Re: How should this string be translated?

[Ask Hjorth Larsen <asklarsen@gmail.com>]

Hi Jonathan

On Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 12:30 AM, Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com> wrote:
> Ask Hjorth Larsen wrote:
>
>> Hi, I'm translating dpkg into Danish.  What does the string in the
>> following piece of code mean, and roughly how should it be translated?
>>
>> fputs(_("\
>> Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold\n\
>> | Status=Not/Inst/Cfg-files/Unpacked/Failed-cfg/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend\n\
>> |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)\n"), stdout);
>
> This is the header at the top of dpkg -l output, labelling the columns
> and the possible status letters they can contain.
>
> Left column (desired state, or in other words, selection state):
>
>        U = unknown to dpkg (i.e., not listed by dpkg --get-selections)
>        I = install
>        R = deinstall
>        P = purge
>        H = hold (keep current version)
>
> Middle column (current status, or in other words, package state):
>
>        N = not installed
>        I = installed (unpacked and configured)
>        C = config-files (removed but not purged)
>        U = unpacked
>        F = half-configured
>        H = half-installed (not completely unpacked)
>        W = awaiting trigger processing by another package
>        T = triggered
>
> Third column (error indicator, or in other words, package flags):
>
>        R = broken and in need of reinstallation
>
> In both the middle and third columns, capital letters indicate problems.
> See dpkg(1) for more about this.
>
> As for how to translate it --- maybe the French translation would be a
> good example to imitate.
>
> Hope that helps,
> Jonathan
>

Thank you for the very useful explanation.  Without knowing the
significance of the uppercase letters it is easy to make wrong
assumptions on what they're supposed to be.  For the benefit of future
translators, could you add a translator comment to the po-file?  For
example:

# TRANSLATORS: This is the header at the top of dpkg -l output,
labelling the columns
# and the possible status letters they can contain.  See also dpkg(1)
for details.

I managed to write a translation with less than 80 character long
lines.  I notice that the French translation exceeds 80
characters/line - is this not a problem?

Regards
Ask