Hello, here is a patch I've just written to this page, but I would like to have your agreement before to commit. Should I make a new page for that ? If yes, where ?
Bye, Mt.
Index: index.wml =================================================================== RCS file: /cvs/webwml/webwml/english/international/index.wml,v retrieving revision 1.26 diff -u -r1.26 index.wml --- index.wml 2000/09/08 13:07:56 1.26 +++ index.wml 2001/01/26 09:55:32 @@ -19,6 +19,129 @@ page that explains <A href="../intro/cn">how to set up the preferred language for your browser</A>. +<H2>The program messages</h2> + +<p>A lot of program packaged in Debian use a way to translate the messages +displayed to the user. A program has this ability when the source are +modified use catalogs of translations for its messages (this modification +is a part of the internationalization process). It is said localized to a +given language when this catalogs have been translated to this +language. The most often used system of message catalogs is based on the +<a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/gettext.html";>gnu gettext +library</a>. + +<p>Making Debian more and more international require to keep theses +catalogs up to date. But Debian is not alone in the world, and most of the +programm packaged in Debian are developped by other individual, or other +groups. And some of them have their own team of translators. In this case, +it is really important to coordinate our effort with them, and avoid to +translate the same thing several time. That's why you should check twice +that the material you plan to translate is not already translated +elsewhere. For that, here is a list of other teams pages to visit before +working : + +<ul> + <li>The <a href="http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/contrib/po/HTML/";>GNU +Translation Project</a>. + <li>The <a href="http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gtp/";>GNOME +Translation Project</a>. + <li>The <a href="http://i18n.kde.org/";>KDE Translation Project</a>. + <li>The <a href="http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/l10n.php3";>Mandrake-soft +page about internationalisation</a>. + <li>The <a href="http://www.linuxi18n.org/";>Linux i18n Project</a>. + <li>The <a href="http://www.li18nux.org/";>Li18nux group</a>. +</ul> + +<p>If the program you plan to translate is big enough, there is also good +chances that the translating effort of this programm have its own page on +the net. For example, for Mozilla, check +<a href="http://www.mozilla.org/docs/refList/i18n/";>this page</a>. + +<p>Finally, contact the Debian mailling list about your language before to +work, and look for bugs reports against this package containing the +translation. + +<p>After you've maid sure no one else is working on the same po file, you +should get this file. For that, you can download and unpack manually the +sources of the package, or directly get it from the <a href="l10n">Debian +Translation Center</a>. + +<p>Once you've got the po file, translate it. There is a +<a href="http://i18n.kde.org/translation-howto/index.html";>good HOWTO</a> +on the kde web site about this point, and of course, the +<a href="http://www.gnu.org/manual/gettext/index.html";>gettext manual</a> +is quite useful too. + +<p>The step after the translation is to check the correctness of the +file. You can use a spell checker like ispell, but this is not +enough. Ispell can't check grammatical errors, and I know no free software +to do that. You'll have to seek for human reviewers. You must also check +the structure of the po file. For that, simply run <tt>msgfmt --check +--verbose --statistics -o /dev/null</tt> and correct all reported errors. + +<p>Then, you should give back your work. If the translated program has its +own translation project, please see with them. If not, you should submit a +bug report (marked patch) against the Debian package. For that, send a mail +to <tt>[EMAIL PROTECTED]</tt>. Choose a nice subject (like 'german po +file [patch]') and write in the first line of the mail body : + +<pre> +Package: PACKAGENAME +Version: THE VERSION +</pre> + +<p>(of course, you should remplace the uppercase word with the good +value). The rest of the mail should contain the translated file. Send it, +that's it. You've translated a po file and gived it back. Thanks ! + +<h2>The debconf templates</h2> + +<p>Debconf, the Debian package configuration system, is used by maintainer +to ask configuration questions to user. Theses questions can (and should) +be translated too. + +<p>Coordinating the efforts is easier than for po files, because only the +Debian project use them. You can get them from the <a href="l10n">Debian +Translation Center</a> too. Giving them back follows the same procedure +(through bug repports). But translating them is a bit special. Here are +the instructions given in the file README.translators from the debconf +package : + +<quote> +<p>The [file] you should translate is debian/templates, generating a +debian/templates.<lang> file. This is specific to debconf. To +generate a skeleton debian/templates.<lang> file, you can simply run: + +<p><tt>debconf-getlang <lang> debian/templates > debian/templates.<lang></tt> + +<p>Then edit the generated file, and fill in translations for all the empty +lines. When I change the main templates file, you can merge in my changes +via the debconf-mergetemplate command: + +<p><tt>debconf-mergetemplate debian/templates debian/templates.<lang> > new</tt> + +<p>Then edit the new file. There is not currently a really easy way to see +what parts have changed and need their translations updated, but you +can always use diff. +</quote> + +<p>Last word about the syntax of templates: The first <tt>Description-line</tt> is like a headline. You're not allowed to continue the first line on others. For example, the next template is wrong: +<pre> +Template: autolog/note +Type: note +Description: Autolog daemon will start logging out users if it wants to, + but it's not sure. Will see if it's nice today. + The autolog daemon will be activated now and will log users out + after two hours of idle time. If you do not want this then either uninstall + autolog or customize /etc/autolog.conf and /etc/rc.d/autolog according to + your needs. +</pre> + +<p>The short description goes on two lines, but debconf will only use the +first line a short description, and the rest as long. Furthermore, don't +make the short description too long! (the specs put the limit to "50 +characters or so"). + <H2>Adding support for a new language</H2> <P>Debian is run completely by volunteers. If we don't currently support
