Re: [libreoffice-l10n] gettext and translations

2017-06-01 18:14 GMT+03:00 Sophie <gautier.sophie@gmail.com>:

> Hi all,
>
> I invite all of you to have a read to that message from Caolan, it's a
> discussion, so please share your concerns, your solutions, your views :)
>
> https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/libreoffice/2017-May/077818.html
>
> For those who translates out of Pootle, msgctxt is to be removed, if you
> need them, just tell me how you use it.

Hi Sophie, *,

I read Caolán's mail, and while removing clutter is good, I'm really
worried by this proposed (impending?) removal of msgctxt. Namely, does
removing it mean that e.g. "Left", "Edit", "Number", "Print", "None" etc.
could no longer be translated differently (depending on the string's
precise context) within same module? How "big" would a module be in the
proposed new system anyway? Would all strings in same
toolbar/panel/dialog/menu/etc. be one module, or all strings in same
component, like the whole of Writer?

If answer to my first question is yes, then it would affect the more
inflected languages quite badly - and very, very badly if the answer to my
second question is anything that encompasses more than one single toolbar,
or one single panel, or dialog, or menu. The exact maximum size of one
module will vary by language.

Also, would removing msgctxt really only affect those of us who translate
offline? Doesn't Pootle distinguish strings based on that as well?

In any case, as has been said time and time again: especially for short
strings (one or two words), each and every appearance of the string HAS TO
BE independently translatable, no matter if the string is same in English -
consider these for example:
"Number" - is it noun or verb?
"None" - which gender, number, case, etc. does it have?
"Open/Save/Print" - is it dialog title or the button?

These are just a few most basic examples off the top of my head. There are
many, many more such strings out there in the Estonian translation alone -
and Estonian doesn't even have the grammatical gender distinction that e.g.
the Slavic languages have. Ask translators of e.g. Slovenian, Bulgarian,
Polish or Russian how many times they have had to fight in various
projects for splitting strings that are identical in English, but need e.g.
different gender forms in translation.

Anyway, since you asked especially for offline usecases, here's mine: when
updating the translation after several thousands of words go fuzzy after
each major release, I use msgctxt to quickly identify the (basic) context
of the string - is it dialog title, label, menuitem with/without context,
etc. - and match it to suitable TM suggestion. If the location of the
string remains unclear from msgctxt, or if it's a new feature, I go find
the actual location based on Key-ID. If I'd have to find every last one of
the fuzzies via Key-ID, translating LibreOffice would take a lot more time
and effort, and cause way lot more frustration.

Best regards,
Mihkel
Estonian team

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