-Notes on the Free Translation Project
-*************************************
-
- Free software is going international! The Free Translation Project
-is a way to get maintainers of free software, translators, and users all
-together, so that will gradually become able to speak many languages.
-A few packages already provide translations for their messages.
-
- If you found this `ABOUT-NLS' file inside a distribution, you may
-assume that the distributed package does use GNU `gettext' internally,
-itself available at your nearest GNU archive site. But you do _not_
-need to install GNU `gettext' prior to configuring, installing or using
-this package with messages translated.
-
- Installers will find here some useful hints. These notes also
-explain how users should proceed for getting the programs to use the
-available translations. They tell how people wanting to contribute and
-work at translations should contact the appropriate team.
-
- When reporting bugs in the `intl/' directory or bugs which may be
-related to internationalization, you should tell about the version of
-`gettext' which is used. The information can be found in the
-`intl/VERSION' file, in internationalized packages.
-
-Quick configuration advice
-==========================
-
- If you want to exploit the full power of internationalization, you
-should configure it using
-
- ./configure --with-included-gettext
-
-to force usage of internationalizing routines provided within this
-package, despite the existence of internationalizing capabilities in the
-operating system where this package is being installed. So far, only
-the `gettext' implementation in the GNU C library version 2 provides as
-many features (such as locale alias, message inheritance, automatic
-charset conversion or plural form handling) as the implementation here.
-It is also not possible to offer this additional functionality on top
-of a `catgets' implementation. Future versions of GNU `gettext' will
-very likely convey even more functionality. So it might be a good idea
-to change to GNU `gettext' as soon as possible.
-
- So you need _not_ provide this option if you are using GNU libc 2 or
-you have installed a recent copy of the GNU gettext package with the
-included `libintl'.
-
-INSTALL Matters
-===============
-
- Some packages are "localizable" when properly installed; the
-programs they contain can be made to speak your own native language.
-Most such packages use GNU `gettext'. Other packages have their own
-ways to internationalization, predating GNU `gettext'.
-
- By default, this package will be installed to allow translation of
-messages. It will automatically detect whether the system already
-provides the GNU `gettext' functions. If not, the GNU `gettext' own
-library will be used. This library is wholly contained within this
-package, usually in the `intl/' subdirectory, so prior installation of
-the GNU `gettext' package is _not_ required. Installers may use
-special options at configuration time for changing the default
-behaviour. The commands:
-
- ./configure --with-included-gettext
- ./configure --disable-nls
-
-will respectively bypass any pre-existing `gettext' to use the
-internationalizing routines provided within this package, or else,
-_totally_ disable translation of messages.
-
- When you already have GNU `gettext' installed on your system and run
-configure without an option for your new package, `configure' will
-probably detect the previously built and installed `libintl.a' file and
-will decide to use this. This might be not what is desirable. You
-should use the more recent version of the GNU `gettext' library. I.e.
-if the file `intl/VERSION' shows that the library which comes with this
-package is more recent, you should use
-
- ./configure --with-included-gettext
-
-to prevent auto-detection.
-
- The configuration process will not test for the `catgets' function
-and therefore it will not be used. The reason is that even an
-emulation of `gettext' on top of `catgets' could not provide all the
-extensions of the GNU `gettext' library.
-
- Internationalized packages have usually many `po/LL.po' files, where
-LL gives an ISO 639 two-letter code identifying the language. Unless
-translations have been forbidden at `configure' time by using the
-`--disable-nls' switch, all available translations are installed
-together with the package. However, the environment variable `LINGUAS'
-may be set, prior to configuration, to limit the installed set.
-`LINGUAS' should then contain a space separated list of two-letter
-codes, stating which languages are allowed.
-
-Using This Package
-==================
-
- As a user, if your language has been installed for this package, you
-only have to set the `LANG' environment variable to the appropriate
-`LL_CC' combination. Here `LL' is an ISO 639 two-letter language code,
-and `CC' is an ISO 3166 two-letter country code. For example, let's
-suppose that you speak German and live in Germany. At the shell
-prompt, merely execute `setenv LANG de_DE' (in `csh'),
-`export LANG; LANG=de_DE' (in `sh') or `export LANG=de_DE' (in `bash').
-This can be done from your `.login' or `.profile' file, once and for
-all.
-
- You might think that the country code specification is redundant.
-But in fact, some languages have dialects in different countries. For
-example, `de_AT' is used for Austria, and `pt_BR' for Brazil. The
-country code serves to distinguish the dialects.
-
- Not all programs have translations for all languages. By default, an
-English message is shown in place of a nonexistent translation. If you
-understand other languages, you can set up a priority list of languages.
-This is done through a different environment variable, called
-`LANGUAGE'. GNU `gettext' gives preference to `LANGUAGE' over `LANG'
-for the purpose of message handling, but you still need to have `LANG'
-set to the primary language; this is required by other parts of the
-system libraries. For example, some Swedish users who would rather
-read translations in German than English for when Swedish is not
-available, set `LANGUAGE' to `sv:de' while leaving `LANG' to `sv_SE'.
-
- In the `LANGUAGE' environment variable, but not in the `LANG'
-environment variable, `LL_CC' combinations can be abbreviated as `LL'
-to denote the language's main dialect. For example, `de' is equivalent
-to `de_DE' (German as spoken in Germany), and `pt' to `pt_PT'
-(Portuguese as spoken in Portugal) in this context.
-
-Translating Teams
-=================
-
- For the Free Translation Project to be a success, we need interested
-people who like their own language and write it well, and who are also
-able to synergize with other translators speaking the same language.
-Each translation team has its own mailing list. The up-to-date list of
-teams can be found at the Free Translation Project's homepage,
-`http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/contrib/po/HTML/', in the "National teams"
-area.
-
- If you'd like to volunteer to _work_ at translating messages, you
-should become a member of the translating team for your own language.
-The subscribing address is _not_ the same as the list itself, it has
-`-request' appended. For example, speakers of Swedish can send a
-message to `sv-request@li.org', having this message body:
-
- subscribe
-
- Keep in mind that team members are expected to participate
-_actively_ in translations, or at solving translational difficulties,
-rather than merely lurking around. If your team does not exist yet and
-you want to start one, or if you are unsure about what to do or how to
-get started, please write to `translation@iro.umontreal.ca' to reach the
-coordinator for all translator teams.
-
- The English team is special. It works at improving and uniformizing
-the terminology in use. Proven linguistic skill are praised more than
-programming skill, here.
-
-Available Packages
-==================
-
- Languages are not equally supported in all packages. The following
-matrix shows the current state of internationalization, as of July
-2000. The matrix shows, in regard of each package, for which languages
-PO files have been submitted to translation coordination, with a
-translation percentage of at least 50%.
-
- Ready PO files bg cs da de el en eo es et fi fr gl hr id it
- .----------------------------------------------.
- a2ps | [] [] |
- bash | [] [] [] |
- bison | [] [] [] [] |
- clisp | [] [] [] [] |
- cpio | [] [] [] |
- diffutils | [] [] [] [] [] |
- enscript | [] [] |
- error | [] |
- fileutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- findutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- flex | [] [] |
- gcal | |
- gcc | |
- gettext | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- gnupg | [] [] [] [] |
- grep | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- hello | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- id-utils | [] |
- indent | [] [] [] [] [] |
- libc | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- lilypond | |
- lynx | [] [] [] |
- m4 | [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- make | [] [] [] [] |
- music | [] |
- parted | [] [] |
- ptx | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- python | |
- recode | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- sed | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- sh-utils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- sharutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- tar | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- texinfo | [] [] [] [] |
- textutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- util-linux | |
- wdiff | [] [] [] [] [] |
- wget | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] |
- `----------------------------------------------'
- bg cs da de el en eo es et fi fr gl hr id it
- 1 14 15 28 11 1 4 19 12 1 30 16 0 3 12
-
- ja ko lv nl no pl pt pt_BR ru sk sl sv zh
- .-------------------------------------------.
- a2ps | [] [] [] | 5
- bash | | 3
- bison | [] [] [] | 7
- clisp | [] | 5
- cpio | [] [] [] [] [] | 8
- diffutils | [] [] [] | 8
- enscript | [] [] | 4
- error | | 1
- fileutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 17
- findutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] | 12
- flex | [] [] [] | 5
- gcal | | 0
- gcc | [] | 1
- gettext | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 18
- gnupg | [] [] [] | 7
- grep | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 17
- hello | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 15
- id-utils | [] [] [] | 4
- indent | [] [] [] [] [] | 10
- libc | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 16
- lilypond | [] [] | 2
- lynx | [] [] [] [] | 7
- m4 | [] [] [] [] [] | 11
- make | [] [] [] [] [] | 9
- music | [] | 2
- parted | [] [] [] [] | 6
- ptx | [] [] [] [] [] [] | 13
- python | | 0
- recode | [] [] [] | 10
- sed | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 14
- sh-utils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 19
- sharutils | [] [] [] [] | 10
- tar | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 15
- texinfo | [] [] | 6
- textutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 15
- util-linux | [] | 1
- wdiff | [] [] [] [] [] | 10
- wget | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 17
- `-------------------------------------------'
- 28 teams ja ko lv nl no pl pt pt_BR ru sk sl sv zh
- 38 domains 20 8 0 25 6 18 1 16 27 9 10 20 3 330
-
- Some counters in the preceding matrix are higher than the number of
-visible blocks let us expect. This is because a few extra PO files are
-used for implementing regional variants of languages, or language
-dialects.
-
- For a PO file in the matrix above to be effective, the package to
-which it applies should also have been internationalized and
-distributed as such by its maintainer. There might be an observable
-lag between the mere existence a PO file and its wide availability in a
-distribution.
-
- If July 2000 seems to be old, you may fetch a more recent copy of
-this `ABOUT-NLS' file on most GNU archive sites. The most up-to-date
-matrix with full percentage details can be found at
-`http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/contrib/po/HTML/matrix.html'.
-
-Using `gettext' in new packages
-===============================
-
- If you are writing a freely available program and want to
-internationalize it you are welcome to use GNU `gettext' in your
-package. Of course the GNU Public License applies to your sources from
-then if you include `gettext' directly in your distribution on but
-since you are writing free software anyway this is no restriction.
-
- Once the sources are change appropriately and the setup can handle to
-use of `gettext' the only thing missing are the translations. The Free
-Translation Project is also available for packages which are not
-developed inside the GNU project. Therefore the information given above
-applies also for every other Free Software Project. Contact
-`translation@iro.umontreal.ca' to make the `.pot' files available to
-the translation teams.
-
projects / tinc / commitdiff