Translating error/warning messages

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Asvarox
Mantis
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Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2012 11:59 am UTC

Re: Translating error/warning messages

Post by Asvarox »

I just more-or-less finished translating gamelogic. Well probably it's far from 'done', needs some testing and fixing, but that first step is complete. There are many strings though that seemed that they shouldn't be translated. Said errors/warning messages. At the begninning I was translating them but after a while I stopped and I'm unsure what I should do with them now. Should I just empty them out, or copy the English original or what? Client thing is also full of them

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Qrntz
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Re: Translating error/warning messages

Post by Qrntz »

Asvarox wrote:

I just more-or-less finished translating gamelogic. Well probably it's far from 'done', needs some testing and fixing, but that first step is complete. There are many strings though that seemed that they shouldn't be translated. Said errors/warning messages. At the begninning I was translating them but after a while I stopped and I'm unsure what I should do with them now. Should I just empty them out, or copy the English original or what? Client thing is also full of them

Some strings are explicitly meant for developers and curious server operators and not meant to be translated — those are usually prefixed with the name of the function they come from. When they're not and you're in doubt, check the original string location (listed right above the original message) and see how it's used and if the regular end user has to ever react to it¹. If so, translate it.
Among the «ERROR:»s and «WARNING:»s only those that contain instructions to the end user or those that have to do with the end user at all are to be translated.
As for what to do with them, you could just leave them empty but I prefer copying the original string for two reasons:
1) most translation applications (Pootle included) mark such strings as «unchanged» vs. «untranslated» for empty strings
2) it helps estimate the real translation progress

¹ Not just see it! Some messages are to be reported, not be dealt with by the users.

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Asvarox
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Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2012 11:59 am UTC

Re: Translating error/warning messages

Post by Asvarox »

Alright, I think I'd do best if I just check if you have translated certain string and do accordingly :) thanks for adivce

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