path: root/doc/nls.texi

@node Translation Intro
@chapter Notes on the Free Translation Project

@set STATUS November 2001

Free software is going international!  The Free Translation Project is
a way to get maintainers of free software, translators, and users all
together, so that will gradually become able to speak many languages.
A few packages already provide translations for their messages.

If you found this @file{ABOUT-NLS} file inside a distribution, you
may assume that the distributed package does use GNU @code{gettext}
internally, itself available at your nearest GNU archive site.  But you
do @emph{not} need to install GNU @code{gettext} prior to configuring,
installing or using this package with messages translated.

Installers will find here some useful hints.  These notes also explain
how users should proceed for getting the programs to use the available
translations.  They tell how people wanting to contribute and work
at translations should contact the appropriate team.

When reporting bugs in the @file{intl/} directory or bugs which may
be related to internationalization, you should tell about the version
of @code{gettext} which is used.  The information can be found in
the @file{intl/VERSION} file, in internationalized packages.

@menu
* Configuration advice::
* INSTALL Matters::
* Using This Package::
* Translating Teams::
* Available Packages::
* Using gettext in own code::
@end menu

@node Configuration advice
@section Quick configuration advice

If you want to exploit the full power of internationalization, you
should configure it using

@example
./configure --with-included-gettext
@end example

@noindent
to force usage of internationalizing routines provided within this
package, despite the existence of internationalizing capabilities in the
operating system where this package is being installed.  So far, only
the @code{gettext} implementation in the GNU C library version 2
provides as many features (such as locale alias, message inheritance,
automatic charset conversion or plural form handling)
as the implementation here.  It is also not possible to offer this
additional functionality on top of a @code{catgets} implementation.
Future versions of GNU @code{gettext} will very likely convey even more
functionality.  So it might be a good idea to change to GNU
@code{gettext} as soon as possible.

So you need @emph{not} provide this option if you are using GNU libc 2 or
you have installed a recent copy of the GNU gettext package with the
included @file{libintl}.


@node INSTALL Matters
@section INSTALL Matters

Some packages are @dfn{localizable} when properly installed; the
programs they contain can be made to speak your own native language.
Most such packages use GNU @code{gettext}.  Other packages have their
own ways to internationalization, predating GNU @code{gettext}.

By default, this package will be installed to allow translation of
messages.  It will automatically detect whether the system already
provides the GNU @code{gettext} functions.  If not, the GNU
@code{gettext} own library will be used.  This library is wholly
contained within this package, usually in the @file{intl/} subdirectory,
so prior installation of the GNU @code{gettext} package is @emph{not}
required.  Installers may use special options at configuration time for
changing the default behaviour.  The commands:

@example
./configure --with-included-gettext
./configure --disable-nls
@end example

@noindent
will respectively bypass any pre-existing @code{gettext} to use the
internationalizing routines provided within this package, or else,
@emph{totally} disable translation of messages.

When you already have GNU @code{gettext} installed on your system and
run configure without an option for your new package, @code{configure}
will probably detect the previously built and installed @file{libintl.a}
file and will decide to use this.  This might be not what is desirable.
You should use the more recent version of the GNU @code{gettext}
library.  I.e. if the file @file{intl/VERSION} shows that the library
which comes with this package is more recent, you should use

@example
./configure --with-included-gettext
@end example

@noindent
to prevent auto-detection.

The configuration process will not test for the @code{catgets} function
and therefore it will not be used.  The reason is that even an
emulation of @code{gettext} on top of @code{catgets} could not provide
all the extensions of the GNU @code{gettext} library.

Internationalized packages have usually many @file{po/@var{ll}.po}
files, where @var{ll} gives an @w{ISO 639} two-letter code
identifying the language.  Unless translations have been forbidden
at @code{configure} time by using the @samp{--disable-nls} switch,
all available translations are installed together with the package.
However, the environment variable @code{LINGUAS} may be set, prior
to configuration, to limit the installed set.  @code{LINGUAS} should
then contain a space separated list of two-letter codes, stating
which languages are allowed.

@node Using This Package
@section Using This Package

@c --
@c FIXME: rewrite to document the aliases.
@c --
As a user, if your language has been installed for this package, you
only have to set the @code{LANG} environment variable to the appropriate
@samp{@var{ll}_@var{CC}} combination.  Here @samp{@var{ll}} is an
@w{ISO 639} two-letter language code, and @samp{@var{CC}} is an
@w{ISO 3166} two-letter country code.  For example, let's suppose that you
speak German and live in Germany.  At the shell prompt, merely execute
@w{@samp{setenv LANG de_DE}} (in @code{csh}),
@w{@samp{export LANG; LANG=de_DE}} (in @code{sh}) or
@w{@samp{export LANG=de_DE}} (in @code{bash}).  This can be done from your
@file{.login} or @file{.profile} file, once and for all.

You might think that the country code specification is redundant.  But in
fact, some languages have dialects in different countries.  For example,
@samp{de_AT} is used for Austria, and @samp{pt_BR} for Brazil.  The country
code serves to distinguish the dialects.

Not all programs have translations for all languages.  By default, an
English message is shown in place of a nonexistent translation.  If you
understand other languages, you can set up a priority list of languages.
This is done through a different environment variable, called
@code{LANGUAGE}.  GNU @code{gettext} gives preference to @code{LANGUAGE}
over @code{LANG} for the purpose of message handling, but you still
need to have @code{LANG} set to the primary language; this is required
by other parts of the system libraries.
For example, some Swedish users who would rather read translations in
German than English for when Swedish is not available, set @code{LANGUAGE}
to @samp{sv:de} while leaving @code{LANG} to @samp{sv_SE}.

In the @code{LANGUAGE} environment variable, but not in the @code{LANG}
environment variable, @samp{@var{ll}_@var{CC}} combinations can be
abbreviated as @samp{@var{ll}} to denote the language's main dialect.
For example, @samp{de} is equivalent to @samp{de_DE} (German as spoken in
Germany), and @samp{pt} to @samp{pt_PT} (Portuguese as spoken in Portugal)
in this context.

@c An operating system might already offer message localization for many of
@c its programs, while other programs have been
@c installed locally with the full capabilities of GNU @code{gettext}.
@c Just using @code{gettext} extended syntax for @code{LANG} would break
@c proper localization of already available operating system programs.
@c FIXME: The user doesn't care about design justifications. --bruno

@node Translating Teams
@section Translating Teams

For the Free Translation Project to be a success, we need interested
people who like their own language and write it well, and who are also
able to synergize with other translators speaking the same language.
Each translation team has its own mailing list.  The up-to-date list
of teams can be found at the Free Translation Project's homepage,
@file{http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/contrib/po/HTML/}, in the
"National teams" area.

If you'd like to volunteer to @emph{work} at translating messages, you
should become a member of the translating team for your own language.
The subscribing address is @emph{not} the same as the list itself, it
has @samp{-request} appended.  For example, speakers of Swedish can send
a message to @w{@file{sv-request@@li.org}}, having this message body:

@example
subscribe
@end example

Keep in mind that team members are expected to participate
@emph{actively} in translations, or at solving translational
difficulties, rather than merely lurking around.  If your team does not
exist yet and you want to start one, or if you are unsure about what to
do or how to get started, please write to
@w{@file{translation@@iro.umontreal.ca}} to reach the
coordinator for all translator teams.

The English team is special.  It works at improving and uniformizing
the terminology in use.  Proven linguistic skill are praised
more than programming skill, here.

@node Available Packages
@section Available Packages

Languages are not equally supported in all packages.  The following
matrix shows the current state of internationalization, as of
@value{STATUS}.  The matrix shows, in regard of each package, for which
languages PO files have been submitted to translation coordination,
with a translation percentage of at least 50%.

@include matrix.texi

Some counters in the preceding matrix are higher than the number of visible
blocks let us expect.  This is because a few extra PO files are used for
implementing regional variants of languages, or language dialects.

For a PO file in the matrix above to be effective, the package to which
it applies should also have been internationalized and distributed as
such by its maintainer.  There might be an observable lag between the
mere existence a PO file and its wide availability in a distribution.

If @value{STATUS} seems to be old, you may fetch a more recent copy
of this @file{ABOUT-NLS} file on most GNU archive sites.  The most
up-to-date matrix with full percentage details can be found at
@file{http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/contrib/po/HTML/matrix.html}.


@node Using gettext in own code
@section Using @code{gettext} in new packages

If you are writing a freely available program and want to internationalize
it you are welcome to use GNU @file{gettext} in your package.  Of course
you have to respect the GNU Library General Public License which covers
the use of the GNU @file{gettext} library.  This means in particular that
even non-free programs can use @code{libintl} as a shared library, whereas
only free software can use @code{libintl} as a static library or use
modified versions of @code{libintl}.

Once the sources are changed appropriately and the setup can handle to
use of @code{gettext} the only thing missing are the translations.  The
Free Translation Project is also available for packages which are not
developed inside the GNU project.  Therefore the information given above
applies also for every other Free Software Project.  Contact
@w{@file{translation@@iro.umontreal.ca}} to make the @file{.pot} files
available to the translation teams.