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Re: debconf template translation



On Fri, Feb 28, 2003 at 12:43:14AM +0100, Michael Bramer wrote:

> We translate debconf templates since years into many languages. But some
> package maintainers don't include the translations in the deb packages
> or need 'some' time for this. We all know this problem, query the BTS if
> you don't believe this fact.

> Since 6 months we translate debconf templates with the DDTP. If we
> translate <400 debconf templates into German, we will have translated
> all debconf templates from all sid/main packages. Other languages like
> es and da started the translation too. See the process on 
> http://ddtp.debian.org/debconf/gnuplot/ddts-stat.png

> But the package maintainers don't use all this translations.

And I think the fundamental reason for this is that the DDTP *is not
notifying maintainers about new debconf translations*, which had been the
procedure for some time before the DDTP ever became involved.

I signed up to receive description translations by email when this
service was first made available, even though there is no way for a
maintainer to directly use translations today.  But when the DDTP started
translating debconf templates, no emails were sent.  No bugs were
sent, even though this is clearly something package maintainers are in a
position to address (the primary complaint about description
translations).  Why?

I have tried to navigate the DDTP website to find debconf translations.
The pages are difficult to navigate and slow to load.  I care quite a bit
about l10n, but these pages are too cumbersome for me to be bothered
with.

> (I don't bug all the packages, yet. IMHO this is not the right way.)

Yes, it is.

> We need a way to get the translations to the debian user, without any
> work of the package maintainers. They only delay the whole process.

Before you declare that package maintainers delay the process, I think
you should make more of an effort to put these templates in the hands of
maintainers, which IS the right way to get this done.  I don't see how
you can claim maintainers are delaying the process when you're not
involving maintainers IN that process.

|Name: templatedb_debconf
|Driver: File
|Mode: 644
|Filename: /var/cache/debconf/templates.dat
|
|Name: templatedb_de
|Driver: File
|Mode: 644
|Filename: /var/cache/debconf/debconf-de.dat.new
|Readonly: true
|Required: false
|
|Name: templatedb
|Driver: Stack
|Stack: templatedb_debconf, templatedb_de

> Maybe someone have some comments about this?!

> If nobody have objections, I will produce some debonf-l10n-LANG.deb
> packages with all debconf translations from the DDTP and a working
> debconf.conf example...

And what happens if the maintainer makes a change to the template shipped
in the package, but the external language-specific template file is not
updated?  I absolutely DO object to any approach that could result in a
user seeing an out-of-sync l10n template instead of an up-to-date English
template.  The best way to deliver up-to-date translations to our users
is by specifically *involving* the maintainers, not by working around
them.

-- 
Steve Langasek
postmodern programmer

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