User:Kebap/translation infrastructure

History:

• https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/issues/856 - Setup a web-based translation service for Mudlet
• https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/issues/1664 - Translation infrastructure of Mudlet web-presences

Main sources of text:

• Mudlet client itself
• Mudlet website
• Mudlet wiki
• "other" spontaneus texts need to be included manually

Processes for each:

1. Find out a way to tell outdated texts from relevant current texts which need translation.
2. Get texts out of sources (see above). Can this be automated with any tool? Who should be responsible?
3. Get texts in to translation tool.
4. Translating inside tool (ok this is to be expected, but also needs good interface and workflows)
5. Translators report confusing strings back to Mudlet team with information how they need to be adjusted.
6. Mudlet team updates text in source. Either because of reports, or because of natural evolution.
7. Updated texts from source need updates in translation tool. Export and import again, plus diff.
8. Translated texts will be finished. Export them from translation tool. Automation again?
9. Import translated text to source.
10. Display of translations in source. Here we will need some sort of language toggle switch in each source.

References:

• Another great in-depth look at several alternatives and the process in general in this master study thesis about “Translations in libre software”: https://larjona.wordpress.com/translations-in-libre-software/
• multilingual plugins for Wordpress: https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/multilingual
  • Polylang: https://wordpress.org/plugins/polylang/
• Wordpress internationalisation workflow
  • http://www.cardinalpath.com/multilingual-wordpress-international-seo/
• integration to Crowdin
  • Mediawiki
  • Github
• Notes from other translation efforts
  • https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Localisation
  • https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Extension:Translate/Page_translation_example
  • https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_Language_Extension_Bundle

Decisions:

• We want to use US English in the source. Sometimes it is still en/GB - e.g. "licence/license", "color/colour", etc. SlySven will provide a dedicated en/GB translation, but origin will be en/US
• When a language offers multiple choices on how to address the reader, we will choose the less formal, more friendly way
• Some texts can't be translated easily in Crowdin, as they are surrounded by < and > for example. This needs to be adjusted in source. See PR #1804 for example and possible solution.
  • Some IRC texts start with ! or alike symbols which must not be translated. Compare above solution.