+# A few questions about translating PO file
+
I have a few questions about translating PO file:
1. Assume I copied `ikiwiki.pot` file to `pl.po` file and translated it
from English to Polish. How can I check that my `pl.po` file works good?
-I have some experience with building Debian packages, but I don't too much
-about working with PO files in Debian packages.
+I have some experience with building Debian packages, but I don't know
+too much about working with PO files in Debian packages.
+
+ > Try putting it into the po/ directory and running make and make install
+ > in there, that should create the .mo and install it somewhere
+ > appropriate. ikiwiki should display translated messages when building the
+ > wiki (with -v).
2. I'll send you my translation when I finish it, of course. But what about
updating my PO file? Should I send it to you for every ikiwiki issue?
Maybe you should give write access to ikiwiki repository for translators
of PO files?
-
+
+ > I recently set up a git repository mirroring the main svn repository (see
+ > [[download]]) and one idea is that perhaps translators can use that for a
+ > distributed revision control system that I can merge back from into svn.
+ > I can set up accounts for svn, but as it's on my own personal server and
+ > not a sourceforge/alioth like thing, it's a bit of a pain and maintenance
+ > burden for me.
+
+ >> OK, I've picked up Subversion for your ikiwiki, so I can get into
+ >> Git now ;)
+
3. What is the best way to update my PO file when you do some changes in
`ikiwiki.pot` file? Should I translate my PO file from scratch or
can I do diff for old and new `ikiwiki.pot` file and update only differences?
+ > There are standard tools for working with po files, and the po file
+ > should be updated as part of the wiki build process so that any fuzzy
+ > strings are so marked.
+
+ >> Could you please point me any good references or write a quick start
+ >> for translators? I think it can be very useful for me and other people.
+
+ >>> I'm not a translator, so I don't really know..
+
+ >>>> OK, I hope I handle it :)
+
4. What about "gettexting" button titles and link names? Do you really
-think that there should be hardcoded in ikiwiki templates?
+think that there should be hardcoded in ikiwiki templates? --[[Paweł|ptecza]]
+
+ > I don't know, really. Recai's approach seems to show promise.
+
+ >> BTW, why does ikiwiki number my questions wrongly (1., 1., 1., 1.,
+ >> instead of 1., 2., 3., 4.)? Where have I made a Markdown mistake? --[[Paweł|ptecza]]
+
+ >>> My indentation mistake, I think. --[[Joey]]
+
+ >>>> Now it's perfect :) Thank you very much! --[[Paweł|ptecza]]
+
+----
+
+# Less laconic gettext messages
+
+I'm just translating `ikiwiki.pot` file to Polish and I have
+problems with some gettext messages, because unfortunately
+there are very laconic, for example "update of %s's %s by %s".
+
+Sometimes I don't understand background well, because I don't use
+all ikiwiki plugins and I have to check ikiwiki source code.
+Besides in Polish language we have conjugation of a verb and
+I can't do it correctly if I don't know what subject of
+a message is. Then I have to check the sources again...
+
+So I have a request to Joey and the rest of ikiwiki coders:
+please write more verbose gettext messages and don't fear using
+subject there. It will be huge help for me and other ikiwiki
+translators. Thank you! :) --[[Paweł|ptecza]]
+
+> Well, those messages are mostly laconic because they're output by
+> ikiwiki running in unix program mode and other tight situations, and
+> it should be clear from context when you see the expanded message what
+> the various bits are.
+>
+> For example, "update of foowiki's MooBar by joey" seems to say enough to
+> be clear (and fit in mutt's subject line display), while the corresponding
+> "actualizado el wiki foowiki y la página MooBar por el usuario joey" feels
+> a bit verbose. (And should it say "updated foowiki *and* the MooBar page"
+> like that? My Spanish sucks though..) In my crappy Spanish I might instead
+> say something like "actualizado MooBar de foowiki por joey". Or maybe
+> "actualizado página Moobar por joey"?
+
+>> But you know that "update of %s's %s by %s" string can be "update of
+>> foowiki's MooBar by joey", but I can only guess it :)
+
+> Anyway, to get back to your point, it's true that translators often
+> need additonal context about things like what variables expand to, and
+> size limits. This is generally done by adding comments in the pot file,
+> and I've turned that on, and added a few. --[[Joey]]
---Pawel
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+>> Thank you very much! It also will be a big help for me. --[[Paweł|ptecza]]
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