L10n:Localization Process

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End to End Firefox Localization Process Overview

Our L10n objective is to help you get a community formed in your country and launch as many new languages/locales as we can, our current goal is to get to 100. This wiki page is meant to give you, as a new volunteer, an overview of what’s involved from start to finish of a new build and then ongoing releases. We try to keep it short and sweet, so what you'll find here is an overview and then links to more detail. This way if you're at the start you can jump to details about starting, same for the middle and end. (This page is about a 5 minute read, but the details are much longer). I am always looking for feedback to make this page better, so if you have something to say good or bad please post to the forum or file a bug [Question: what's best route for feedback?] .

Very simple overview

The 5 step process to localizing Firefox. Click on the links to get the more detailed view:

1 Volunteer appears and community STARTs to form

• This usually happens when there is a realization that Firefox is missing another language and there is a conclusion that if we form a community we can solve this problem, so we all get ready to turn our will into action.

2 Preparation for creating your language begins and this means you've entered the MIDDLE of the process

• Many types of skills are required to build your new version of Firefox
  • Translations skills: a lot of work is in translating typically from English to your language web and client application content, this is considered a basic thing you need to do to consider your work completed
  • Technical/Engineering/Testing skills: this means viewing, editing and reviewing code, to be successful you should understand how the build and release process of Mozilla works, and be passionate about details to ensure that your build is working the way you would expect it to, this is also considered another basic element you need
  • Community development skills: it is always good to have more people in the community who can help you, for example, make some product decisions, test your new build, spread the word, and come to build and launch parties ;-). Mozilla is working to better help people build Mozilla communities. More will be coming on this topic [Question: a link to Seth's page or something like it might be good here]
  • Marketing and Public Relations skills: once you've built your new version we'll want to help you let the world know that there is a new version available, we are currently working on a "buffet" of items to help you here and will write more on this soon.
  • Support skills: (Mic note to Axel/Choffman: need help here)

3 Localizations gets plugged into our build/release process for automation

• This is a nice time in the sense that you don't need to do much if any work to maintain your build. Once it gets plugged in all new minor releases are automatically updated. Your job is to make sure we don't break anything in your release ;-)

4 Builds are prepared for final major release and testing (what we refer to as Beta)

• During a major release e.g., Firefox 3 (and not release 2.0.0.4) we will ask you to fix bugs, get ready for many reviews, get plugged in and prepare yourself for the work required to ensure your code makes it into the tree for that major release
• You can expect daily builds start happening as this is an iterative process to get a candidate for final release

5 "Releases happens" for your locale - the END

• When this happens, your build will be offered to people coming to the main Mozilla site as one of the drop down language choices
• We like to celebrate success at Mozilla so we typically try to organize world wide parties to mark a major release. For Firefox 2 the team in Paris organized a huge party where people had lots of fun
• We would also like you to tell other people about your experience so that we can grow our Localizer and Developer community so we can do this all over again :-)