Re: [Gaim-i18n] Re: Bad language in Gaim

[Ethan B. <ebl...@cs...>]

Bjoern Voigt spake unto us the following wisdom:
> Ethan Blanton wrote:
> >Fortunately, "I don't like this string" is not sufficient reason to
> >change it, regardless of who 'votes' on it.
>
> Of course, an opinion of a single translator is not so important. But=20
> the needs of Gaim's users should be important for us.
>=20
> What about serious business users? I mean Novell for instance supports=20
> Gaim as their instant messaging solution. Gaim is included in Novell=20
> Linux business products:

What about them?  If they want custom strings, they can take out a
support contract and have strings customized.  :-P

> http://www.novell.com/products/desktop/features/im.html
>=20
> I don't think that a typical business user is amused about "lazy bums",=
=20
> "mating butterflies" and about "feeling a disturbance in the force" in=20
> the user interface of a serious program. Of course distributors like=20
> Novell can change these strings. But it's much work to do this for all=20
> translated languages and for English. And I don't think that we Gaim=20
> translators want to support two versions of our translations: one for=20
> normal users and business users and one for playing kids. So I still=20
> think, it's best to improve the English original strings.

No, you shouldn't support two translations.  You should translate the
strings as they are, and leave *hypothetical* business users who don't
like these strings to fend for themselves -- notice that they don't
exist, you made them up.

I understand that you don't like these strings, but that does not
invalidate their legitimacy.  That particular 'disturbance in the
force' phrase, for example, is perhaps the *only* thing I like about
the psychic plugin.

If your complaint is that these phrases are difficult to translate,
then I am sorry to hear that ... pick something less idiomatic, I
guess.  Perhaps we could put in a note to translators in the comments
to help them with this task.

Ethan

--=20
The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws [that have no remedy
for evils].  They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor
determined to commit crimes.
		-- Cesare Beccaria, "On Crimes and Punishments", 1764