Re: error in the gnome release notes

[Clytie Siddall <clytie riverland net au>]

On 30/03/2006, at 5:35 PM, Ryan Paul wrote:

> "Window edges now have a magnetic attraction, making it possible to
> 'click' windows together."

This was also very difficult to translate. :(

I ended up saying something like "Windows can be joined together",  
which was simpler and didn't use magnetism as a metaphor, something  
that would have missed the point entirely for most of my audience.

As a general guide, when writing text that will be translated, please  
use everyday language and stick to process: what actually happens.

Idiom, speculation and metaphor make our job much more difficult and  
increase sharply the probability of misunderstanding.

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