[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: Bug#407746: [URGENT] Please update debconf PO translation for the package libpam-ldap 180-1.7



> Anyway, yes, it is a style question -- I just know that the question style
> is a style that Christian has specifically discouraged the use of in
> English. :)


Not exactly.

What I mostly intend to discourage is asking *two* questions, one in
the short description and another one in the long description. This
looks really weird when both are shown together (which is the default
in Debian). So, this really applies to boolean templates.


Hence the "Please <foobar>" construction when the need to repeat or
rephrase the short description in the long description exists.

For French translations we usually translate such "Please enter"
sentences with "Veuillez indiquer"....which is a polite construction,
pretty formal.....used quite widely in french localised software.




In the case of select/string templates, the Dutch team apparently
choosed to use a question as first sentence in the long description,
which seems to be a fairly consistent choice when the short
description is *not* a question. 

And it should not be a question as I really think that question style
for such "opened" requests does sound like spoken language which is
IMHO to be avoided in debconf templates. But, again, I wouldn't be
shocked if a given team deliberately chooses to turn all such "opened"
prompts to questions.

The main point, IMHO, is keeping style consistency in order to give
users the feeling of a smooth way to go from one package to another.

Whether this is done one way or another is up to all teams, of course.




Attachment: signature.asc
Description: Digital signature


Reply to: