Re: Bug#520033: gitosis: [INTL:de] Updated German translation of debconf template
* Christian Perrier <bubulle@debian.org> [090317 07:01]:
> A very frequent argument (not sure if that's the case here) is when an
> English term that's judged "commonly accepted" by the maintainer is
> translated by the l10n team and the maintainer sees the translation as
> "funny" or "ridicule".
This is only one of the problems with wordlists (but one where an
wordlist actually makes sense).
There are two other problems:
1) A word usually will have many different meanings in the original language.
This means that the translator has to see that it is another translation
and not use the translation from the wordlist, if it is the wrong one.
(So a blind "it is on the wordlist, it must be translated like this" is
just stupid, the if part has at least to be "on the wordlist there is this
meaning of the word").
2) A word will usually different meanings in the target language.
In most contexts the other meanings of a word might be any problem,
but that does not mean it is like this in all cases. There are contexts
where the common translation of a word can already have another meaning.
Thus harmonisation - when used without thought - can often be harmful.
Also there are often other things to harmonize with. There is no use
in using the same translation in some package as in all other packages
for a word, if that word is translated differently in already translated
documentation contained that package or its upstream's website.
A case where you simply cannot win are generalisations in the original
language, especially if they are computer jargon.
You can try to find a uniform translation, but if you are the first to
try for some language, it will just be jargon in the target language,
too. Even worse, jargon you invented and noone understands.
Hochachtungsvoll,
Bernhard R. Link
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