Master Universitario en Software LibreCurso Academico 2011/2012

Translations in Libre SoftwareProyecto fin de Master

Autora: Laura Arjona ReinaTutor: Dr. Gregorio Robles

Thanks!

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Goals and Objectives

Goals

Overview of the localization process

Encourage involvement

Objectives

Explain the localization process

Analyze benefits and counterparts

Case studies: projects and tools

Personal experiences

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Introduction

i18n, l10n, translations

Internationalization (i18n): make a software “localizable”Localization (l10n): Adapt it to a certain language (locale)Translation: Adapt the text

FLOSS: free, libre, open source software

Use, change, redistribute, redistribute your changesIf it’s free software, YOU can translate it!Open development model = new scenarios

Free cultural works, Creative Commons

Non-code parts as free cultural works (e.g. wiki help)Side-products of localization (e.g. glossaries)

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The localization workflow

Internationalize, Localize

Maintenance, Quality Assurance

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Internationalization

Objects to be localized

KDE: applications, documentationDebian: installer, documentation, web, wiki, specific packagesPleft: server strings, marketing material

Conventions

File formats: plain text files, PO (Gettext), XLIFF (OAXAL)Internationalization guides, i18n + l10n mailing lists

Tools and platforms

GNU GettextKDE scripts to generate POTs, GNOME Damned liesWeb l10n platforms implementing some i18n tasks

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Localization

Standalone translation tools

Poedit, Gtranslator, Lokalize, Virtaal

Translation web platforms

Pootle, Launchpad, Transifex, Weblate

Other approaches

Editor add-onsProjects with built-in l10n tools: Drupal, Wordpress plugins

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Benefits, problems

Benefits

Extra features, increase market, recruitmentBusiness opportunities (professional translators, web platforms)Social benefits: reduce the digital gap, minority languages, freecultural works

Problems

Design challenges, i18n aspects not covered by existent toolsCoordination challenge: developers against translatorsCrowdsourcing and QA, work overload

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Take away

i18n, l10n is a process

Tools, guides, people

Worth to take in accountfrom the beginning

Free software makes itpossible and easy

Tradition and new trends

Well stablished tools andformats

New tools integrating newstandards

Living in the borderline

Advantages

More competitive

Recruitment (sustainability)

Social, economic benefits

Good starting point

For improving i18n, l10n

For studying about it

For getting involved

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Master Universitario en Software LibreCurso Academico 2011/2012

Translations in Libre SoftwareProyecto fin de Master

Autora: Laura Arjona ReinaTutor: Dr. Gregorio Robles

Thanks!11 / 14 Laura Arjona Reina Translations in Libre Software

Bonus track 1: The GSoC flyers translation

Wiki page + ODT template + 1 person in charge

http://code.google.com/p/google-summer-of-code/

wiki/GsocFlyers2012 flyers translated to 34 languages

including: Aragonese, Breton, British English, Occitan,Swahili, Tatar

Project-specific “localizations”.

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Bonus track 2: Wikipedia

Wikipedia content is “created”, not translated.

Although translations are allowed

Wikidata project, near future improvements (i18n):

Language links in a database (reduce redundancy and errors)Infoboxes data in a database: Minority languages takeadvantage of larger editions

Wikidata: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikidata

Lydia Pintscher’s talk in LinuxTag2012:http://blip.tv/opensuse

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Bonus track 3: Translatewiki.net

Translators receiving newsletter: +5,000 (May 2012)

All translators can review translations

Translation Rallies (with prizes)

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