trunk/manual/translations_po.txt

Debian Installation Manual - notes for translation
--------------------------------------------------

This file explains how to translate the manual using .po files.
This is not yet officially supported yet, but the necessary tools are already
available and some languages are already using this method.

!!! For general information on translating the manual, please see the
!!! translations.txt file.

Note: if you happen to modify this file, please don't forget to
      update the trailing changelog

Background information
======================
There are currently two toolsets that support translating XML files using .po
files: KDE's poxml and po4a. We have chosen poxml as that gives better context
(it does not split paragraphs) for translation.
The downside of the poxml tools is that they require the .xml files to be
"proper" XML. Because some of the individual files in the English
original are not proper XML, we've had to "integrate" the files per chapter.

This means that instead translating about 160 small files, you will be
translating about 15 large files.

Current limitations
===================
The use of .po files for translating the manual is not yet officially
supported. This means that some things that will eventually be automated,
will now have to be done manually.
You are also not yet allowed to check in your .po files into d-i's SVN
repository. Instead you have to check in the integrated translated .xml files
that can be created from the .po files.

If there is more than one person working on the translation, this means you
will have to find some other way to give everybody access to the .po files.

Requirements
============
You will need to install the following packages on your system:
- gettext
- poxml
- gawk

Available tools
===============
You will not be using poxml itself, but rather some scripts that call the
poxml tools.

- ./scripts/merge_xml  : merges the small .xml files into larger files
- ./scripts/update_pot : creates (new) .pot templates based on integrated
                         English .xml files
- ./scripts/update_po  : updates your .po files when there are changes in the
                         English text (the .pot templates)
- ./scripts/create_xml : creates translated .xml files from the merged English
                         .xml files and the translated .po files
- ./scripts/create_po  : used to convert an existing .xml translation to
                         using .po files

All scripts should be run from the ./manual directory and take the language as
parameter.

Starting a new translation
==========================
Run the following commands:
  1. ./scripts/merge_xml en
  2. ./scripts/create_pot

The first command will create a directory ./integrated and in that the
integrated XML files for English.
The second command creates a directory ./po and in that the .pot template
files.

You can now start translating! Just copy a .pot file to a .<lang>.po file and
use your favorite .po file editor (like kbabel) to translate the .po file.
You don't need to copy all .pot files to begin with, just copy each one as you
start translating them.

Example for a Dutch translation:
  - cp ./po/bookinfo.pot ./po/bookinfo.nl.po
  - <po editor> ./po/bookinfo.nl.po

Committing your translation
===========================
Run the following command:
  1. ./scripts/create_xml <your language>

This command will create translated XML files for your language in the
./integrated directory (in a subdirectory for your language).
You next have to copy these files to their regular location and commit them
to the repository:
  2. cp -r ./integrated/<your language> .
  3. svn ci <your language> -m "<some comment describing the changes>"

If this is the first time you commit the translation or a file, you will need
to run the 'svn add' command on the new files before you do 'svn ci'.
Tip: use the commands 'svn st ' and 'svn diff' before you commit your changes
to check what you are committing before you run the 'svn ci' command.

NOTE
You should *not* run 'svn up' between the moment you last updated the .pot
templates and your .po files and the moment you create the .xml files for your
translation!

Updating your translation
=========================
When there are changes in the original English files, you will need to update
your .po files. Changed strings will be marked 'fuzzy' and new strings will be
untranslated.

Run the following commands:
  1. svn up
  2. ./scripts/merge_xml en
  3. ./scripts/create_pot
  4. ./scripts/update_po <your language>

After this your .po files in the ./po directory should be updated and you can
update your translation with your favorite .po file editor. To commit the
changes, follow again the procedure described in the previous section.

Converting an existing translation from .xml files to .po files
===============================================================
It is possible to convert an existing translation of the manual where the
individual XML files have been translated to using .po files.
There are two important conditions:
- the translation must be up-to-date with the English XML files;
- the translation must have same structure as the English XML files (i.e.
  the translation must have the same chapters, sections, paragraphs, tables,
  examples, etc; you can have no 'extra' paragraphs in your translation).

The first condition does not mean that everything needs to be translated!

The conversion is fairly difficult and some checks need to be done after some
of the steps.
If you would like to switch, please contact Frans Pop <aragorn@tiscali.nl>.
1	fjpop-guest	25593	Debian Installation Manual - notes for translation
2			--------------------------------------------------
3
4			This file explains how to translate the manual using .po files.
5			This is not yet officially supported yet, but the necessary tools are already
6			available and some languages are already using this method.
7
8			!!! For general information on translating the manual, please see the
9			!!! translations.txt file.
10
11			Note: if you happen to modify this file, please don't forget to
12			update the trailing changelog
13
14			Background information
15			======================
16			There are currently two toolsets that support translating XML files using .po
17			files: KDE's poxml and po4a. We have chosen poxml as that gives better context
18			(it does not split paragraphs) for translation.
19			The downside of the poxml tools is that they require the .xml files to be
20			"proper" XML. Because some of the individual files in the English
21			original are not proper XML, we've had to "integrate" the files per chapter.
22
23			This means that instead translating about 160 small files, you will be
24			translating about 15 large files.
25
26			Current limitations
27			===================
28			The use of .po files for translating the manual is not yet officially
29			supported. This means that some things that will eventually be automated,
30			will now have to be done manually.
31			You are also not yet allowed to check in your .po files into d-i's SVN
32			repository. Instead you have to check in the integrated translated .xml files
33			that can be created from the .po files.
34
35			If there is more than one person working on the translation, this means you
36			will have to find some other way to give everybody access to the .po files.
37
38			Requirements
39			============
40			You will need to install the following packages on your system:
41			- gettext
42			- poxml
43			- gawk
44
45			Available tools
46			===============
47			You will not be using poxml itself, but rather some scripts that call the
48			poxml tools.
49
50			- ./scripts/merge_xml : merges the small .xml files into larger files
51			- ./scripts/update_pot : creates (new) .pot templates based on integrated
52			English .xml files
53			- ./scripts/update_po : updates your .po files when there are changes in the
54			English text (the .pot templates)
55			- ./scripts/create_xml : creates translated .xml files from the merged English
56			.xml files and the translated .po files
57			- ./scripts/create_po : used to convert an existing .xml translation to
58			using .po files
59
60			All scripts should be run from the ./manual directory and take the language as
61			parameter.
62
63			Starting a new translation
64			==========================
65			Run the following commands:
66			1. ./scripts/merge_xml en
67			2. ./scripts/create_pot
68
69			The first command will create a directory ./integrated and in that the
70			integrated XML files for English.
71			The second command creates a directory ./po and in that the .pot template
72			files.
73
74			You can now start translating! Just copy a .pot file to a .<lang>.po file and
75			use your favorite .po file editor (like kbabel) to translate the .po file.
76			You don't need to copy all .pot files to begin with, just copy each one as you
77			start translating them.
78
79			Example for a Dutch translation:
80			- cp ./po/bookinfo.pot ./po/bookinfo.nl.po
81			- <po editor> ./po/bookinfo.nl.po
82
83			Committing your translation
84			===========================
85			Run the following command:
86			1. ./scripts/create_xml <your language>
87
88			This command will create translated XML files for your language in the
89			./integrated directory (in a subdirectory for your language).
90			You next have to copy these files to their regular location and commit them
91			to the repository:
92			2. cp -r ./integrated/<your language> .
93			3. svn ci <your language> -m "<some comment describing the changes>"
94
95			If this is the first time you commit the translation or a file, you will need
96			to run the 'svn add' command on the new files before you do 'svn ci'.
97			Tip: use the commands 'svn st ' and 'svn diff' before you commit your changes
98			to check what you are committing before you run the 'svn ci' command.
99
100			NOTE
101			You should not run 'svn up' between the moment you last updated the .pot
102			templates and your .po files and the moment you create the .xml files for your
103			translation!
104
105			Updating your translation
106			=========================
107			When there are changes in the original English files, you will need to update
108			your .po files. Changed strings will be marked 'fuzzy' and new strings will be
109			untranslated.
110
111			Run the following commands:
112			1. svn up
113			2. ./scripts/merge_xml en
114			3. ./scripts/create_pot
115			4. ./scripts/update_po <your language>
116
117			After this your .po files in the ./po directory should be updated and you can
118			update your translation with your favorite .po file editor. To commit the
119			changes, follow again the procedure described in the previous section.
120
121			Converting an existing translation from .xml files to .po files
122			===============================================================
123			It is possible to convert an existing translation of the manual where the
124			individual XML files have been translated to using .po files.
125			There are two important conditions:
126			- the translation must be up-to-date with the English XML files;
127			- the translation must have same structure as the English XML files (i.e.
128			the translation must have the same chapters, sections, paragraphs, tables,
129			examples, etc; you can have no 'extra' paragraphs in your translation).
130
131			The first condition does not mean that everything needs to be translated!
132
133			The conversion is fairly difficult and some checks need to be done after some
134			of the steps.
135			If you would like to switch, please contact Frans Pop <aragorn@tiscali.nl>.