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Translation of Rainmeter

General topics related to Rainmeter.
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Chewtoy
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Re: Translation of Rainmeter

Post by Chewtoy »

So now you can make a sheet of what should be translated, send it around, make a script that replaces the words with the translated ones? ;)
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Samus Aran
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Re: Translation of Rainmeter

Post by Samus Aran »

No, I meant that you do the searching, and the program does the replacing. ;)
I can write all the translatable strings into a .txt-file if you want, but a script would be too much :p
NiteShdw
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Re: Translation of Rainmeter

Post by NiteShdw »

It sounds like there is a lot of interest in providing multiple translations for Rainmeter.

I dealt with this same issue developing BatteryBar. My solution was to add a translation class to the software. Every time I have to display text anywhere in the application, I make a call to the translation class to pull the text. That class then checks for an XML file for the current OS language. If it doesn't exist, it falls back on the default English.

This allows users to create custom translations just by modifying the XML file. To make it easier, I even made a simple application that display a grid control so users can edit the translation info in the application and save it as valid XML automatically.

I think the best approach of Rainmeter would be to take a similar approach, where no strings are hardcoded into the software.
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jsmorley
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Re: Translation of Rainmeter

Post by jsmorley »

while I would absolutely support translations for Rainmeter in principle, in practice I would oppose it.

Why is that?

1) We have extremely limited resources who both are very good at C++ and know the code and functioning of Rainmeter. So we have to prioritize carefully.

2) Rainmeter is both a "program" and in a sense a "language". It would not be enough to change the strings for the context menu and error messages in the application, we would want to change the skin elements like "FontSize" and "MeasureName" and the values like "Bold" and "Processor" and that is an impossible task. First it would mean changing these elements and values from strings to numbers for the purpose of the code, so it becomes language independent, then some kind of look up function to change "FontSize" and "DimensioneCarattere" into the appropriate numeric code. This would be a major re-write of Rainmeter in my opinion. More importantly, a skin written in German is going to be insanely difficult for an Italian to edit or merge code with their existing skins.

3) It would also mean translating RainBrowser and RainThemese and ALL Plugins and addons. Some of the addons for Rainmeter are not in C++, and would also have to have major re-writes to support this.

4) We have a fairly large manual and just TONS of supplemental documentation on the main site that is all in English, and would provide zero help if the language the user sees in the program and and skins is not the same as the information in the manual. It would mean translating all of this, and that would be a major project and prone to error. Translating a "word" from language to language is not all that hard. Translating "concepts" from language to language has caused more than a few wars over the centuries.

If we were an open source project like Firefox or linux or something, with a large development community and a well-oiled structure in place to reconcile code branches and manage a project like that, which we most certainly do NOT, then it would be very possible and I would support moving forward. In our situation, I suspect that we would have to sacrifice all progress on Rainmeter itself just to accomplish this, and even then I would not be ensured of anything other than a mess.

I think any suggestion that we just change the context menu and error messages, which might not be too hard, and leave everything else as it is, would be pointless window dressing. The problem people who don't speak English have is not with "About" on the context menu, it's the skins themselves, and I don't think we are nearly at a place where we have the resources or structure to support this.
NiteShdw
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Re: Translation of Rainmeter

Post by NiteShdw »

I would agree with your last statement. Translations are only appropriate for the GUI, the text that's user-facing. Most people probably just install existing skins and never touch the INI files, so translating that code would be a waste of resources.

I did think of something that may be interesting for a future version. Add a feature to the INI parser that would allow skins to become translatable. For example, you may add some sort of function that could be called that would take a number or string and return a string by searching a separate language section or separate INI file for the string translation. That also would probably be a lot of work that could be better spent elsewhere. Still, it sticks to the philosophy of allowing user-facing text to be translated.
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kenz0
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Re: Translation of Rainmeter

Post by kenz0 »

Sounds good.
As for the multilingualization of GUI, I agree completely.
In fact, most of the user in Japan uses an unofficial Japanese localization patch. If the localized menu is provided, it would be greatly help them.
Of course it's not limited to Japanese users. I know the fact how many users except the English-speaking countries exist. (especially asian) So I think that it is very meaningful for Rainmeter of the future to consider this fact.
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jsmorley
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Re: Translation of Rainmeter

Post by jsmorley »

kenz0 wrote:Sounds good.
As for the multilingualization of GUI, I agree completely.
In fact, most of the user in Japan uses an unofficial Japanese localization patch. If the localized menu is provided, it would be greatly help them.
Of course it's not limited to Japanese users. I know the fact how many users except the English-speaking countries exist. (especially asian) So I think that it is very meaningful for Rainmeter of the future to consider this fact.
I don't disagree kenz0. It would be great indeed.
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