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List:       kde-i18n-doc
Subject:    Re: Rosetta for Kubuntu Dapper and KDE
From:       Kevin Donnelly <kevin () dotmon ! com>
Date:       2006-05-27 13:49:49
Message-ID: 200605271500.49451.kevin () dotmon ! com
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Hi Jonathan

On Saturday 27 May 2006 01:33, Jonathan Riddell wrote:
> Ubuntu's web based translation tool Rosetta is now complete for Ubuntu
> and Kubuntu Dapper.  

This is an interesting development.  In principle, I'd certainly consider 
letting Rosetta be the main web interface to the Welsh effort, since I have 
limited time to work on Kartouche, but there are a few issues I think need to 
be clarified first.

The first is whether or not this gives an individual distro too much leverage.  
I'm not sure that web interfaces have been quite as successful as I might 
have hoped three years ago, but is it a good idea to have "the" KDE one 
farmed out to a specific distro?  (This is particularly the case when the 
software behind the frontend is not open-source!)  I know that any distro 
could set up such a frontend (Linspire already has), but then just as 
difficult a question comes up - how to coordinate the translations coming 
from different sources.

In fact, what is the relationship between the web material and the KDE-svn 
material?  The latter has to be the gold standard, for the simple reason that 
it is available for ALL distros to use.  If so, it implies that the Rosetta 
stuff needs to be synced with KDE-svn.  What are the arrangements for doing 
this, and will the current KDE teams be approached in regard to these?  If 
not (ie the KDE-svn stuff will be synced with Rosetta), why precisely is KDE 
being forked?

There are some ramifications of this.  For instance, if the GNOME team has 
decided on a particular term for something, and the KDE team has standardised 
on another one, does this mean that that term will be changed in the KDE 
translations without input from the KDE team?

I'm also not clear about relative "levels" between the different "domains".  
For instance, if I click the tuxpaint file, I am told that I am "not an 
official translator for this file", even though I did the translation.   If I 
apply for official status so that I can work on the file, who makes the 
decision, and on what basis?  I don't see a major problem in relation to a 
little app like this, but the same, but in spades, applies to the KDE files, 
where, although I am not the sole translator, I am the coordinator.  This 
presumably means that I would be "reporting to" whoever the Ubuntu language 
coordinator is, since they are the ones granting the status.  Seems a bit 
odd.

On a practical issue, I think giving a huge list of files, with no indication 
of where they belong, is a major useability no-no.  They need at least to be 
segregated by domain, and preferably by program-area too (eg graphics, 
office, etc).  It is also confusing that they are not listed alphabetically, 
since "important" files are listed first.

I also note that KOffice files are not listed yet (although OpenOffice.org 
files are) - is it intended to import them too?

-- 

Pob hwyl / Best wishes

Kevin Donnelly

www.kyfieithu.co.uk - KDE yn Gymraeg
www.eurfa.org.uk - Geiriadur rhydd i'r Gymraeg
www.rhedadur.org.uk - Rhedeg berfau Cymraeg
www.cymrux.org.uk - Linux Cymraeg ar un CD

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