Translations are an important piece of the documentation process. If users cannot read the native language that the documentation is written in, then the documentation is not helpful to those users and the hard work that went into the documentation is not being utilized to its fullest extent.
This chapter discusses how translations are provided in Fedora documentation.
7.1. Translating Documentation
The cornerstone of translation when using XML files such as DocBook is the
Portable Object or
PO file. PO files provide a way for independent individuals or teams to translate documents.
PO files are usually found in two forms:
the
.pot file, or
PO Template (
POT)
the
.po file, or translation file (
PO)
A POT is, as the name suggests, a blank template for new translations. It contains some header information and a list of strings based on the content of the original XML file from which it was created. Translators do not alter the POT. The POT should only be changed after changes are made to the original XML file from which it is derived.
PO strings fall into three categories:
translated, meaning the string has been handled by a translator and its source has not changed since then
fuzzy, meaning the string has changed since it was last handled by a translator
untranslated, meaning no translation has yet been provided for this string, or it is brand new
