[Tetum-translators] Fw: [Freedict-beta] A Tetum-English dictionary

[Peter Gossner]

Forwarded message:

Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2004 16:05:28 +1030
From: Peter Gossner <address@hidden>
To: Michael Bunk <address@hidden>
Subject: Re: [Freedict-beta] A Tetum-English dictionary


On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 00:40:32 +0100  Michael Bunk
<address@hidden> wrote:
>Hi Peter,
>
G'day Michael

>please excuse the gap. your questions were too advanced.
No they were just badly  "scoped" .. :)

>
>do you already use xml as source or something else?
No in fact I started to then just shifted to a simple empty line
format..

I started looking more seriously at The TEI dtds last night and I will
"port" to those..(for Freedict compatibility)  I think I can write an
AWK script or (better) a python script to automate it. ... 
(well I THINK that will work. I did a small test with awk to a really
simple DTD and AOK... )

On that note though.. I could write a DTD and or schema/xslt (based
somewhat on the concepts in the TEI dtd's.. ) 

I should explain:
A friend and I have (probably foolishly) decided to try to write a 4 way
translator (Tetum English Portuguese Indonesian)..GPL (of course) I have
also started studying the wordnet set and approach. Our target is to get
this to happen(proof of concept) by this years end.. One of the
"modules" is a markup standard for blocks of text/dictionary type
listings etc. As a side effect the schema could/will also define
dictionary(translating) mapping.

In short I need the practice :)

>
>if yes, is it available as source?

No but if you want one I think I can write one .. 
The TEI set seems very good but conceptually is focused on PRINT
dictionaries, However XML is almost always a "good thing" .. :)
I have not tried a large slab of markup / conversion yet so I am
talking through my hat. (sprechen guff)
In any case I will be puting the Tetum dicts to TEI.
If I manage to write sensible tools to automate it I will certainly let
you know.

>
>if not and you still want to move to xml, i want to help you.
>
>actually freedict only cares to keep xml. but like the server list we
>can easily make a database list.

I think I understand

>
>regarding release of binary packages trough the freedict project at 
>sourceforge you have to ask Horst Eyermann, because he is the only one
>with admin rights there (and those are needed to create release
>packages at sf).
>

Yep I will do that..(when the first round of testing is complete)
Thankyou.

>Once you get a dictd somewhere, tell me the server name, so i can
>include it in the server list. if you don't find a server, i can ask my
>sysadmin whether to include the tetum dictionaries there.
>

I will. I have only really started thinking about the server side
recently.


>Best wishes,
> Michael
hey thanks for the mail.
BTWay :

I have uploaded the first dictd / serpento tested versions to our site
at savannah (which is still not fully functional -savannah I mean)

And have some squirrelled away on my home site.. they are just plain
dict and index sets ..no xml but FYI:

http://bigbutton.com.au/~gossner/Timor/Reports/TL-Reports-index.html
(scroll to the bottom of the page ) (just until savannah finishes
repairs)

< http://www.gnu.org/software/tetum/ >

Sorry to Rabbit on perhaps I should summarise:
1/  I will port (soonish) the tetum dictionaries to TEI

2/ if my python / awk tools are any good I will tune them with you for
general use.

3/ We will be writing a schema soon that -in theory- should include the
freedict approach, I will be aiming to make sure we can output dict
format at least. (though with our own XML schema (well DTD at least))

4/ this is going to take some time .. 

Michael I will cc this to Lev (who is a linguist) and my partner in
crime on our 4way translator. (which we don't have a name for yet :)

Thanks again.
(oh I will doc the conversion process :)
(in docbook XML)

Pete

-- 
Todays fortune:
Accent on helpful side of your nature.  Drain the moat.
     
< http://www.gnu.org/software/tetum/ >
< http://bigbutton.com.au/~gossner >
< address@hidden >