Configed: now translatable in Transifex

[n.wenselowski]

Dear opsi users,

I am happy to announce that it is now possible to translate the opsi Configuration Editor - best know by its short name Configed - in Transifex.

We started using Transifex a while ago for translating different parts of opsi.
We think that translating Configed poses a bit more of a challenge. For most messages the context in which they appear is important and therefore simple word-by-word translation often does not result in a good translation.

This is why we want to handle things different in this case.
In the past there were no reviews involved when we updated translations.
But as Configed is such a vital and important part for many users that we will change our way from here on.
To ensure the quality of translations for Configed that makes it of good and easy use for all opsi users we only want to publish translations that are reviewed.

To review a translation you need the role of a reviewer in Transifex.
If you login as a user with this role you get a button in the translation interface that says review. Any reviewed string can not be further translated.
If you are a partner, customer or someone very active inside the opsi community and you are interested in doing reviews for opsi please do not hesitate to contact us either here or through mail.


With kind regards

Niko Wenselowski

PS: Direct link to the resource in Transifex - only viewable after logging in.

[SisterOfMercy]

Would it be possible to join and help on the original English texts? This could be handy for correcting spelling mistakes, or sentences that do not work correctly. I requested "English (en-US)" as a language, so you know who's who.

The problem with these translateable strings is that the context isn't given. When viewed in context it's sometimes horrible. And of course, some strings need multiple strings in various languages. However, I think this will not really be an issue for opsi.

[n.wenselowski]

Hi SisterOfMercy,

Would it be possible to join and help on the original English texts? This could be handy for correcting spelling mistakes, or sentences that do not work correctly. I requested "English (en-US)" as a language, so you know who's who.

Transifex allows to see the original text but not to translate them. (If I am wrong on this one and anyone knows how to change the original resource please tell me!)
I can imagine that not every text is proper English and if there is a mistake we want to correct it! The easiest way to fix something currently is to mail us about it and we will then update the resources files.

As for the regional languages: we currently only have the "main" language available for translation so that translators can concentrate on one language. I won't add the regional languages for now but I am open for discussion to add them add a later time.

The problem with these translateable strings is that the context isn't given. When viewed in context it's sometimes horrible. And of course, some strings need multiple strings in various languages. However, I think this will not really be an issue for opsi.

We are aware that there is room for improvement for this in Transifex. This is one of the reasons why Configed wasn't up for translation initially.
Transifex shows some string details for Java under the translation input field as Key.
We do have some ideas for giving translaters a way to test their translation inside a running Configed without requiring uib to build a new version. Unfortunately we need some time to implement and test this properly. If we have a solution ready we will let everyone know


Kind regards

Niko

[SisterOfMercy]

[quote="n.wenselowski"]I can imagine that not every text is proper English and if there is a mistake we want to correct it! The easiest way to fix something currently is to mail us about it and we will then update the resources files.[/quote]

Yeah, but that isn't as easy or welcoming to the average user (me).
But isn't it possible to add English en_GB and use that as a correction for the original texts?

[quote="n.wenselowski"]As for the [i]regional[/i] languages: we currently only have the "[i]main[/i]" language available for translation so that translators can concentrate on one language. I won't add the regional languages for now but I am open for discussion to add them add a later time.
[/quote]

Indeed, don't bother with regional languages, but you can't choose English when requesting a different language, only the ones with the country codes. The distinction between proper English (i.e. the Queen's) and American English can be made much later.

[n.wenselowski]

Hi SisterOfMercy,

I can imagine that not every text is proper English and if there is a mistake we want to correct it! The easiest way to fix something currently is to mail us about it and we will then update the resources files.

Yeah, but that isn't as easy or welcoming to the average user (me).
But isn't it possible to add English en_GB and use that as a correction for the original texts?

My biggest problem with that approach is that it is misleading to anyone not knowing what this special language is used for. I'd like to have them fixed directly in the repository because with this way we need to check for the (maybe changed) translation, then download and update the original PO and upload this again to transifex. That workflow seems odd to me and I really would like Transifex only for translations.
On the other hand I understand the desire to fix problems with the original texts and would like to support this action.

I will think a little bit about this and see if I can come up with something better. If you have any other ideas please let me know!


With kind regards

Niko