Translation of package summaries and descriptions
Hello! I am not a packager, but a translator. Maybe my problem is already solved, but I have never heard of anything like this. If so, point me into the right direction :) My main problem is that Suse (and any other Linux distribution) cannot be fully used by person not knowing English, because package summaries and descriptions are in English. So, I would like to draw your attention to incorporating translation into process of creating and building packages. How I imagine it: 1. Translators are used to using .po (gettext-style) files. There are many tools for updating such files, translation, automated checking, etc. These files contain text to translate (in English) and corresponding translated text. 2. rpm has ability to specify translated summary and description in .spec file and tools (such as Yast package manager) can extract it from binary RPM file and show it to user. The main problem is how to update the spec file with translation (while allowing updates of summaries/descriptions and updates of translations). This is why it has to be done during creating packages (I don't know of any tool which would allow updating translation in already built RPM file, but maybe it could be created). 3. There are already tools in KDE which allow extracting text to translate from .desktop files (into .po files) and update back .desktop files with translation. I think it could be also done with .spec files (I can even volunteer to write a script to do that). So the process would be .spec -> .po -> translator updates translation -> .spec -> build package. 4. Now the main problem is creating infrastructure to do this - some kind of repository of .po files for packages which can be accessed by translators, and which will be used when building packages. 5. I also see other problems - when Yast package manager fetches information about packages from packages source, it shouldn't fetch descriptions in all languages but in one (to save bandwidth). So maybe translations should not be incorporated in RPM files but distributed separately? I am not sure my proposal is the best (putting translations in RPM files), so maybe you come up with something better :) Anyway, I would like to start the discussion on this matter as I think it is very important for average users :) Regards Krzysztof Lichota (Polish KDE translation team)
Em Qui, 2006-01-05 às 10:23 +0100, Krzysztof Lichota escreveu:
be fully used by person not knowing English, because package summaries and descriptions are in English. So, I would like to draw your attention
I totally agree!
How I imagine it:
Mandriva has an interesting way of doing it. All the spec files are available on a CVS server ( http://cvs.mandriva.com/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/SPECS/ ) from which anyone can checkout. Unfortunately I don't know how do they manage to receive and commit the translated files, not even if they do. A semi-public CVS with the spec files is a good idea for a start. Only certain authenticated users can checkout, and only those could return the translated file, by e-mail only, no commit. The spec/po/spec idea is also nice, and maybe easier to manage by the SUSE developers, since they don't have to deal with the fact that the spec file could be modified on other sections except the ones that need translation. Although it would be rather tricky to make the split/merge scripts for that, and it would still require some kind of control over future changes (cvs or svn). OTOH, SUSE developers should be the ones to indicate the path, since thy need to say how they want/can/need to manage those files in order to merge with the final specs and not create an extra step on their building process (automation). BTW, there should be "translation managers" for each language. People that would be responsible for taking care of the language and content on the resulting work.
Anyway, I would like to start the discussion on this matter as I think it is very important for average users :)
Count me in! -- % Mauricio Teixeira (netmask) % mteixeira{a}webset{d}net <> Maceio/AL/BR % TI+Telecom Analyst <> Linux Specialist % http://mteixeira.webset.net <> http://pmping.sf.net % [D0CE 6BD4 526B B7D1 6F4E 85FA A7A0 1A6F B23A A9EE]
Mauricio Teixeira napisał(a):
Em Qui, 2006-01-05 às 10:23 +0100, Krzysztof Lichota escreveu:
be fully used by person not knowing English, because package summaries and descriptions are in English. So, I would like to draw your attention
I totally agree! OTOH, SUSE developers should be the ones to indicate the path, since thy need to say how they want/can/need to manage those files in order to merge with the final specs and not create an extra step on their building process (automation).
BTW, there should be "translation managers" for each language. People that would be responsible for taking care of the language and content on the resulting work.
Anyway, I would like to start the discussion on this matter as I think it is very important for average users :)
Count me in!
Hello! Sorry for the long break. I've been in contact with one person in Suse. They have some way to update translation of package names, but it is not public. They will try to figure it out after OpenSuse 10.1 is released. If want some more details, please send me an e-mail. Regards Krzysztof Lichota
participants (2)
-
Krzysztof Lichota -
Mauricio Teixeira