[Sugar-devel] Attention all developers

[Chris Leonard]

Dear Sugar Developers,

Below is a message I sent out to the localizers.  Developers can improve
their i18n process by checking upstream to see if there is a string that can
be reused (in context).  Even slight changes in phrasing to match the
upstream can be a big help.

1) Developers can enhance i18n by re-using upstream strings (where
feasible), helping our localizers find pre-localized strings.

2)  In the Sugar UI this produces a long-term (very subtle) vocational
training effect, the kids will "just get it" when moving to other FOSS apps
/ OSes.  "Oh, I know what that menu option does. . . "

We've all experienced this "training".  When you try a new application,
you've got a pretty good idea what you will find on the "Edit" menu before
you even look.  However if it said "Change" or "Modify" or "Alteration",
you'd have to spend extra time sorting it out.  Please give our users the
benefit of seeking to maintain consistency across FOSS applications where it
is possible.  At the same time, this can give our localizers a chance to
just copy the simple strings from upstream and focus on the more complex
ones or on doing other PO files.

3) For languages that we have, but upsteam doesn't, we can potentially
create an upstream flow of pre-localized strings feeding into the broader
FOSS ecosystem, creating opportunities for native language use in "grown-up"
tools.

All in all, this a virtuous cycle, and all it requires is a little extra
effort to check your strings for general consistency with the wider FOSS
world, something you probably do unconsciously, but a conscious effort will
add to the benefits.

Warmest Regards,

cjl


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Chris Leonard <cjlhomeaddress at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 11:20 AM
Subject: Attention all localizers
To: OLPC Localization list <localization at lists.laptop.org>


There may be an excellent opportunity to rapidly pick up some good
suggestions for your languages project's strings.

http://open-tran.eu/

If your language is listed here:

http://open-tran.eu/languages.html

you can rapidly search these upstream projects:

http://open-tran.eu/projects.html

to see of there is an identical or closely matching string already
translated upstream.  This works quite well for a lot of the shorter strings
and even for some of the very "technical" computer-ese ones, but obviously
longer strings that are specific to Sugar will not be matched upstream.
This is a translation memory of upstream localized strings, not a machine
translation.

If you open two browser windows, one open to Poolte and one showing
open-trans.eu, you can fairly quickly copy/paste a largish number of entries
to look for suggestions in a relatively quick timeframe.  This sort of
analysis can also be done to see of our strings are translated in a similar
way to those upstream.  As the Open-trans motto says "Consistency matters".

Warmest Regards,

cjl
Sugar Labs Translation Team Coordinator
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