[Foundation-l] keeping localization in mind

[Ryan Kaldari]

That makes sense. I agree that much of the Foundation's messaging is 
English-centric, although I know it is sometimes challenging to 
accomodate other languages and cultures, especially on a tight deadline 
(speaking from my experiences during the fundraiser). Obviously the 
Foundation has room for improvement here, and I agree that giving more 
notice would be a good first step. Regarding the Translate extension, 
what is the current status of this? Can the Translate extension 
interface with MediaWiki messages directly or only via i18n files? Has 
there ever been a proposal to turn on the extension for Meta (other than 
the Bugzilla bug)? Are there any blocking issues that would prevent this 
from being feasible? I'm also interested in improving the translation 
system for CentralNotice, so maybe the Translation extension could help.

Ryan Kaldari


On 3/23/11 10:53 AM, Amir E. Aharoni wrote:
> 2011/3/23 Ryan Kaldari<rkaldari at wikimedia.org>:
>> On 3/23/11 6:17 AM, Amir E. Aharoni wrote:
>>> ==WikiLove, Twinkle and Huggle==
>>> Sue mentions the WikiLove gadget in her letter. To the best of my
>>> knowledge WikiLove only works in the English Wikipedia, but the letter
>>> invites all readers to use it. Believe it or not, some Wikipedias
>>> don't even have barnstars.
>> All of these gadgets, including Wikilove, exist in other languages. Not
>> mentioning them because they haven't been ported to every language would
>> be a bit extreme.
> It exists in some languages; I didn't count, but it probably doesn't
> exist in even half of them. Correct me if i'm wrong. The letter is
> addressed to community members in all language projects and it
> mentions Wikilove as if it was universal.
>
> Consider this wording: "In the English Wikipedia there's a tool called
> 'WikiLove'; if your Wikipedia has it, try it; if your Wikipedia
> doesn't have it, consider adapting it." It's factually correct and
> constructive. Just saying "Wikilove" and linking to the English
> Wikipedia ignores the existence of other language projects.
>
> In the Hebrew translation i took the liberty to translate it
> accordingly and added "this tool works only in the English Wikipedia"
> in parentheses. (It works in some others, but i didn't have an easy
> way to find out in which ones, and in he.wp we don't hand out
> barnstars at all, although we are considering to start doing it.)
> Translators to other languages just translated that part
> word-for-word, leaving the readers confused.
>
>> I also don't really understand your point about
>> linking to 'Eternal September'. You say that you aren't suggesting that
>> people not link to English Wikipedia, but then what is the point of your
>> argument? Are you suggesting that we pre-translate every linked article
>> into all 269 languages and then protect them all as well? Obviously that
>> isn't very practical.
> Yes, it isn't practical. I'm not telling anyone to do that. I'm just
> asking people who write something that is supposed to be translated to
> keep that in mind. See the subject.
>
> --
> Amir Elisha Aharoni · אָמִיר אֱלִישָׁע אַהֲרוֹנִי
> http://aharoni.wordpress.com
> "We're living in pieces,
>   I want to live in peace." - T. Moore
>
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