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Re: iso-codes



Bruno Haible wrote:
> Clytie Siddall wrote:
>   
>> I'm a little confused about which file is "iso-639-3". I translate  
>> the iso-codes package for Debian and the TP, and it doesn't list such  
>> a file. The listing (ver. 0.55) is:
>>
>> iso_3166		country names			410 strings
>> iso_3166_2	        state/province names	3856 strings
>> iso_4217		currency names			265 strings
>> iso_639		language names		484 strings
>>
>> iso_3166_2 is usually only partially-translated, since very few  
>> languages have equivalents for all the state/province names in the  
>> world.
>>
>> Which file is "iso-639-3", and where do I find it to translate it?
>>     
>
> Alastair McKinstry can give you the real answer.
>
> Maybe this PO file was only in the Debian iso-codes and not imported into
> the TP (precisely because there's often nothing to translate), or something
> like that? I don't remember it.
>
> Bruno
>   
Its a sublist of iso-639, for lesser-used languages. These are languages
you are unlikely
to see Debian packages translated into, for example (medieval dialects,
etc.).


Both iso-639-3 and iso-3166-2 raise an interesting issue: whats the best
way for gettext
to handle strings that are unlikely to be translated / need to be
translated? These files
contain lots of such strings, that the translator will probably review
and decide do not
need translating. Two solutions come to mind:
- tools fill in the English version. Messy, as it bloats the .mo files,
but allows easy
monitoring of new strings when the file changes
- add a new comment:
# ,reviewed
etc. for tools to recognise that this string is deliberately left empty.

Is there an existing solution to this problem?

- Alastair




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