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List:       kde-i18n-doc
Subject:    Re: Context information needed for isolated words
From:       Albert Astals Cid <aacid () kde ! org>
Date:       2020-05-02 14:08:26
Message-ID: 4914028.Q0kiWt6iyO () xps
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El dissabte, 2 de maig de 2020, a les 13:11:55 CEST, Johan Ouwerkerk va escriure:
> On Sat, May 2, 2020 at 12:36 PM Eloy Cuadra <ecuadra@eloihr.net> wrote:
> > 
> > Hi,
> > 
> > There is a widespread problem across many text strings to be translated: some \
> > isolated words are gender invariable in English, but not in many languages. 
> > For example, let's consider this case of a cascade menu:
> > 
> > New
> > 
> > Folder
> > 
> > File
> > 
> 
> What prevents you from arbitrarily re-naming a particular top level
> entry? E.g. if you see "New", why not translate it as though it were
> "Create" if that makes your translation work more naturally?
> 
> I understand you'd want to stick as close as possible to the upstream
> default, but languages being languages no doubt someone will point out
> that verbs, too, could be conjugated differently depending on the
> object. Or aspect, time, mood, actor, tense, whether or not it is
> reflexive, medium, or otherwise. It could be that the verb might
> change completely: i.e that creating a new folder somehow requires a
> different translation of "create" than creating a new file would.
> Which might mean that "New > File" is much more appropriate as a
> starting point for *those* languages, because it avoids all the
> verb-related pitfalls.
> 
> English cares very little for any of that, so trying to account for it
> in English might only serve to render it clumsy and awkward.
> Conversely there are features which English is very particular about
> like articles which many other languages don't bother with at all.
> 
> All in all I think it is just easier if translation teams took some
> liberties to get the point across rather than hoping for English to
> become more like their native language. In particular this avoids most
> of the need for complicated rules about "what words to use when".

I don't think you understand what he is proposing.

There's no request to change the English strings at all, just to add context to them.

Please read https://techbase.kde.org/Development/Tutorials/Localization/i18n#Adding_Context_with_i18nc.28.29


Cheers,
  Albert

> 
> Regards,
> 
> - Johan
> 


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