Re: open translations database

[Stefan Rieken <StefanRieken SoftHome net>]

> Stefan Rieken wrote:
> 
> > I'm afraid I am. When I read the GNOME Users Guide, it stopped halfway
> being logical, and then it wasn't much more than a collection of terms
> and words thrown together in a Dutch-English mix. I've given other
> examples already.
> 
> I've observed that a lot of languages borrow heavily from English for
> their technical jargon.  The exceptions either borrow from Latin and
> Greek (e.g. English) or coin new terms based on roots found in the same
> language (e.g. German).  I'm not sure what the Dutch convention is, and
> there may not be a clear consensus between translators, which may
> explain the perception of mechanistic translation.

It didn't make logical sentences anymore at this point.

> >  I suspect Helix Code is guity of using Babelfish at some point in the
> Dutch translation, and also Galeon. Helix Code's translation made the
> whole Preview Release 4 unusable because the window became too wide in
> several languages including Dutch. When this was translated by
> individuals, I think they would surely watch their result. But also the
> construction of some sentences provide evidence. Human translators know
> they translate software, not a book. Some translations are most clearly
> done in a "book" context.
> 
> So far as I know, we haven't done any of our own translations, at least
> not in Dutch.  If you're dissatisfied with any of our software, you know
> where to find our bug database (e.g. #307, #609, #1919).  I've used
> Babelfish to try to decipher some of the bug reports we've gotten in
> languages other than English, but that's the extent to which I've used
> it at Helix Code.

I did do a bug report for that one, and the worst part is solved in Preview Release 5, so that's quite OK now.

> > Being a native English speaking person has got more in common with
> using Internet Explorer than you might think:
> 
> As a native English speaker, I ought to take offense at that. ;-)

Yeah :-) OK let me give a more polite comparision:

Speaking English is like knowing Linux. You sometimes forget other people don't.

Well anyway, this is starting to be off topic. I never really tried to complain about the current status of translations, but instead improve it a little. So if I was wrong in my assumptions here and there, sorry. I am really very glad with all the software and their translations, which I can use and can have other people to use, so I wasn't trying to say that it's rubbish or so -- it's a great and huge job. My purpose was to make it a little less huge. OK, just to set that straight.

Greets,

Stefan