1: Notes on the Free Translation Project
2: *************************************
3:
4: Free software is going international! The Free Translation Project
5: is a way to get maintainers of free software, translators, and users all
6: together, so that will gradually become able to speak many languages.
7: A few packages already provide translations for their messages.
8:
9: If you found this `ABOUT-NLS' file inside a distribution, you may
10: assume that the distributed package does use GNU `gettext' internally,
11: itself available at your nearest GNU archive site. But you do *not*
12: need to install GNU `gettext' prior to configuring, installing or using
13: this package with messages translated.
14:
15: Installers will find here some useful hints. These notes also
16: explain how users should proceed for getting the programs to use the
17: available translations. They tell how people wanting to contribute and
18: work at translations should contact the appropriate team.
19:
20: When reporting bugs in the `intl/' directory or bugs which may be
21: related 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:
25: One advise in advance
26: =====================
27:
28: If you want to exploit the full power of internationalization, you
29: should configure it using
30:
31: ./configure --with-included-gettext
32:
33: to force usage of internationalizing routines provided within this
34: package, despite the existence of internationalizing capabilities in the
35: operating system where this package is being installed. So far, only
36: the `gettext' implementation in the GNU C library version 2 provides as
37: many features (such as locale alias or message inheritance) as the
38: implementation here. It is also not possible to offer this additional
39: functionality on top of a `catgets' implementation. Future versions of
40: GNU `gettext' will very likely convey even more functionality. So it
41: might be a good idea to change to GNU `gettext' as soon as possible.
42:
43: So you need not provide this option if you are using GNU libc 2 or
44: you have installed a recent copy of the GNU gettext package with the
45: included `libintl'.
46:
47: INSTALL Matters
48: ===============
49:
50: Some packages are "localizable" when properly installed; the
51: programs they contain can be made to speak your own native language.
52: Most such packages use GNU `gettext'. Other packages have their own
53: ways to internationalization, predating GNU `gettext'.
54:
55: By default, this package will be installed to allow translation of
56: messages. It will automatically detect whether the system provides
57: usable `catgets' (if using this is selected by the installer) or
58: `gettext' functions. If neither is available, the GNU `gettext' own
59: library will be used. This library is wholly contained within this
60: package, usually in the `intl/' subdirectory, so prior installation of
61: the GNU `gettext' package is *not* required. Installers may use
62: special options at configuration time for changing the default
63: behaviour. The commands:
64:
65: ./configure --with-included-gettext
66: ./configure --with-catgets
67: ./configure --disable-nls
68:
69: will respectively bypass any pre-existing `catgets' or `gettext' to use
70: the internationalizing routines provided within this package, enable
71: the use of the `catgets' functions (if found on the locale system), or
72: else, *totally* disable translation of messages.
73:
74: When you already have GNU `gettext' installed on your system and run
75: configure without an option for your new package, `configure' will
76: probably detect the previously built and installed `libintl.a' file and
77: will decide to use this. This might be not what is desirable. You
78: should use the more recent version of the GNU `gettext' library. I.e.
79: if the file `intl/VERSION' shows that the library which comes with this
80: package is more recent, you should use
81:
82: ./configure --with-included-gettext
83:
84: to prevent auto-detection.
85:
86: By default the configuration process will not test for the `catgets'
87: function and therefore they will not be used. The reasons are already
88: given above: the emulation on top of `catgets' cannot provide all the
89: extensions provided by the GNU `gettext' library. If you nevertheless
90: want to use the `catgets' functions use
91:
92: ./configure --with-catgets
93:
94: to enable the test for `catgets' (this causes no harm if `catgets' is
95: not available on your system). If you really select this option we
96: would like to hear about the reasons because we cannot think of any
97: good one ourself.
98:
99: Internationalized packages have usually many `po/LL.po' files, where
100: LL gives an ISO 639 two-letter code identifying the language. Unless
101: translations have been forbidden at `configure' time by using the
102: `--disable-nls' switch, all available translations are installed
103: together with the package. However, the environment variable `LINGUAS'
104: may be set, prior to configuration, to limit the installed set.
105: `LINGUAS' should then contain a space separated list of two-letter
106: codes, stating which languages are allowed.
107:
108: Using This Package
109: ==================
110:
111: As a user, if your language has been installed for this package, you
112: only have to set the `LANG' environment variable to the appropriate
113: ISO 639 `LL' two-letter code prior to using the programs in the
114: package. For example, let's suppose that you speak German. At the
115: shell prompt, merely execute `setenv LANG de' (in `csh'),
116: `export LANG; LANG=de' (in `sh') or `export LANG=de' (in `bash'). This
117: can be done from your `.login' or `.profile' file, once and for all.
118:
119: An operating system might already offer message localization for
120: many of its programs, while other programs have been installed locally
121: with the full capabilities of GNU `gettext'. Just using `gettext'
122: extended syntax for `LANG' would break proper localization of already
123: available operating system programs. In this case, users should set
124: both `LANGUAGE' and `LANG' variables in their environment, as programs
125: using GNU `gettext' give preference to `LANGUAGE'. For example, some
126: Swedish users would rather read translations in German than English for
127: when Swedish is not available. This is easily accomplished by setting
128: `LANGUAGE' to `sv:de' while leaving `LANG' to `sv'.
129:
130: Translating Teams
131: =================
132:
133: For the Free Translation Project to be a success, we need interested
134: people who like their own language and write it well, and who are also
135: able to synergize with other translators speaking the same language.
136: Each translation team has its own mailing list, courtesy of Linux
137: International. You may reach your translation team at the address
138: `LL@li.org', replacing LL by the two-letter ISO 639 code for your
139: language. Language codes are *not* the same as the country codes given
140: in ISO 3166. The following translation teams exist, as of August 1997:
141:
142: Chinese `zh', Czech `cs', Danish `da', Dutch `nl', English `en',
143: Esperanto `eo', Finnish `fi', French `fr', German `de', Hungarian
144: `hu', Irish `ga', Italian `it', Indonesian `id', Japanese `ja',
145: Korean `ko', Latin `la', Norwegian `no', Persian `fa', Polish
146: `pl', Portuguese `pt', Russian `ru', Slovenian `sl', Spanish `es',
147: Swedish `sv', and Turkish `tr'.
148:
149: For example, you may reach the Chinese translation team by writing to
150: `zh@li.org'.
151:
152: If you'd like to volunteer to *work* at translating messages, you
153: should become a member of the translating team for your own language.
154: The subscribing address is *not* the same as the list itself, it has
155: `-request' appended. For example, speakers of Swedish can send a
156: message to `sv-request@li.org', having this message body:
157:
158: subscribe
159:
160: Keep in mind that team members are expected to participate
161: *actively* in translations, or at solving translational difficulties,
162: rather than merely lurking around. If your team does not exist yet and
163: you want to start one, or if you are unsure about what to do or how to
164: get started, please write to `translation@iro.umontreal.ca' to reach the
165: coordinator for all translator teams.
166:
167: The English team is special. It works at improving and uniformizing
168: the terminology in use. Proven linguistic skill are praised more than
169: programming skill, here.
170:
171: Available Packages
172: ==================
173:
174: Languages are not equally supported in all packages. The following
175: matrix shows the current state of internationalization, as of August
176: 1997. The matrix shows, in regard of each package, for which languages
177: PO files have been submitted to translation coordination.
178:
179: Ready PO files cs da de en es fi fr it ja ko nl no pl pt sl sv
180: .-------------------------------------------------.
181: bash | [] [] [] | 3
182: bison | [] [] [] | 3
183: clisp | [] [] [] [] | 4
184: cpio | [] [] [] [] [] | 5
185: diffutils | [] [] [] [] [] | 5
186: enscript | [] [] [] [] [] [] | 6
187: fileutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 10
188: findutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 8
189: flex | [] [] [] [] | 4
190: gcal | [] [] [] [] [] | 5
191: gettext | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 11
192: grep | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 9
193: hello | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 10
194: id-utils | [] [] [] | 3
195: indent | [] [] [] [] | 4
196: libc | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 7
197: m4 | [] [] [] [] [] | 5
198: make | [] [] [] [] [] [] | 6
199: music | [] [] | 2
200: ptx | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 8
201: recode | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 9
202: sh-utils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 7
203: sharutils | [] [] [] [] [] | 5
204: tar | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 10
205: texinfo | [] | 1
206: textutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 9
207: wdiff | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 8
208: `-------------------------------------------------'
209: 16 languages cs da de en es fi fr it ja ko nl no pl pt sl sv
210: 27 packages 3 2 24 1 17 1 26 2 1 11 20 9 19 7 7 17 167
211:
212: Some counters in the preceding matrix are higher than the number of
213: visible blocks let us expect. This is because a few extra PO files are
214: used for implementing regional variants of languages, or language
215: dialects.
216:
217: For a PO file in the matrix above to be effective, the package to
218: which it applies should also have been internationalized and
219: distributed as such by its maintainer. There might be an observable
220: lag between the mere existence a PO file and its wide availability in a
221: distribution.
222:
223: If August 1997 seems to be old, you may fetch a more recent copy of
224: this `ABOUT-NLS' file on most GNU archive sites.
225:
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