Ubuntu Wiki

Ubuntu Open Week - Translating with Launchpad - - Fri, Oct 26, 2007

16:09 <+mrevell> Hello! My name is Matthew Revell and I work for Canonical as part of the Launchpad team.
16:09 <+mrevell> Welcome to this session, which is all about one of Launchpad's applications, Translations.
16:10 <+mrevell> I'm going to introduce you to Launchpad Translations and tell you:
16:10 <+mrevell> * what it does
16:10 <+mrevell> * how it works
16:10 <+mrevell> * a little about how Ubuntu uses it.
16:10 <+mrevell> I'll also be pleased to take your questions at the end of the session.
16:11 <+mrevell> However, the developers who work on Launchpad Translations are in a high intensity sprint right now, so I may have to pass on some questions. That's not to say you won't get an answer!
16:11 <+mrevell> But I may ask you to mail me
16:11 <+mrevell> Most week days you can find me as mrevell on Freenode. I hang out in #launchpad.
16:12 <+mrevell> You can also email me - matthew.revell@canonical.com.
16:12 <+mrevell> You can get in touch with the Launchpad team by sending an email to feedback@launchpad.net
16:12 <+mrevell> Okay, so let's get going!
16:12 <+mrevell>  
16:12 <+mrevell> A quick overview of Launchpad Translations
16:12 <+mrevell> -------------------------------------------
16:12 <+mrevell>  
16:12 <+mrevell> One of the great advantages that the open source development model gives us is that it's relatively easy for people who use software to translate it into their own language.
16:13 <+mrevell> Much free software uses GNU GetText for localisation.
16:13 <+mrevell> Developers put markers in their code to show where a GetText should insert strings of interface text.
16:14 <+mrevell> So, if I'm using some software in Spanish, GetText will insert the appropriate Spanish interface text.
16:14 <+mrevell> If, however, I'm using Hindi, GetText will insert the Hindi text.
16:15 <+mrevell> GetText has a simple file format where people can specify which text should be presented for each language.
16:15 <+mrevell> All that a translator needs to know is what the original English text means and how to translate it into their own language.
16:16 <+mrevell> However, this way of working means that translators need to download each GetText file and work alone.
16:16 <+mrevell> It also means that translators have to work like coders - they need to learn how to use GetText's file format, they may need to learn how to use whatever version control system the project uses and, in many cases, get write access to it.
16:17 <+mrevell> Launchpad Translations takes the pain out of translating software into different languages.
16:17 <+mrevell> Using a simple web interface, it makes it easy for people to translate just one line of text (what Launchpad Translations calls a string) or take an entire project and translate it into their language.
16:17 <+mrevell> It can import and export GetText's file formats, making it ideal for translating a huge number of free software projects.
16:18 <+mrevell> It can even make suggested translations.
16:18 <+mrevell>  
16:19 <+mrevell> People power
16:19 <+mrevell> ------------
16:19 <+mrevell>  
16:19 <+mrevell> Right now, Launchpad Translations has:
16:19 <+mrevell>  
16:19 <+mrevell> * 25,223 translators
16:19 <+mrevell> * working 243 languages
16:19 <+mrevell> * with 833,733 strings of translated text.
16:19 <+mrevell>  
16:19 <+mrevell> It's probably fair to say that more people are working to translate free software using Launchpad than in any other single way.
16:19 <+mrevell> This brings with it huge advantages, both for Ubuntu and the other projects using Launchpad for translations.
16:19 <+mrevell> For example...
16:19 <+mrevell> When the Jokosher audio editor started using Launchpad for translations, the Jokosher team didn't actually tell anyone.
16:20 <+mrevell> They simply put their translation templates online in Launchpad and left them.
16:20 <+mrevell> Within a couple of weeks they had translation efforts in 18 different languages!
16:20 <+mrevell> The community of translators using Launchpad is large but, also, Launchpad makes it incredibly easy to translate software.
16:20 <+mrevell>  
16:20 <+mrevell> Simple web interface
16:20 <+mrevell> --------------------
16:20 <+mrevell>  
16:20 <+mrevell> Let's take a look at Ubuntu's page in Translations:
16:20 <+mrevell>  
16:20 <+mrevell> https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu
16:20 <+mrevell>  
16:21 <+mrevell> Straight away, if you're looking to translate parts of Ubuntu into your language you can see how much work needs to be done for Gutsy.
16:21 <+mrevell> Let's pick Esperanto:
16:21 <+mrevell>  
16:22 <+mrevell> https://translations.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/gutsy/+lang/eo
16:22 <+mrevell>  
16:22 <+mrevell> You can see various different packages in Gutsy and how well translated into Esperanto they are.
16:22 <+mrevell>  
16:22 <+mrevell> Green, purple and light blue all represent translated text.
16:22 <+mrevell> Red means that there's still work to be done.
16:22 <+mrevell> Now, you can find which Gutsy package needs you most and dive in!
16:22 <+mrevell> You see that most of "yelp" has been translated but not quite all.
16:22 <+mrevell> Let's dive in and have a look and what needs to be done.
16:23 <+mrevell>  
16:23 <+mrevell> https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/gutsy/+source/yelp/+pots/yelp/eo/+translate?batch=10&show=untranslated
16:23 <+mrevell>  
16:23 <+mrevell> These are all the "yelp" strings that remain untranslated in Esperanto.
16:23 <+mrevell>  
16:23 <+mrevell> As you can see, Launchpad shows you the English and gives you a text box in which to make the Esperanto translation.
16:23 <+mrevell> At the top is "Page not found".
16:23 <+mrevell> If we knew the Esperanto equivalent for that phrase, we could type it in, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save and continue".
16:23 <+mrevell> Simple!
16:24 <+mrevell>  
16:24 <+mrevell> Suggestions
16:24 <+mrevell> ------------
16:24 <+mrevell>  
16:24 <+mrevell> As you probably realise, the same phrases crop up in software quite often.
16:24 <+mrevell> Take a look at the fourth translation down on the page we've just been looking at:
16:24 <+mrevell> "File not found"
16:24 <+mrevell> There isn't a translation yet for the "yelp" package but Launchpad has seen "File not found" translated into Esperanto before.
16:25 <+mrevell> So, it makes a suggestion.
16:25 <+mrevell> In fact, it makes several and tells us which package each comes from and who made the translation.
16:25 <+mrevell> Ne trovis dosieron - Used in kbabel in Ubuntu Dapper package "kdesdk" by Donald Rogers  on 2007-07-30
16:25 <+mrevell> Netrovita dosiero - Used in gqview in Ubuntu Gutsy package "gqview" by Antonio Codazzi (la Filozofo)  on 2007-06-11
16:25 <+mrevell> ERARO: dokumento ne trovita -           Used in koffice in Ubuntu Gutsy package "koffice" by Steffen Pietsch  on 2006-04-21
16:25 <+mrevell> Dosiero ne trovita: -           Suggested in ooo-basic in Ubuntu Breezy package "openoffice.org2" by Leo  on 2006-03-20
16:25 <+mrevell>  
16:25 <+mrevell> Now, I can decide which of these I want to use and judge which one might be best according to where it was used and who made the translation.
16:26 <+mrevell>  
16:26 < dayanandasaraswa> hi
16:26 <+mrevell> Translation teams
16:26 <+mrevell> -----------------
16:26 <+mrevell>  
16:26 <+mrevell> Ubuntu has a number of translations teams.
16:27 <+mrevell> This is controlled using something we call 'Translation Groups'.
16:27 <+mrevell> You can see Ubuntu's translations groups at:
16:27 <+mrevell> https://translations.launchpad.net/translations/groups/
16:27 <+mrevell> This provides a mapping between languages and the teams that translate are responsible  for translating them.
16:28 <+mrevell> Translation teams look after the QA of translations.
16:28 <+mrevell> Members of translation teams should *only* be trusted translators: they will have full power over translations for that language, and you should NOT let anyone in.
16:28 <+mrevell> Some upstreams have complained about bad translations, and most of them were due to badly managed teams (i.e. teams allowing anyone in). So, be strict about who you let in :)
16:29 <+mrevell> At the moment, to organise work you need to coordinate outside Launchpad: use mailing lists, IRC, Jabber or whatever.  We will be solving this.
16:29 <+mrevell> When you make a translation on an Ubuntu package, most of the time you're actually making a suggested translation.
16:29 <+mrevell> A member of the appropriate translation team will then approve or decline your text.
16:29 < edenbeast> ja, in opleiding maakt dat toch nog geen zak uit want ge doet toch niks
16:29 <+mrevell> This makes sure that anyone can get involved, with minimal effort, but helps maintain the quality and consistency of translations.
16:30 <+mrevell> However, if you are a member of the translation team you can submit translations directly.
16:30 <+mrevell>  
16:30 <+mrevell> Future
16:30 <+mrevell> ------
16:30 <+mrevell>  
16:30 <+mrevell> We've got big plans for the future, and some of the priorities are the following:
16:30 <+mrevell>  
16:31 <+mrevell> Search for translations (yes, infamous bug 44 in LP)
16:31 <+mrevell> Native support for other translation formats (Mozilla, OpenOffice.org...)
16:31 <+mrevell> Improved mechanisms for upstream cooperation
16:31 <+mrevell> Make team management more flexible and powerful
16:31 <+mrevell> We welcome suggestions on what should we focus on!.
16:31 <+mrevell>  
16:31 <+mrevell> Trivia and tips
16:31 <+mrevell> ---------------
16:31 <+mrevell>  
16:32 <+mrevell> This section comes from our the Launchpad Translations developers and it's their tips and tricks for using LP Translations.
16:32 <+mrevell> When uploading, choose 'Published upload' if you don't want to override others' translations that have happened in the meantime.
16:33 <+mrevell> You can download PO files to find a specific string in it (many have done this already)
16:33 <+mrevell> For Ubuntu, start translating from the top of https://translations.beta.launchpad.net/ubuntu/feisty/+lang/sr (for Serbian): they are sorted by priority.
16:34 <+mrevell> Sorry, that URL should be:
16:34 <+mrevell> https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/feisty/+lang/sr
16:34 <+mrevell> Don't forget to update Last-Translator field when translating via PO files, and also never remove or change X-Rosetta-Export-Date field from PO header (or you won't be able to re-import it).
16:34 <+mrevell> Use Google with "site:translations.launchpad.net" to search for strings as a workaround.  This will commonly give you pointer to someone's translations page, but you can pick a template name from there, visit it, and switch over to your own language.
16:34 < petrovicivan> regards from Serbia
16:35 <+mrevell> You can use [nbsp] to get non-breaking spaces if you've got problems inserting them directly (Firefox is known to be buggy with them).
16:35 <+mrevell> No need to email us back with 'thank you' for automatic exports (though, we indeed appreciate those :).
16:35 <+mrevell> When you get message that your language is missing plural forms, either email us at feedback@launchpad.net, or file a ticket using https://answers.launchpad.net/rosetta/
16:36 <+mrevell>  
16:36 <+mrevell> Finding out more about Launchpad
16:36 <+mrevell> -----------------------
16:36 <+mrevell>  
16:37 <+mrevell> #launchpad here on Freenode is where you can find Launchpad developers.
16:37 <+mrevell> The launchpad-users list is also a great place to discuss Launchpad, get help from members of the team and make suggestions.
16:37 <+mrevell> You can sign up at:
16:37 <+mrevell> http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/launchpad-users
16:38 <+mrevell> There's documentation at: help.launchpad.net - I'm personally working on that and appreciate any suggestions you may have.
16:38 <+mrevell> And if you want to get to try out new Launchpad features before anyone else, you can join the Launchpad Beta Testers team. Here's a guide for signing up:
16:39 <+mrevell> https://help.launchpad.net/JoiningLaunchpadBetaTesters
16:39 <+mrevell>  
16:39 <+mrevell> Well, I seem to have finished somewhat early. So, if you have any questions, please fire away! Although, as I say, the Translations developers aren't available at the moment, so I may have to come back to you with answers.
16:41 <+mrevell> <samgee> QUESTION: How do you solve conflicts between translations in LP and those of upstream?
16:42 <+mrevell> samgee: For Ubuntu packages, translations made in Launchpad take priority. We don't send translations upstream automatically, although they can of course export translations from Launchpad. Better coordination with upstreams is an area that we're going to work on over the coming months, I believe.
16:42 <+mrevell> <spd106> Question: Is there a list of file formats that can be converted to .po files?
16:45 <+mrevell> spd106: I'm told that the best place to start is the Translate Toolkit at http://translate.sourceforge.net/
16:47 <+mrevell> Any more questions?
16:48 <+mrevell> <spd106> QUESTION: Do translation for each release stop after 18 months? What about LTS?
16:49 <+mrevell> spd106: You can continue with translation so long as the Ubuntu release is supported.
16:56 <+mrevell> Thank you everyone for attending this session. I'll be back at the top of the hour for the BLueprint session. Right now, I need to go get a drink, so I'll see you in 11 minutes!
16:57 < mybunche> Thanks mrevell.

CategoryTranslations