Thread: What do we translate? How/When?

One of the requirements that Dave posted a few days ago for us newcomers is
that the site "should be multilingual for static and non-static pages."  Could
some of the experienced folks answer the following questions, to help me and
others get an idea of what you have in mind?

[I have no experience with multilingual sites, so I have no concept of how
it's normally done.  I *do* have a degree in linguistics, however, and am
familiar to some degree with about eight spoken/written languages, so I'm
aware of some of the potential issues.]

How does translation currently happen for the PostgreSQL sites?

How do we want it to happen, if different?

Do we translate everything on every site, everything on some sites, or certain
things on certain sites?  For example, do we translate news items?
Contributed techdoc articles?

Do we translate things before they're published in their original language, or
afterwards?  Does this depend on the type of article?

Do we have a concept of primary and secondary translations?  If not, should
we?  For example, do we have some translations that are always done, and
others that get done as people have time?

Big Picture: What is our overall goal for a multilingual PostgreSQL site, and
is it something that we can reasonably attain, given our current volunteers'
availability?


If there's a consensus on these questions, it would be helpful for me to know
it.  (Please point me to the appropriate place in the archives if this has
already been hashed out, or give me a rough time frame and I can look.)

If this hasn't really been discussed, it would probably be a good idea to do
so, as it should help determine our design choices going forward.

Thanks,

Steve Simms
Database Developer & Administrator
Medical Media Systems, Inc.

Steve Simms wrote:
> How does translation currently happen for the PostgreSQL sites?
>
> How do we want it to happen, if different?

For the most part, it doesn't happen at all.  The advocacy site appears
to store the strings in a database and has a web interface to edit
them, but I'm just reading that now from a quick glance at the source
code.  Just the other day there was a discussion about "how do we want
it to happen".  Start here

http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-www/2004-01/msg00062.php

to catch up.  But the issue is unresolved.

> Do we translate everything on every site, everything on some sites,
> or certain things on certain sites?  For example, do we translate
> news items? Contributed techdoc articles?

In principle, we would like to translate everything.  But the
prioritzation will have to be left to those who want to do the
translation work.  However, most people are currently focussing on
creating a new infrastructure for the www. and the advocacy. sites, so
you will most likely see the earliest results there.

> Do we translate things before they're published in their original
> language, or afterwards?  Does this depend on the type of article?
>
> Do we have a concept of primary and secondary translations?  If not,
> should we?  For example, do we have some translations that are always
> done, and others that get done as people have time?

Well, we are not a commercial operation with employees on schedules.
Work happens when people have time.  Except on extraordinary occasions
(such as releases, when the press releases should be ready at about the
same time), translation teams will revise and update translations
whenever they feel like it.