[Mediawiki-i18n] Translating extensionsI'vewritten...forthcoming changes

[Gerard Meijssen]

Hoi,
The needs that I formulated are abundantly clear. We need an environment 
where people can translate with a minimum of fuss. Betawiki provides 
this, Subversion does not. There are 250 languages and many of them do 
not have proper localisations. I have asked Nikerabbit to modularise the 
software needed (I repeat myself here) and he indicated his willingness 
to do this.

Subversion may be quite simple but there are 250 languages minus English 
that need translation. Given how many of the localisation are done, in 
situ, one person learning Subversion does not solve the issue. I am not 
alone at this, there are more translators unwilling to do this or even 
unaware of the existence of Subversion.

I am not upset by your suggestion that I have to learn Subversion, the 
point is the Betawiki functionality is superior because it is easier to 
learn . I have known about Subversion for a long time, it is however not 
about me. It is about applying an *existing solution for its problem* 
and this should not be a problem. It is about translators doing their 
work once and, making sure it counts. Berto is a professional 
translator, he has translated the Piemontese interface. People with this 
ability are rare and it is because of what people like Berto or Sabine 
mean to their project that it is of extreme importance to make sure that 
they continue to do what they do best and what they do for free as well. 
When we are going to localise the languages that we have not touched 
yet, you will find that their ability to learn Subversion will become 
even more problematic. BetaWiki has the benefit of making use of the 
MediaWiki environment, the people who start a new project have enough 
problems as it is learning MediaWiki, having to learn Subversion as well 
is just too much.

FYI, "ordinary" translators like Berto and Sabine are highly qualified 
professionals. We need to involve more like them not less.

Thanks,
    GerardM



helix84 schreef:
> Gerard, everyone here is a volunteer and everyone has to do something
> apart from wiki to earn for a living, so everyone is busy, too.
> Please, remember this.
> You won't solve a problem by complaining. Try to criticize
> constructively. First step is formulating your needs. But you can't
> just throw work on someone else's shoulders. Try to keep that in mind.
>
> And I didn't say Nikerabbit wouldn't take care of extensions, too. But
> you have to ask him. I asked him about six months ago when there were
> little core translations finished and focus was needed on that. That
> may have changed.
>
> I'd like to suggest you one thing, although you may not want to try it
> - give Subversion a chance. Subversion is quite simple, but it does
> need a little time and patience to get used to, like any other
> software. Subversion isn't just for programmers. It's here to help,
> not to complicate things. And it does help, that's why it's popular.
> If you don't want to, I understand, but the problem remains unsolved.
> You may get upset about it and try to solve it yourself in a way that
> suits you. That's how open source works.
>
> Rob, please, you don't get bitter because of one person who lost his
> nerve. There is a problem which may need solution, or at least an
> explanation. As I see it, an ordinary translator doesn't know how
> things work, that's why you didn't understand each other. I'll try to
> make a howto summing up everything about localization. We could then
> make it also a FAQ for this mailing list.
>
> And everyone remember:
> Stay cool when the editing gets hot
> Assume good faith
>
> We're all volunteers working toward the same goals.
>
> ~~helix84