# A few questions about translating PO file I have a few questions about translating PO file: 1. Assume I copied `ikiwiki.pot` file to `pl.po` file and translated it from English to Polish. How can I check that my `pl.po` file works good? I have some experience with building Debian packages, but I don't know too much about working with PO files in Debian packages. > Try putting it into the po/ directory and running make and make install > in there, that should create the .mo and install it somewhere > appropriate. ikiwiki should display translated messages when building the > wiki (with -v). 2. I'll send you my translation when I finish it, of course. But what about updating my PO file? Should I send it to you for every ikiwiki issue? Maybe you should give write access to ikiwiki repository for translators of PO files? > I recently set up a git repository mirroring the main svn repository (see > [[download]]) and one idea is that perhaps translators can use that for a > distributed revision control system that I can merge back from into svn. > I can set up accounts for svn, but as it's on my own personal server and > not a sourceforge/alioth like thing, it's a bit of a pain and maintenance > burden for me. >> OK, I've picked up Subversion for your ikiwiki, so I can get into >> Git now ;) 3. What is the best way to update my PO file when you do some changes in `ikiwiki.pot` file? Should I translate my PO file from scratch or can I do diff for old and new `ikiwiki.pot` file and update only differences? > There are standard tools for working with po files, and the po file > should be updated as part of the wiki build process so that any fuzzy > strings are so marked. >> Could you please point me any good references or write a quick start >> for translators? I think it can be very useful for me and other people. >>> I'm not a translator, so I don't really know.. >>>> OK, I hope I handle it :) 4. What about "gettexting" button titles and link names? Do you really think that there should be hardcoded in ikiwiki templates? --Pawel > I don't know, really. Recai's approach seems to show promise. >> BTW, why does ikiwiki number my questions wrongly (1., 1., 1., 1., >> instead of 1., 2., 3., 4.)? Where have I made a Markdown mistake? --Pawel >>> My indentation mistake, I think. --[[Joey]] >>>> Now it's perfect :) Thank you very much! --Pawel ---- # Less laconic gettext messages I'm just translating `ikiwiki.pot` file to Polish and I have problems with some gettext messages, because unfortunately there are very laconic, for example "update of %s's %s by %s". Sometimes I don't understand background well, because I don't use all ikiwiki plugins and I have to check ikiwiki source code. Besides in Polish language we have conjugation of a verb and I can't do it correctly if I don't know what subject of a message is. Then I have to check the sources again... So I have a request to Joey and the rest of ikiwiki coders: please write more verbose gettext messages and don't fear using subject there. It will be huge help for me and other ikiwiki translators. Thank you! :) --Pawel > Well, those messages are mostly laconic because they're output by > ikiwiki running in unix program mode and other tight situations, and > it should be clear from context when you see the expanded message what > the various bits are. > > For example, "update of foowiki's MooBar by joey" seems to say enough to > be clear (and fit in mutt's subject line display), while the corresponding > "actualizado el wiki foowiki y la página MooBar por el usuario joey" feels > a bit verbose. (And should it say "updated foowiki *and* the MooBar page" > like that? My Spanish sucks though..) In my crappy Spanish I might instead > say something like "actualizado MooBar de foowiki por joey". Or maybe > "actualizado página Moobar por joey"? >> But you know that "update of %s's %s by %s" string can be "update of >> foowiki's MooBar by joey", but I can only guess it :) > Anyway, to get back to your point, it's true that translators often > need additonal context about things like what variables expand to, and > size limits. This is generally done by adding comments in the pot file, > and I've turned that on, and added a few. --[[Joey]] >> Thank you very much! It also will be a big help for me. --Pawel