It is well documented how developers should create po files for i18n support in their debconf configuration questions during package install.
What about arbitrary scripts that are run from the command line and don't use debconf to store the user responses? How should they interact with whiptail and translated strings? Is there either a document explaining how to do this or any existing script that provides a good example? One use case I'm thinking of is the live CD for PGP key management discussed on debian-devel[1]. After booting, instead of showing a login prompt on tty1 it will go into a whiptail/dialog interface, like the installer and ask some questions like: Do you want to create a new master key or work with an existing one? New key Existing key Has your master key or any subkey been compromised? Yes No Maybe, I don't remember anything from last night 1. https://wiki.debian.org/OpenPGP/CleanRoomLiveEnvironment#First_time_workflow