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1Notes on the Free Translation Project
2*************************************
3
4 Free software is going international! The Free Translation Project
5is a way to get maintainers of free software, translators, and users all
6together, so that will gradually become able to speak many languages.
7A few packages already provide translations for their messages.
8
9 If you found this `ABOUT-NLS' file inside a distribution, you may
10assume that the distributed package does use GNU `gettext' internally,
11itself available at your nearest GNU archive site. But you do _not_
12need to install GNU `gettext' prior to configuring, installing or using
13this package with messages translated.
14
15 Installers will find here some useful hints. These notes also
16explain how users should proceed for getting the programs to use the
17available translations. They tell how people wanting to contribute and
18work at translations should contact the appropriate team.
19
20 When reporting bugs in the `intl/' directory or bugs which may be
21related to internationalization, you should tell about the version of
22`gettext' which is used. The information can be found in the
23`intl/VERSION' file, in internationalized packages.
24
25Quick configuration advice
26==========================
27
28 If you want to exploit the full power of internationalization, you
29should configure it using
30
31 ./configure --with-included-gettext
32
33to force usage of internationalizing routines provided within this
34package, despite the existence of internationalizing capabilities in the
35operating system where this package is being installed. So far, only
36the `gettext' implementation in the GNU C library version 2 provides as
37many features (such as locale alias, message inheritance, automatic
38charset conversion or plural form handling) as the implementation here.
39It is also not possible to offer this additional functionality on top
40of a `catgets' implementation. Future versions of GNU `gettext' will
41very likely convey even more functionality. So it might be a good idea
42to change to GNU `gettext' as soon as possible.
43
44 So you need _not_ provide this option if you are using GNU libc 2 or
45you have installed a recent copy of the GNU gettext package with the
46included `libintl'.
47
48INSTALL Matters
49===============
50
51 Some packages are "localizable" when properly installed; the
52programs they contain can be made to speak your own native language.
53Most such packages use GNU `gettext'. Other packages have their own
54ways to internationalization, predating GNU `gettext'.
55
56 By default, this package will be installed to allow translation of
57messages. It will automatically detect whether the system already
58provides the GNU `gettext' functions. If not, the GNU `gettext' own
59library will be used. This library is wholly contained within this
60package, usually in the `intl/' subdirectory, so prior installation of
61the GNU `gettext' package is _not_ required. Installers may use
62special options at configuration time for changing the default
63behaviour. The commands:
64
65 ./configure --with-included-gettext
66 ./configure --disable-nls
67
68will respectively bypass any pre-existing `gettext' to use the
69internationalizing routines provided within this package, or else,
70_totally_ disable translation of messages.
71
72 When you already have GNU `gettext' installed on your system and run
73configure without an option for your new package, `configure' will
74probably detect the previously built and installed `libintl.a' file and
75will decide to use this. This might be not what is desirable. You
76should use the more recent version of the GNU `gettext' library. I.e.
77if the file `intl/VERSION' shows that the library which comes with this
78package is more recent, you should use
79
80 ./configure --with-included-gettext
81
82to prevent auto-detection.
83
84 The configuration process will not test for the `catgets' function
85and therefore it will not be used. The reason is that even an
86emulation of `gettext' on top of `catgets' could not provide all the
87extensions of the GNU `gettext' library.
88
89 Internationalized packages have usually many `po/LL.po' files, where
90LL gives an ISO 639 two-letter code identifying the language. Unless
91translations have been forbidden at `configure' time by using the
92`--disable-nls' switch, all available translations are installed
93together with the package. However, the environment variable `LINGUAS'
94may be set, prior to configuration, to limit the installed set.
95`LINGUAS' should then contain a space separated list of two-letter
96codes, stating which languages are allowed.
97
98Using This Package
99==================
100
101 As a user, if your language has been installed for this package, you
102only have to set the `LANG' environment variable to the appropriate
103`LL_CC' combination. Here `LL' is an ISO 639 two-letter language code,
104and `CC' is an ISO 3166 two-letter country code. For example, let's
105suppose that you speak German and live in Germany. At the shell
106prompt, merely execute `setenv LANG de_DE' (in `csh'),
107`export LANG; LANG=de_DE' (in `sh') or `export LANG=de_DE' (in `bash').
108This can be done from your `.login' or `.profile' file, once and for
109all.
110
111 You might think that the country code specification is redundant.
112But in fact, some languages have dialects in different countries. For
113example, `de_AT' is used for Austria, and `pt_BR' for Brazil. The
114country code serves to distinguish the dialects.
115
116 Not all programs have translations for all languages. By default, an
117English message is shown in place of a nonexistent translation. If you
118understand other languages, you can set up a priority list of languages.
119This is done through a different environment variable, called
120`LANGUAGE'. GNU `gettext' gives preference to `LANGUAGE' over `LANG'
121for the purpose of message handling, but you still need to have `LANG'
122set to the primary language; this is required by other parts of the
123system libraries. For example, some Swedish users who would rather
124read translations in German than English for when Swedish is not
125available, set `LANGUAGE' to `sv:de' while leaving `LANG' to `sv_SE'.
126
127 In the `LANGUAGE' environment variable, but not in the `LANG'
128environment variable, `LL_CC' combinations can be abbreviated as `LL'
129to denote the language's main dialect. For example, `de' is equivalent
130to `de_DE' (German as spoken in Germany), and `pt' to `pt_PT'
131(Portuguese as spoken in Portugal) in this context.
132
133Translating Teams
134=================
135
136 For the Free Translation Project to be a success, we need interested
137people who like their own language and write it well, and who are also
138able to synergize with other translators speaking the same language.
139Each translation team has its own mailing list. The up-to-date list of
140teams can be found at the Free Translation Project's homepage,
141`http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/contrib/po/HTML/', in the "National teams"
142area.
143
144 If you'd like to volunteer to _work_ at translating messages, you
145should become a member of the translating team for your own language.
146The subscribing address is _not_ the same as the list itself, it has
147`-request' appended. For example, speakers of Swedish can send a
148message to `sv-request@li.org', having this message body:
149
150 subscribe
151
152 Keep in mind that team members are expected to participate
153_actively_ in translations, or at solving translational difficulties,
154rather than merely lurking around. If your team does not exist yet and
155you want to start one, or if you are unsure about what to do or how to
156get started, please write to `translation@iro.umontreal.ca' to reach the
157coordinator for all translator teams.
158
159 The English team is special. It works at improving and uniformizing
160the terminology in use. Proven linguistic skill are praised more than
161programming skill, here.
162
163Available Packages
164==================
165
166 Languages are not equally supported in all packages. The following
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167matrix shows the current state of internationalization, as of July
1682001. The matrix shows, in regard of each package, for which languages
169PO files have been submitted to translation coordination, with a
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170translation percentage of at least 50%.
171
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172 Ready PO files bg cs da de el en eo es et fi fr gl he hr id it
173 +-------------------------------------------------+
174 a2ps | [] [] |
175 bash | [] [] [] [] |
176 bfd | |
177 binutils | |
178 bison | [] [] [] [] |
179 clisp | [] [] [] [] |
180 cpio | [] [] [] [] [] |
181 diffutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
182 enscript | [] [] |
183 error | [] [] |
184 fetchmail | |
185 fileutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
186 findutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
187 flex | [] [] [] |
188 freetype | |
189 gas | |
190 gawk | [] |
191 gcal | |
192 gcc | |
193 gettext | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
194 gnupg | [] [] [] [] [] [] |
195 gprof | |
196 grep | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
197 hello | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
198 id-utils | [] [] [] |
199 indent | [] [] [] [] [] |
200 jpilot | [] |
201 kbd | |
202 ld | |
203 libc | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
204 lilypond | |
205 lynx | [] [] [] |
206 m4 | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
207 make | [] [] [] [] [] |
208 nano | [] [] |
209 opcodes | |
210 parted | [] [] |
211 ptx | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
212 python | |
213 recode | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
214 sed | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
215 sh-utils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
216 sharutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
217 soundtracker | [] |
218 sp | |
219 tar | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
220 texinfo | [] [] [] [] [] |
221 textutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
222 util-linux | [] [] |
223 wdiff | [] [] |
224 wget | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
225 +-------------------------------------------------+
226 bg cs da de el en eo es et fi fr gl he hr id it
227 0 13 23 30 11 1 8 21 13 1 29 22 3 0 8 10
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229 ja ko lv nl no pl pt pt_BR ru sk sl sv tr uk zh
230 +-------------------------------------------------+
231 a2ps | [] [] [] | 5
232 bash | | 4
233 bfd | | 0
234 binutils | | 0
235 bison | [] [] [] | 7
236 clisp | [] | 5
237 cpio | [] [] [] [] [] | 10
238 diffutils | [] [] [] | 10
239 enscript | [] [] [] | 5
240 error | [] | 3
241 fetchmail | | 0
242 fileutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 17
243 findutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 16
244 flex | [] [] [] | 6
245 freetype | | 0
246 gas | | 0
247 gawk | [] | 2
248 gcal | | 0
249 gcc | | 0
250 gettext | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 18
251 gnupg | [] [] [] [] | 10
252 gprof | | 0
253 grep | [] [] [] | 10
254 hello | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 21
255 id-utils | [] [] [] | 6
256 indent | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 12
257 jpilot | | 1
258 kbd | [] | 1
259 ld | | 0
260 libc | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 17
261 lilypond | [] [] | 2
262 lynx | [] [] [] [] [] | 8
263 m4 | [] [] [] [] [] | 12
264 make | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 12
265 nano | [] | 3
266 opcodes | | 0
267 parted | [] [] [] | 5
268 ptx | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 14
269 python | | 0
270 recode | [] [] [] [] | 13
271 sed | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 18
272 sh-utils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 20
273 sharutils | [] [] [] [] | 11
274 soundtracker | | 1
275 sp | | 0
276 tar | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 17
277 texinfo | [] [] | 7
278 textutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 15
279 util-linux | [] [] | 4
280 wdiff | [] [] [] | 5
281 wget | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 16
282 +-------------------------------------------------+
283 31 teams ja ko lv nl no pl pt pt_BR ru sk sl sv tr uk zh
284 51 domains 17 9 1 23 6 17 1 13 26 9 11 20 19 2 2 369
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285
286 Some counters in the preceding matrix are higher than the number of
287visible blocks let us expect. This is because a few extra PO files are
288used for implementing regional variants of languages, or language
289dialects.
290
291 For a PO file in the matrix above to be effective, the package to
292which it applies should also have been internationalized and
293distributed as such by its maintainer. There might be an observable
294lag between the mere existence a PO file and its wide availability in a
295distribution.
296
459dd1a6 297 If July 2001 seems to be old, you may fetch a more recent copy of
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298this `ABOUT-NLS' file on most GNU archive sites. The most up-to-date
299matrix with full percentage details can be found at
300`http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/contrib/po/HTML/matrix.html'.
301
302Using `gettext' in new packages
303===============================
304
305 If you are writing a freely available program and want to
306internationalize it you are welcome to use GNU `gettext' in your
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307package. Of course the GNU General Public License applies to your
308sources from then on if you include `gettext' directly in your
309distribution but since you are writing free software anyway this is no
310restriction.
311
312 Once the sources are changed appropriately and the setup can handle
313to use of `gettext' the only thing missing are the translations. The
314Free Translation Project is also available for packages which are not
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315developed inside the GNU project. Therefore the information given above
316applies also for every other Free Software Project. Contact
317`translation@iro.umontreal.ca' to make the `.pot' files available to
318the translation teams.
319