Finding TranslationsAdventures in localization and
internationalization
@valeriecodes
Defining our termsLocalization - the process of adapting
internationalized software for a specific region or language by
adding locale-specific components and translating
textInternationalization- the process of designing a software
application so that it can potentially be adapted to various
languages and regions without engineering changes
Thanks, Wikipedia!
@valeriecodesInternationalization is the process of setting up
your app in a way that it can be localized, whereas localization is
the actual process of adapting your app for use in other locales,
including translation, distance and time conversions, and different
feature sets.
In plain EnglishTranslating (and getting ready to translate)
your app.
@valeriecodes
What is translation?Language-English to French, French to
Arabic, English to German, Swahili to Esperanto, Spanish to
CantoneseCultural-British to American, Portuguese to Brazilian,
Canadian to AustralianRegister-Formal to informal, professional to
Twitter, AP style to MLA style
@valeriecodesMostly touching on first typeOther aspects of
second type: measurement, government/legal terms, dialect
differencesTranslators should be aware of third typeMaybe you could
use some of the same toolsE.G. kid and parent versions of site
Who Am I?24601
Valerie Woolard@valeriecodesRails developer at PanoplyInterests
in linguistics, translation, and languagePast life as a French
major
@valeriecodes
So you want to localize your app...
@valeriecodes
When should you think about localization?Now.
Think about your app and its possible audience. If your set of
possible users is not a subset of US-based English speakers,
localization is something that should be on your radar.
@valeriecodesEven if you dont see a future where your app is
localized, writing it with localization in mind will lead you to
other good practicesVery few things are just going to be tailored
to just English speakers, esp. Considering how many languages are
spoken in the US
When should you internationalize?Before you need to. (Now.)Dont
hard code strings into your views, use keys!
@valeriecodesConverting strings in your views to keys is an easy
win that you can do RIGHT NOW
Rails localization conventionsGuide:
http://guides.rubyonrails.org/i18n.htmlTranslate vs. localize.yml
files everywhereTheres a lot built in for you
@valeriecodesTranslate: language (what language does this person
speak?)Localize: measurement, etc. (where is this person from?)By
default rails uses yml files, well talk more about this later
But this gets annoying fast
@valeriecodesThink about the scale of your app and how many
strings youre likely to needHundreds? Thousands?At what point is it
practical to store everything in yml?Customize yml files to be
per-feature
Theres a gem for
thatrails-i18nLocaleappGlobalizeGeocoderi18n-tasks
@valeriecodesRails-18n - translations for errors- activerecord
stuff- date formatting- much moreLocaleapp: webapp for storing
translationsProvides interface for translators to log in fromAlso
tied into paid translation servicesGlobalize Adds translations to
ActiveRecord modelsLocalize attributesIf you have a blog with posts
that need localized versionsGeocoderLocation-based locale
selectionI18n-tasksReport keys that are missing or unused.Pre-fill
missing keys, optionally from Google Translate.Remove unused
keys.
Redis-based
solutionhttp://railscasts.com/episodes/256-i18n-backendsOther
possible database backends?
@valeriecodesActiveRecord also possibleFrequency of
accessIn-memory store probably preferableCaching issues
Or just edit the YMLThe usual wayOr in a graphical YML
editor
@valeriecodes
Things to considerWhat needs to be translated?Page titles?Model
attributes?Large blocks of text?Lots of strings?Special
characters?Who is translating it and what tools do they
need?Contextual informationA nice GUI?
@valeriecodes
Here be dragons
@valeriecodesAny time youre translating fragments or
concatenating translated strings together, take a step back
The parade of foolish assumptions
@valeriecodes
Fragments can be translated with accuracy
@valeriecodesDifferent syntaxVerb may go at end of sentenceFull
sentence may be needed for conjugating/genderingInstead, use
variables in a full sentence to drop in your own textVariable can
be passed in with locale key
Pluralization works the same in other languages
More on pluralization rules:
http://www.unicode.org/cldr/charts/latest/supplemental/language_plural_rules.html
@valeriecodesEnglish:- zero & more than 1- 1Other languages
may make different distinctionsDont hard code thisInstead, use the
count variable
Other languages use the same level of specificity
@valeriecodesGenderRegister (formal/informal)Context/specificity
of wordKorean has multiple words for in--one to denote a snug fit
in a container, one to denote a loose fit
A message can be conveyed in another language in the same
space
@valeriecodesSome languages may use far less or more space to
convey the same informationFit more characters in a space or adding
a line, shrinking textFixed height/width containersThink about this
when writing CSS/doing frontend workGeneral rule of thumb in
English to French translation: French text will always take up more
space
The flow of text will always be
left-to-rightLeft-to-right/Right-to-left
@valeriecodes
The character set will always be the Roman alphabet
@valeriecodes
Holy merge conflicts, Batman!
@valeriecodesIf everything is in one yml file, things get messy
quickWith everyone modifying a single yml file, merge conflicts are
likelyYou also probably dont want to give everyone who wants to
change copy repo accessBreak up keysSubmoduleDatabaseSeparate
repoLocaleapp/other external source of truth
Concerns:- Ease of use- Audit trail- Ease of rollback- File
size/complexity
But how does your app translate?Think about cultural and legal
implications and differences when choosing how to localize and what
countries and languages to localize forPrivacyLegal issuesCultural
differences
@valeriecodesBefore you decide to internationalize for a given
region, think about all these things- Other countries have
different norms around privacy, religion, tracking- There may be
legal issues, do not track, copyright, defamation- The same needs
may not exist: healthcare, transport- Social and cultural
differences: attitudes toward gay people, etc.
Key takeawaysThink about localization nowYour translators should
have a good understanding of your appTranslation is hardKnow your
audience
@valeriecodesBefore you decide to internationalize for a given
region, think about all these things- Other countries have
different norms around privacy, religion, tracking- There may be
legal issues, do not track, copyright, defamation- The same needs
may not exist: healthcare, transport
Questions?
@valeriecodes
Get in
[email protected]://valerie.codesGithub:
valeriecodesTwitter: @valeriecodes
@valeriecodes
