Introducing README messages for translators

[Thomas Diehl]

Hi,

This one came up in connection with programs with special requirements
for translations. This could be apps that include sound samples (like 
KTuberling) or extra text files beyond our usual PO(T) file mechanism 
(like the training material in KTouch and other edu programs).

To make sure that language teams know about the extra requirements 
developers are requested to include a special "NOTE TO TRANSLATORS" 
string into their POT files (via the usual i18n mechanism).

This string should serve as a README file or as a pointer to such a file. 
IOW, it should:

1) Either inform translators exactly about any requirements for proper 
l10n/i18n of the program which are beyond the scope of just translating 
all the strings in the PO file

2) Or refer them to an extra README file where these additional requirements 
are exactly described while giving only a vague idea of them in the POT 
file itself (in case the requirements are too complex to be described in 
just a few lines)

The message should be as standardized as possible in order to avoid any 
misunderstandings. The translator must be sure that this message is 
something (s)he should _act_ upon, not just another string to translate. 
One suggestion how such a string could look like goes like this (inspired 
by Eric Bischoff's KTuberling):

 	i18n("NOTE_TO_TRANSLATORS",
 	"Language teams have the opportunity to translate the sounds\n"
 	"which are part of the program.\n"
 	"See the technical reference section in the user documentation\n"
 	"for more information on how to do that.\n"
        "\n"
 	"(Please do NOT translate this string. Instead use the translation\n"
        "section to note your progress regarding the above requirements.\n"
        "If you can't work on it right now, just leave the string empty.)");

Regards,

Thomas


-- 
KDE translation: http://i18n.kde.org/
Deutsche KDE-Uebersetzung: http://i18n.kde.org/teams/de/