Language translation allows open supply software program for use by individuals all around the world, and it is an effective way for non-developers to become involved of their favourite initiatives. There are many translation tools out there which you could consider based on how properly they deal with the principle useful areas concerned in translations: technical interplay capabilities, teamwork assist capabilities, and translation assist capabilities.
Technical interplay issues embrace:
- Supported file codecs
- Synchronization with the supply repository
- Automation assist instruments
- Interface potentialities
Support for teamwork (which is also referred to as “community animation”) contains how a platform:
- Monitors adjustments (by a translator, on a challenge, and so on.)
- Follows up on updates pushed by initiatives
- Displays the state of the scenario
- Enables or not evaluate and validation steps
- Assists in discussions between translators (from the identical group and inter-languages) and with challenge maintainers
- Supports world communication on the platform (information, and so on.)
Translator help contains:
- A transparent and ergonomic interface
- A restricted variety of steps to discover a challenge and begin working
- A easy method to learn the circulation between translation and distribution
- Access to a translation reminiscence machine
- Glossary enrichment
There are not any main variations, although there are some minor ones, between supply code administration platforms referring to the primary two useful areas. I think that the final space pertains primarily to supply code. However, the information dealt with is kind of completely different and customers are often a lot much less technically refined than builders, in addition to extra quite a few.
My suggestion
In my opinion, the GNOME platform provides the most effective translation platform for the next causes:
- Its web site incorporates each the group group and the interpretation platform. It’s straightforward to see who’s accountable and their roles on the group. Everything is targeting a number of screens.
- It’s straightforward to seek out what to work on, and also you rapidly notice you will need to obtain information to your pc and ship them again when you modify them. It’s not very horny, however the logic is straightforward to grasp.
- Once you ship a file again, the platform can ship an alert to the mailing listing so the group is aware of the subsequent steps and the interpretation could be simply mentioned on the world stage (slightly than commenting on particular sentences).
- It has 297 languages.
- It reveals clear percentages on progress, each on primary sentences and superior menus and documentation.
Coupled with a predictable GNOME launch schedule, all the pieces is out there for the group to work properly as a result of the software promotes group work.
If we have a look at the Debian translation group, which has been doing a superb job for years translating an unimaginable quantity of content material for Fedora (particularly information), we see there’s a extremely codified translation course of based mostly completely on emails with a handbook push within the repositories. This group additionally places all the pieces into the method, slightly than the instruments, and—regardless of the appreciable vitality this appears to require—it has labored for a few years whereas being among the many main group of languages.
My notion is that the first challenge for a profitable translation platform will not be based mostly on the flexibility to make the unitary (technical, translation) work, however on the way it buildings and helps the interpretation group’s processes. This is what offers sustainability.
The manufacturing processes are a very powerful method to construction a group; by placing them collectively accurately, it is simple for newcomers to grasp how processes work, undertake them, and clarify them to the subsequent group of newcomers.
To construct a sustainable group, the primary consideration should be on a software that helps collaborative work, then on its usability.
This explains my frustration with the Zanata software, which is environment friendly from a technical and interface standpoint, however poor on the subject of serving to to construction a group. GIven that translation is a community-driven course of (presumably some of the community-driven processes in open supply software program growth), it is a important drawback for me.
This article is customized from “What’s a good translation platform?” initially revealed on the Jibec Journal and is reused with permission.
