On 14 November 2010 17:02, Max Semenik maxsem.wiki@gmail.com wrote:
However, there's one thing about it that needs YOUR help: translations. The new installer (at last!) has localisable interface, and it needs translations to be usable to more people around the world. However, from my experience with installer translations:
- Most translators are non-techies, they have problems with long
messages full of that weird IT lingo.
- Things are bad when translators avoid translating a message because
they don't understand it. Things get much, much worse if they think that they know how to translate them, but in reality they're wrong.
- While simple users usually can take a look at wiki to have an idea
how things work, this is not an option with the installer. Some messages may therefore be translated out of context.
So those of you who are proficient in languages other than English - YOU can make a difference. Go to http://translatewiki.net and start translating. If there are already some translations in your language, double-check them - I assure you, there will be things to fix. Once everything is complete, try running the installer a few times, covering as many execution paths as you can - there will be things to fix.
And everybody else, you can help both the translators and the end users by improving the message documentation and the English strings, by making them as consistent, unambiguous and easy to understand as possible.
-Niklas