[Actionchix] Re: Getting started

[Clytie Siddall]

On 19/03/2006, at 5:39 PM, Anne Sorsa wrote:

> This will be my first project which I participate. So, could I have  
> few hints how to get started this translation project. Is there any  
> good websites to look at? I know that I will need good Finnish- 
> English dictionary :-D , but some kind "getting started-manual"  
> would help a lot.

Hello, Anne :)

Welcome to the world of open-source translation! :)

I think the best reference I can give you is to the Translate Wiki  
[1], a central resource for internationalization (i18n ,which  
contains localization [l10n], of which translation [for some reason  
nobody's called that t9n yet ;) ] is the major part).

Have a good look at the Localization Guide there, which includes  
information on translation editors and other tools, and the major OSS  
projects (the Translation Project article gives you quite a good  
introduction to translation). Also look at the Resources page.

If, after reading these resources, you have any further questions,  
please ask me. I translate for a lot of projects now, and I started  
out exactly as you are here, because a project in which I was  
interested (the cross-platform Jabber client, Psi) asked for  
translators. I really enjoy the i18n world, and I hope you will, too!

I have started a Google Group to mentor new translators [2],  
particularly women (but all are welcome as long as behaviour is  
appropriate.) It might be a good idea to use that for specific  
translation-related questions, rather than going through them all  
here, when they only apply to one specialized task. What do others  
here think? People thinking of translation, please, you are welcome  
to use this group. It's very quiet right now, since my last group of  
new translators have grown their wings and flown off into different  
projects. :D

I have kept the group invitation-only, so it stays small and  
manageable. If you would like to join, current or prospective  
translators, please email me, and I'll send you an invitation. :)

Anne, the Translate Wiki links to other projects are also useful for  
getting into contact with the Finnish language-teams there. It's  
really helpful to be able to discuss issues specific to your  
language, with other translators working in it. You might like to  
join one of the language teams, even if you're not currently  
translating for that project. The Translation Project [3] accepts  
files from all OSS projects, so it's a good place to start. Here's  
[4] the Finnish team's page.

They can certainly advise you on the best resources for your  
language. Other members of your language team can also help you watch  
out for specific issues, or avoid them altogether. That can save you  
a lot of time.

As soon as possible, we need to know in which format we will receive  
files for translation. This affects which editor we choose. The  
translation editors save us a _lot_ of time by automating and  
improving many common tasks. The most common translation formats in  
OSS are PO format, HTML and XML/Docbook, but the professional  
translation standard XLIFF is growing in use, and is the best choice  
if we can use it. I can advise on editors etc. once the decision is  
made about the format of the original text.

Again, welcome! :)

from Clytie (vi-VN, Vietnamese free-software translation team / nhóm  
Việt hóa phần mềm tự do)
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/vi-VN

[1] http://translate.sourceforge.net/wiki/

[2] http://groups.google.com/group/i18n-mentor

[3] http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/translation/HTML/index.html

[4] http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/translation/registry.cgi?team=fi