Re: Summary (Re: A system for localizing documentation strings)

[Jan Djärv]

Jean-Christophe Helary skrev:
> I will try here to make a short summary of the discussions.
> 
> I'll start with quoting myself (with a modification in the 3rd
> requirement):
> 
>> What we need is provide:
>> 1) a way for coders to identify the necessary strings for the translation

Yes, we need something in elisp that identifies strings to be translated.  For
C gettext mostly uses the macro _(...).  But it is something that gettext must
be able to recognize, and somethin coders easy can add to strings that shall
be translated.

>> 2) a way for translators to add translated strings "the emacs way"

We don't need that.  Translators are organized in teams, and everything uses
gettext.  We do not want a different mechanism here.  Many translators
translates programs they very rarely, if ever, use.  It would be a mistake to
not use gettext.

>> 3) a way for users to have the localized strings displayed

Gettext does that already.  I guess we have to modify print or some low level
C function in Emacs to use gettext.

> 
> We have also identified another requirement:
> 
> 4) a way for other coders to read the code without having unrelated
> documentation strings coming in the way

Translations does not belong in the code, that is why this requirement is
automatically satisfied if gettext is used.

We need a way to identify elisp strings to be translated, maybe gettext must
be modified to do this.  We also need to find where in Emacs gettext shall be
called.  And that is it, but probably hard work nonetheless.

        Jan D.