German localization

[Stephan Matthiesen]

Hi, I could work on the German localization for V4.

I just want to check if I'm doing the right thing. I installed the old German localization file, the the localization plugin, and when I called the localization plugin in the admin it allowed me to convert the localization files to the new format.

Then, again in the localization plugin, I can see the different files. I can then edit them, a lot of strings are already translated but a few are missing.

When I set the language to German, I notice that some of the menus are not wide enough for the German translation. For example, "Preferences" is "Benutzereinstellungen". Can you make the menus wider, or adapt to the maximum length of the stings?

Stephan

[Notis Toufexis]

Hi,

the width of the menus depends on the template used, so you actually have to check several templates to make sure the translated terms fit the specified width. In my experience, the shortest the term used, the better.

N.

[Mark Grimshaw]

Hi Stephan,

A German translation would be great and, yes, you are doing things correctly. I intend to improve the plugin so that it will not only tell you about missing messages but also about changed English messages.

And yes, there is an issue with template menu width settings and potentially long words and I can't really say any way around this. As a translator, you won't have control over the templates users will use so, as Notis says, keep it short. Is there a German equivalent to 'Prefs.'? A space between words in menu items will expand the menu vertically but the menu will never expand horizontally.

Regards,

Mark

[Stephan Matthiesen]

Hi Notis and Mark,

I will try to make the translations shorter (the example was from the exisiting 3.x version). Often it's possible, sometimes it isn't...

It seems that different people have contributed to the earlier translation. Many are very good, but some are also a bit awkward. If other German speakers are reading this, what's your opinion on some of the other translations, like:

• "basket" - "temporäre Quellensammlung" (literally: "temporary resource collection"). I definitely want to change that, perhaps to "Ablage" (literally: "tray/shelf", "clipboard"), normally used for spaces where you can put stuff for a time before it gets used or stored permanently.

• "news" - "Neuigkeiten", better "Nachrichten"?

• "resource" - "Quelle", could also be "Ressource", but I'm not sure what's better.

• "browse" - "durchsuchen". Better "auflisten" because "durchsuchen" sounds more like a proper search function with potential for confusion between "suchen" und "durchsuchen".

• "tag" - not translated yet. Perhaps "Tag"? Note that "Schlagwort" is already used for "keyword", and "Stichwort" is perhaps a bit too close to that and would lead to confusion.

• "note" - "Bemerkung". Better "Anmerkung" or perhaps even "Notiz"?

Any other translations in the existing version that you find awkward?

Cheers
Stephan

[Notis Toufexis]

Hi Sthepan,

here my preferences

• For "basket" I have been thinking of "Meine Sammlung" or "Meine Ergebnisse" as possible translations. "Ablage" is good, "Meine Ablage" could also help users to understand what this is about
• "Nachrichten" would be my favourite
• For "Resource" I would definitely go with "Ressource", this seems to be standard for bibliographic items
• Tag could remain, is quite common, Stichwort is rather different
• "Anmerkung" fits best in my opinion

"Last multi" and "Last solo" views where the ones that were difficult to translate; how are they translated in the existing translation?

N.
* "Auflisten" is closer to "browse", "durchsuchen" is, as you say, rather confusing

[Stephan Matthiesen]

Hi Notis,

thanks. So let's go for "(Meine) Ablage", "Nachrichten", "Ressource", "Tag", "Anmerkung" and "Auflisten".

"Last multi/solo" were translated as "Letzte Einfachansicht/Mehrfachansicht". I agree that this is difficult, don't really have anything better, but it should be "Einzelansicht" not "Einfachansicht".

Cheers
Stephan

PS: I notice I should have started this discussion under "Development", not "Help". Can it be moved?

[Mark Grimshaw]

There you go. . .

[Stephan Matthiesen]

Another requests for comments:

"paraphrase" - "Erläuterung". The German doesn't really match the English meaning, as I understand it. I understand that this field is there so that the user can re-write parts of the resource in her/his own words (i.e. paraphrase), but purely based on the content of the resource, not include other material or own thoughts (these could then go into the comment of the paraphrase if necessary).

"Erläuterung", on the other hand, means more something like "explanation" or "annotation", often used where the meaning of the original isn't immediately clear to a reader, so it might be partly a rephrasing, but also giving background information or similar. In my understanding this would be recorded in a comment to a quote or paraphrase, but not in the paraphrase text itself.

So what's the best for "paraphrase"? "Umschreibung" or "Paraphrase" (though I'm not all Germans would know the greek word)?

Somehow they all feel a bit awkward to me, and perhaps I'm not completely clear yet about the purpose of the different fields, what the users are supposed to use them for.

[Notis Toufexis]

My bet would be to translate "paraphrase" with "Umschreibung" or "Umschreiben" -- "Paraphrase" oder "Paraphrasieren" is a bit too technical.
N.

[Mark Grimshaw]

Hi Stephan,

Your understanding of paraphrase is correct -- a rewriting of a passage from the source in your own words.

Quotes for quotations direct from the source.

Musings for your own ideas/scribblings about the source.

Mark

[Stephan Matthiesen]

Here's my first complete version. Let me know of any issues.

[Mark Grimshaw]

Many thanks Stephan,

I made a couple of corrections (e.g. to the README file) and have uploaded to the files section here. I also corrected some $variables that are still going wrong in HELP.php -- something I need to look at.

Regards,

Mark

[Stephan Matthiesen]

Hello Mark,

thanks for the corrections, I see what you mean about the variables.

For your info, I'm using the localization plugin, and only edited the raw files where necessary (mainly CONSTANTS.php). Not sure where the variable problem sneaked in, but I'll keep an eye on it in future versions.

I can continue to support the language pack for future version, at least for the foreseeable future (although in this modern world, how long is foreseeable?)

Cheers
Stephan

[Simon Levermann]

Thanks! I'll drop this in for my users, and tell them to let me know if they notice any translation issues. I'll look over it myself to and tell you if I find anything.

[Stephan Matthiesen]

I have a sentence that I don't understand in the English version. It's in config_upgradeDB3 in MESSAGES:

"Before upgrading, you should ensure that all attachments have been copied, if you are moving location, to the new attachments/ folder"

What do you mean by "if moving location"? Has the attachment folder changed from previous versions, or is this only relevant if somebody wants to upgrade the WIKINDX using a copy if the installation in a different directory, or something like that?

[Mark Grimshaw]

Hi Stephan,
It should properly be:
"Before upgrading, you should ensure that all attachments in wikindx3 have been copied to the new wikindx4/attachments/ folder".

Added to SVN.

Mark

[Stephan Matthiesen]

Hi Mark, thanks, that makes more sense.

[Stephan Matthiesen]

... translation updated to current SVN version, can be used for the release unless you're planning more string changes.

Cheers
Stephan

[Stephan Matthiesen]

... oh I added info about changing the date format to the README.txt

[Stephan Matthiesen]

... something wrong. The new strings news_title etc. and tinymce_headingAddTable etc. were not added to MESSAGES.xml. I thought the localization plugin does that automatically...

[Stephan Matthiesen]

I think there is something broken in the localization plugin. The last few strings news_title etc. are just not added to the translation, and if I add them manually to de/MESSAGES.xml they get deleted at the next edit.

Other new strings had no problems.

Help...

Stephan

[Mark Grimshaw]

Looking at it Stephan.

Mark

[Mark Grimshaw]

Interesting as it works for me. Here's what I end up with when I edit and save the MESSAGES.xml file with the editor:
<news>
<noNews>Es gibt keine Nachrichten</noNews>
<deleteConfirm>Nachricht ### löschen</deleteConfirm>
<title>Titel</title>
<body>__WIKINDX__NOT_YET_TRANSLATED__</body>
<emailNews>__WIKINDX__NOT_YET_TRANSLATED__</emailNews>
</news>
<tinymce>
<headingAddTable>blah</headingAddTable>
<headingAddImage>__WIKINDX__NOT_YET_TRANSLATED__</headingAddImage>
<headingAddLink>__WIKINDX__NOT_YET_TRANSLATED__</headingAddLink>
<tableColumns>__WIKINDX__NOT_YET_TRANSLATED__</tableColumns>
<tableRows>__WIKINDX__NOT_YET_TRANSLATED__</tableRows>
<imagePath>__WIKINDX__NOT_YET_TRANSLATED__</imagePath>
<linkPath>__WIKINDX__NOT_YET_TRANSLATED__</linkPath>
</tinymce>

Perhaps you could post here what the translations should be and I'll add them to the file and pass it back to you. That will allow me to look at it all later after I've released this version.

Mark

[Stephan Matthiesen]

Hi Mark,

strange, if I add this manually to MESSAGES.php, it just gets deleted every time I save through the localization plugin. I can change other things in the file without problem.

<news>
<noNews>Es gibt keine Nachrichten</noNews>
<deleteConfirm>Nachricht ### löschen</deleteConfirm>
<title>Titel</title>
<body>Haupttext</body>
<emailNews>E-maile die bearbeitete Nachricht an registrierte Benutzer</emailNews>
</news>
<tinymce>
<headingAddTable>Tabelle hinzufügen</headingAddTable>
<headingAddImage>Bild hinzufügen</headingAddImage>
<headingAddLink>Link hinzufügen</headingAddLink>
<tableColumns>Spalten</tableColumns>
<tableRows>Reihen</tableRows>
<imagePath>Bild-URL</imagePath>
<linkPath>URL</linkPath>
</tinymce>

[Mark Grimshaw]

Do those fields exists in reference/MESSAGES.php? (They do in mine.)

I notice the 4.1.9 Italian MESSAGES.xml has the correct fields.

For now, I've added the above to your localization and will release it when I release the main code (hopefully tonight).