Re: [nvda-translations] Use of Multi Meaningful words: A headache to translator!

  • From: "Rui Fontes" <rui.fontes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <nvda-translations@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2012 14:57:19 +0100

Yes, that is a real problem.
Other similar problem is the problem of english having masculine, feminine and without sex... So, in case of NVDA, almost everything, radio buttons, checkboxes, and so on, fall in the third category. In portuguese we only have two categories, masculine or feminine. By instance, radio button is masculine and checkbox is femenine.

In the case of the message "active" in portuguese can be translated as "activo" or "activa".

Rui


-----Mensagem Original----- De: Him Prasad Gautam
Data: sábado, 8 de Setembro de 2012 14:12
Para: nvda-translations@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: mesar.hameed@xxxxxxxxx
Assunto: [nvda-translations] Use of Multi Meaningful words: A headache to translator!

Dear All,
Are you also getting the same nature of problem as below?
Either yes or no, let you give your opinion….

As a translator, I am questioned by some ne locale users regarding the
inappropriateness translation of some 'multi meaningful English word'
messages like 'on' or 'off'. As we all know that these words are used
in many but entirely different situational cases e.g.
Caps/Scroll/Numlock key: on/off, AC line: on/off, Mouse tracking:
on/off and many things can be said by the same word of 'on/off'.  It
is appropriate for English but the same does not apply to other
language. In Nepali, there exists no a single word which may be used
to express the situation of a key on a keyboard and state of the
supply of the electricity! Just to address different conditional
states of different messages, like msgid "on" or msgid "off" are a
great headache and seriously challenge the quality of the translator.
What to do if a common word fit for all such messages does not exits
in own language?  Instead if the developer use  the word something
like 'locked/unlocked' for keys of a keyboard,
'connected/Disconnected' for power supply, 'yes/no' for mouse tracking
and so on; there would no problem of looking an appropriate words for
translators!

I request James and Mesar to pay an attention in this issue and make a
strict policy of using specific word for message instead of using a
common English word (like on/off) unless an alternate specific
English vocabulary exists. Definitely, this concept increases the list
of messages to be translated but additional work for just few more
words is not that much burden. Present list of 1129 message may be
1200, so what? it will be easily translated but in a flexible
environment for choosing an appropriate words! This will increase the
quality of translation.


Him Prasad Gautam
Kathmandu, Nepal

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