composite words, but there is a large set of usual prefixoids/suffixoids
		+	that can be used.
		+	</code>

guide:translation:equations

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 08:57:37 +0000

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	+	====== Translating Equations ======
	+
	+	These are not equations in the mathematical sense but here we refer to items in the
	+	translation that have an equals sign.
	+
	+	^ English \| Form contains enctype=%S, but does not contain method=post. Submitting normally with method=GET and no enctype instead. \|
	+	^ Afrikaans \| Vorm bevat enctype=%S, maar bevat nie method=post nie. Dien soos gewoonlik in met method=GET en sonder enctype in plaas daarvan. \|
	+
	+	Usually these equations refer to real values that appear in a programs configuration
	+	file or they refer to items that would appear in the header of some protocol or
	+	email message. Therefor in the example above neither method=, enctype=. POST nor
	+	GET would be translated.
	+
	+	Lets say that again. The computer will understand method=POST but will know
	+	nothing about your translation "metode=POS". Also a user trying to get to the
	+	bottom of an email problem or to find a value in a configuration file will find
	+	method=POST they will not find "metode=POS".
	+
	+	However, it may be acceptable to offer a translation of the values to a user in
	+	brackets if you believe this will add clarity.
	+
	+	===== When should I translate the right hand side of an equation? =====
	+
	+	This will be on a case by case basis. In the example above you would not
	+	translate the right hand side (RHS) as it is a variable value. However if the following was
	+	presented.
	+
	+	Description=A program for highlighting widgets
	+
	+	then you would translate the RHS as is is clearly language specific text. You would not translate the LHS
	+	no matter how tempting.
	+
	+	===== KDE .desktop files =====
	+
	+	Another special case of translating the RHS are the translation of KDE .desktop
	+	files. These contain only equation like entries. They all start with "Word="
	+	where word is usually one of "Name, Description,Keyword, etc". As above do not
	+	translate the LHS but do translate the RHS.

guide:translation:escaping

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:28:21 +0000

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	* Move the placement of escapes if they are being used to balance sentences		* Move the placement of escapes if they are being used to balance sentences
	* Make sure you have exactly the same number of escapes as in the original		* Make sure you have exactly the same number of escapes as in the original
-	* Drop \" or \' escapes if your language does not use the "double" or 'single' quote method of emphasis that English uses. Be aware that the //doublequote// and //singlequote// tests of [[toolkit:pofilter]] will no longer be useful.	+	* Drop \" or \' escapes if your language does not use the "double" or 'single' quote method of emphasis that English uses. Be aware that the //doublequote// and //singlequote// tests of [[toolkit:pofilter]] might still complain. Let us know to try to take your language's rules into account.
	* Place " or ' around the same concept as the English i.e. around the same word or words that the English had surrounded.		* Place " or ' around the same concept as the English i.e. around the same word or words that the English had surrounded.

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	* Change the escape in any way. Do not use /n instead of \n just because you can't find \ on your keyboard		* Change the escape in any way. Do not use /n instead of \n just because you can't find \ on your keyboard
	* Confuse sentences like this "File \ Open \ New" as an escape. If they are not in the above list then they are most likely not escape characters.		* Confuse sentences like this "File \ Open \ New" as an escape. If they are not in the above list then they are most likely not escape characters.
-	* Add or delete spaces around the escape. If its there keep it, if not don't add it.	+	* Add or delete spaces around the escape. If it's there, keep it. If not, don't add it.

guide:translation:html

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 11:53:01 +0000

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	====== Translating HTML ======		====== Translating HTML ======

-	HTML or web page markup language often occurs in GUI translations. You will	+	HTML is used to design web pages but it often occurs in GUI translations. You will
-	also see XML - which looks very much like HTML. Should you translate this?	+	also see XML - which looks very much like HTML. This guides explains which parts of
-	Well that depends.	+	HTML you can safly translate and which you should leave unchanged.


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	a hyperlink or just a piece of text to display in bold:		a hyperlink or just a piece of text to display in bold:

-	- <h1>A heading</h1>	+	* <h1>A heading</h1>
-	- <p>A paragraph</p>	+	* <p>A paragraph</p>
-	- <a href=bob.html>A hyperlink</a>	+	* <a href=bob.html>A hyperlink</a>
-	- This is normal and <b>this is bold</b>	+	* This is normal and <b>this is bold</b>

	Some markers just beg to be translated. Such as these:		Some markers just beg to be translated. Such as these:
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	There are only a few values that can be translated:		There are only a few values that can be translated:
-	alt - found in the img tag and used to give a textual description of the picture
-	that will be loaded.
-	title - a text title that pops up when you hover over a URL

		+	\| alt \| found in the img (image) tag and used to give a textual description of the picture that will be loaded. This is essential for people with disabilities \|
		+	\| title \| a text title that pops up when you hover over a URL, exactly like a tooltip \|
		+
		+	FIXME are there others?

	===== Should I change hyperlinks and images? =====		===== Should I change hyperlinks and images? =====
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	so that it will be shown with your translations. What usually happens is that images		so that it will be shown with your translations. What usually happens is that images
	are first sought in the language specific directory and if they are not found		are first sought in the language specific directory and if they are not found
-	then they use the English version	+	then they use the English version.

	===== Tags that should be translated =====		===== Tags that should be translated =====
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	uppercase then it in more likely that it is a valid Tag. if it combines case most		uppercase then it in more likely that it is a valid Tag. if it combines case most
	likely it is not. If it contains any attribute such as <font color=blue> it is		likely it is not. If it contains any attribute such as <font color=blue> it is
-	definitely a tag.	+	definitely a tag. And lastly if its the only text in the message eg "<None>" then it
		+	is most probably not a tag.

guide:translation:paths_urls

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 07:47:10 +0000

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	In translatable messages you will find real paths and URLs but you will		In translatable messages you will find real paths and URLs but you will
-	also find instances where the author is giving the user an example. The rule is	+	also find instances where the author is giving the user an example.
-	that you do not translate real paths but you do translate examples.	+
		+	===== Simple Policy =====
		+
		+	Want a simple policy on what to do with URLs (example or real)?
		+
		+	Do not translate ANY paths, URLs or URIs

	===== System directories =====		===== System directories =====
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	\| .com \| top level doamns are also not translatable \|		\| .com \| top level doamns are also not translatable \|
	\| .html \| is a file extension and therefore not translated \|		\| .html \| is a file extension and therefore not translated \|
-

guide:translation:plurals

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:56:33 +0000

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	====== Plurals ======		====== Plurals ======

-	Believe it or not some langauges have more than one plural form. This fact does come as a surprise to many, especially programmers.	+	Believe it or not some languages have more than one plural form. This fact does come as a surprise to many, especially programmers.

	There are two aspects to plurals that you need to be aware of:		There are two aspects to plurals that you need to be aware of:
-	- Those ebedded in existing string eg. "file(s)"	+	- Those embedded in existing string eg. "file(s)"
	- Properly defined plurals forms		- Properly defined plurals forms

	===== Plurals embedded in strings =====		===== Plurals embedded in strings =====

-	English adds s to the end of most words to form a plural. Thus you will see many instances where a programmer has simply add (s) to the word to indicate that it can be both simgular and plural. Here is an example in Tsonga, in this case plurals add/change text at the beginning of the word, not the end. This often simply looks ugly.	+	English adds s to the end of most words to form a plural. Thus you will see many instances where a programmer has simply add (s) to the word to indicate that it can be both singular and plural. Here is an example in Tsonga, in this case plurals add/change text at the beginning of the word, not the end. This often simply looks ugly.

	"Show/Hide Axis Description(s)"		"Show/Hide Axis Description(s)"
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	Here are the options available to you to deal with these type of plurals:		Here are the options available to you to deal with these type of plurals:
	- Use a similar construct if it works in your language		- Use a similar construct if it works in your language
-	- Abandon the singular and use only the plural form. This is what is done in Xhosa where a singular/plural form often involves prefixes so you end up with "(i)ifalyile" or worse. So you simply use the plural "iifayile"	+	- Abandon the singular and use only the plural form. This is what is done in Xhosa where a singular/plural form often involves prefixes so you end up with "(i)ifayile" or worse. So you simply use the plural "iifayile"
	- Report the error to the programmer. Only use this option if this is the case for a valid plural ie the translator has used some kind of variable eg "%n file(s)" or two strings follow each other "%n file", "%n files"		- Report the error to the programmer. Only use this option if this is the case for a valid plural ie the translator has used some kind of variable eg "%n file(s)" or two strings follow each other "%n file", "%n files"

	===== Properly defined plural forms =====		===== Properly defined plural forms =====

-	Program do have the ability handle plurals correctly. There are two ways in which plurals are defined the Gettext method and the KDE method. When the application runs it will determine which plural form to use based on the number that is being displayed. So in English it would display:	+	Program do have the ability handle plurals correctly. This is usually achieved by using the Gettext library or some similar method. When the application runs it will determine which plural form to use based on the number that is being displayed. So in English it would display:

	* 0 files		* 0 files
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	* 2 files		* 2 files
	* 3 files		* 3 files
-	* etc	+	* etc.

	==== Gettext plurals ====		==== Gettext plurals ====
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	Gettext uses the "Plural-Forms" header in the PO file to define:		Gettext uses the "Plural-Forms" header in the PO file to define:
	* ''nplural'' --- the number of plural forms.		* ''nplural'' --- the number of plural forms.
-	* ''plural'' --- an expression which when evaluated determines which form is appropraite for that number. If a definition does not exist for your language then you will need to create one or get someone to help you.	+	* ''plural'' --- an expression which when evaluated determines which form is appropriate for that number. If a definition does not exist for your language then you will need to create one or get someone to help you.

	Once this is defined then your PO editing tool will display the correct number of fields for you to enter the plural forms.		Once this is defined then your PO editing tool will display the correct number of fields for you to enter the plural forms.

-	To find out how to define these entries, see [[http://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_chapter/gettext_10.html#SEC150\|Plural forms (gettext manual)]]	+	A list with these settings in some languages is available [[l10n:pluralforms\|here]]. To find out how to define these entries, see [[http://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_chapter/gettext_10.html#SEC150\|Plural forms (gettext manual)]]
-	==== KDE plurals ====	+
		+	==== Historical KDE plurals ====

	<note>		<note>
-	KDE now uses standard gettext plurals. This section is just for historical reference.	+	KDE now uses standard Gettext plurals. This section is just for historical reference.
	</note>		</note>

guide:translation:problem_words

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 12:14:48 +0000

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	You can use [[toolkit:pocompendium]] -v to see if you have used the same word for various		You can use [[toolkit:pocompendium]] -v to see if you have used the same word for various
	English words.		English words.
-

	===== In and Out of your computer and programs =====		===== In and Out of your computer and programs =====
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	^ Word ^ Meaning ^		^ Word ^ Meaning ^
		+	\| Off \| Swith an option off (like switching off a light switch) \|
	\| Close \| Usually closing the Window of an application but not closing the application itself (close a window) \|		\| Close \| Usually closing the Window of an application but not closing the application itself (close a window) \|
	\| Quit/Exit \| Close the application (exit from the stage) \|		\| Quit/Exit \| Close the application (exit from the stage) \|

guide:translation:program_names

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 07:52:11 +0000

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	There are a few approaches you can follow to make untranslated program names accesible		There are a few approaches you can follow to make untranslated program names accesible
	to non-English speakers.		to non-English speakers.
		+
		+	===== Simple Policy =====
		+
		+	Need a simple policy on program names?
		+
		+	Do not translate program names

	===== Pros and Cons of Translating Program Names=====		===== Pros and Cons of Translating Program Names=====
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	- Translated_Program (English_Original)		- Translated_Program (English_Original)
	- English_Original (Translate/Transliteration).		- English_Original (Translate/Transliteration).
-
-

guide:translation:program_syntax

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 08:01:40 +0000

	current
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	+	====== Program syntax and Spreadsheet functions ======

	+	Often you will find examples of program languages (syntax) or spreadsheet functions in your translations.
	+
	+	===== Simple Policy =====
	+
	+	Need a simple policy on what to translate?
	+
	+	Never translate function names, spreadsheet functions or program syntax
	+
	+	===== What does this look like? =====
	+
	+	* Functions: not(), getLastAuthor(), sheet.Count()
	+	* Spreadsheet Functions: SUM, AVERAGE, DDIST
	+	* Syntax: FIXME examples? NULL
	+	* SQL: INSERT, SELECT, WHERE, NOT
	+
	+	===== Why to translate or no translate =====
	+
	+	Program languages are in themselves their own language. So think of it as another language that is untranslatable. For instance when programming in Java using a Chinese programming tool you will still write in the English looking Java language.
	+
	+	The same applies to spreadsheets. However, in some countries they have had versions of software that are in deed translated. So the common functions, SUM, COUNT, etc are translated. It is probably best that you do not translate them unless they are in common usage. Remember that when someone uses your software in their languages and want to type SUM to add a column of figures and you have translate this, then they will need to knwo the translated function name. Could be very problematic if they already now the English version. So think of Spreadsheet functions as they same as a programming language.

guide:translation:punctuation

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:34:07 +0000

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	====== Punctuation ======		====== Punctuation ======

-	Punctuation is used to indicate various things in program menus eg.:	+	Punctuation is used to indicate various things in program menus e.g.:

-	* Elipses (...) --- a dialogue box will appear for further input eg "Save As..."	+	* Ellipses (...) --- a dialogue box will appear for further input e.g. "Save As..."
-	* Colon (:) --- usually in a list of entry fields eg "Name: "	+	* Colon (:) --- usually in a list of entry fields e.g. "Name: "

	And sometimes it is simply there for style.		And sometimes it is simply there for style.
Line 12:		Line 12:
	Want a simple answer to punctuation?		Want a simple answer to punctuation?

-	**Follow the English punctuation exactly**	+	If your language uses similar punctuation symbols to English, **follow the English punctuation exactly**

	===== Specific Punctuation Issues =====		===== Specific Punctuation Issues =====

-	==== Elipses (...) ====	+	==== Ellipses (...) ====

-	Elipses are usually used to indicate that a dialogue box will appear and the user will be required to give further input. Compare the menu entries Save with Save As.... You'll notice that 'Save' has no elipse, the computer will immediately save the current file and needs no further input from the user. While 'Save As...' has an elipse indicating that the user will be presented with a dialogue box, this time the Save dialgue box so that they can supply a new filename.	+	Ellipses are usually used to indicate that a dialogue box will appear and the user will be required to give further input. Compare the menu entries Save with Save As.... You'll notice that 'Save' has no ellipse, the computer will immediately save the current file and needs no further input from the user. While 'Save As...' has an ellipse indicating that the user will be presented with a dialogue box, this time the Save dialogue box so that they can supply a new filename.

-	Make sure that you include all elipses in your translation. You might find that a programmer has used 2 or 4 dots instead of 3: use 3 dots in your translation and report the error.	+	Make sure that you include all ellipses in your translation. You might find that a programmer has used 2 or 4 dots instead of 3: use 3 dots in your translation and report the error to the programmers.

	.. -> ...\\		.. -> ...\\
	.... -> ...		.... -> ...

-	The elipse always occurs at the end of the sentence to indicate continuation. Even if you need to change the word order for your language make sure that the elipses occurs at the end of the sentence.	+	The ellipse always occurs at the end of a message to indicate continuation. Even if you need to change the word order for your language make sure that the ellipses occurs at the end of the sentence.

	Blah blee... -> Flee... flah is WRONG\\		Blah blee... -> Flee... flah is WRONG\\
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	==== Fullstops (.) ====		==== Fullstops (.) ====

-	We all learnt that sentences should always end in a fullstop. However, when translating add a fullstop only if one appears in the English. If you do not see a fullstop then do not add one. The reason for this is simply style, there is a most probably a reason why the fullstops have been left out, it looks better. If during testing you notice that it doesn't work or that there should be a fullstop then correct appropraitely and report the bug. But in the first translations simply follow the English.	+	We all learnt that sentences should always end in a fullstop. However, when translating add a fullstop only if one appears in the English. If you do not see a fullstop then do not add one. The reason for this is simply style, there is a most probably a reason why the fullstops have been left out, it looks better. If during testing you notice that it doesn't work or that there should be a fullstop then correct appropriately and report the bug. But in the first translations simply follow the English.

	==== Colons (:) ====		==== Colons (:) ====
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	===== French Style =====		===== French Style =====

-	It seems to be tradition that the Frenach place a space before ? and ! at the end of a sentence eg.:	+	It seems to be tradition that the French and Vietnamese place a space between a word and :;!# e.g.:

	You will delete all your files !		You will delete all your files !
-	Are you sure ?	+	Name :

-	You do not need to follow this style, please change it to the accepted punctuation style in your language.	+	French also uses a space before ? - a question mark. Most languages do not follow this style, so be sure to use the accepted punctuation style in your language.

	One exception is when the last word is a variable:		One exception is when the last word is a variable:
Line 55:		Line 55:
	Are you sure you want to access http://example.com ?		Are you sure you want to access http://example.com ?

-	In this case it is good that the question mark is seperate as it ensures that you do not think that the question mark is part of the URL or file name filled into the variable during runtime.	+	In this case it is good that the question mark is separate as it ensures that you do not think that the question mark is part of the URL or file name filled into the variable during runtime.
		+
		+	===== Full-width punctuation =====
		+	Some languages, notably Chinese and Japanese, sometimes use full-width punctuation marks instead of the ones normally used for other languages. It is also common to not use spaces after such symbols, since the full-width punctuation is usually displayed to be properly spaced. The following table shows some possible examples where the punctuation is changed, and the space is removed after the punctuation mark. The way it displays could be influenced by the fonts used to display this.
		+
		+	^ English ^ Full width ^
		+	\| word. word \| 词语。词语 \|
		+	\| word; word \| 词语；词语 \|
		+	\| word: word \| 词语：词语 \|
		+	\| word! word \| 词语！词语 \|
		+	\| word? word \| 词语？词语 \|

	===== Checking =====		===== Checking =====
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	pofilter -t startpunc -t endpunc <input> <output>		pofilter -t startpunc -t endpunc <input> <output>

-	Other usefull tests are:	+	Other useful tests are:

	brackets		brackets
	startwhitespace		startwhitespace
	endwhitespace		endwhitespace

guide:translation:variables

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:16:35 +0000

1199268427		current
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	===== Changing the order of variables =====		===== Changing the order of variables =====

-	Your language might be one that has a different sentence structure or order to that of English.	+	Your language might be one that has a different sentence structure or order to that of English. In this case feel free to change the order of the variables. However in your translation you will need to tell the computer what new order you have used. You can do that by numbering the variables:
-	In this case feel free to change the order of the variables. However in your translation you	+
-	will need to tell the computer what new order you have used. We do that by numbering the variables:	+

-	Xxxxx %2s xxx xxxx %1s	+	Xxxxx %2$s xxx xxxx %1$s

-	This will reorder the variables placing the second $s before the first.	+	This will reorder the variables placing the second %s before the first.

-	Please note that not all translated applications will support this feature. Almost all GNU Gettext	+	Please note that not all translated applications will support this feature. Almost all GNU Gettext based programs will allow you to do this. Others may not, so please check.
-	based programs will allow you to do this. Others may not so please check.	+

	===== Leaving out a variable =====		===== Leaving out a variable =====

	current
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	+	====== Common Translation Errors ======
	+
	+	Translators - even professional translators - usually make these error when
	+	translating computer software.
	+
	+	===== Overview of common errors =====
	+
	+	==== Capitalisation ====
	+
	+	Wrong: no capitalisation in translation\\
	+	Correct: translation follows translation language capitalisation convention
	+
	+	==== Double words ====
	+
	+	//Translator could not decide which word was more appropriate//
	+
	+	Wrong: two translated words for one original word\\
	+	Correct: choose one word if you have two options
	+
	+	==== Translated things that should stay in English ====
	+
	+	Wrong: translating program function name like get_file_attributes()\\
	+	Correct: leave program syntax or function names untranslated
	+
	+	==== Variables ====
	+
	+	Wrong: variables left out of translation\\
	+	Correct: variable in translation in the correct order for the language
	+
	+	Wrong: environment variable names (eg. EDITOR) and possible fixed values (eg. COLOR, TRANSPARENT) translated\\
	+	Correct: left in English and perhaps surrounded by single quotes to indicate that they are not in the target language on purpose.
	+
	+	==== Punctuation ====
	+
	+	Wrong: leaving out end punctuation and whitespace (eg. ''"File: "'')\\
	+	Correct: copying end punctuation and whitespace almost exactly as the original into the translation.
	+
	+	Wrong: adding missing fullstops to translated sentence\\
	+	Correct: if full sentences do not contain a fullstop in the original do not add one to the translation.
	+
	+	Wrong: adding exclamation marks (!) to the translation when they occur in the original\\
	+	Correct: use exclamation marks to correspond with the tone of the application and the convention of the translated language. Ie you may leave them out of the translation.
	+
	+	Wrong: leaving out ellipses (...)\\
	+	Correct: always add ellipses to the translation
	+
	+	==== Accelerators ====
	+
	+	Wrong: leaving out accelerators (either _&~ depending on the application)\\
	+	Correct: if the original has an accelerator so should the translation
	+
	+	Wrong: placing the accelerator exactly in the same position as the original\\
	+	Correct: place the accelerator on the word / syllable / part of the sentence
	+	that is accented in its pronunciation or is the focus of the sentence.
	+
	+	Wrong: using the same letter for accelerator keys\\
	+	Correct: try to vary the letters chosen as the accelerator key (in some
	+	languages almost all words start with U or I. In this case make an effort to
	+	choose other letters)
	+
	+	==== HTML ====
	+
	+	Wrong: HTML tags are translated\\
	+	Correct: HTML tags are not translated
	+
	+	Wrong: translatable HTML entities are not translated\\
	+	Correct: translate items that will be viewable. Eg HTML img tag's alt entity <img alt="translate me">, a tag's title
	+	entity <a href=blah title="translate me">.