L10n:Localization Process: Difference between revisions
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Mozilla's [[L10n:Home_Page|L10n]] objective is offer as many users as possible a great user experience. That includes offering them the Mozilla applications in their language. The user experience follows the route | |||
* Finding Firefox on the web | |||
* Installing Firefox | |||
* Using Firefox | |||
* Updating Firefox | |||
* Upgrading Firefox to a new major version | |||
Now, this is obviously not the route the localizer experience follows, which is closer to | |||
* Wanting to contribute to Firefox in your language | |||
* Finding out what it takes -- you're at the right place here | |||
* Localizing the application | |||
* Get your localization to testers | |||
* Localize installation and migration | |||
* Translate web pages linked from the application | |||
* Translate Mozilla websites | |||
The following pages should show how those two experiences get along. You might also be interesting in localizing [http://wiki.mozilla.org/Update:Localizers AMO] or [http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/MDC:Localization_Projects developer documentation]. | |||
We're always looking for feedback to make this page better, so if you have something to say good or bad please post to the [http://www.mozilla.org/community/developer-forums.html#dev-l10n forum] or [mailto:mic@mozilla.com mail us]. | |||
= Volunteer = | |||
Volunteers wanting to contribute to a Mozilla application in their language should first try to find other community members already working on the localization or willing to help out. You should find them on the [[L10n:Teams]] page, which lists the teams by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_code language code]. If there is not team yet, please create a wiki page in the L10n:Teams category introducing yourself, following the examples set forth in the other pages. | |||
[ | The most lightweight way to expose your localization work to users and testers is to create an Add-on to hold your localization, a so-called language pack. Language packs can be uploaded to [https://addons.mozilla.org AMO], and get all the benefits that AMO brings from that. You don't have to worry about hosting costs, AMO will serve updates to your language pack to your users when they get public, you can create a nice description for your language pack, in your language, too. We're not changing our language strings on stable releases, so with the Add-on compatibility rules, your language pack will continue to work during minor updates. | ||
On the other hand, your users won't get a localized install experience of Firefox, including the profile migration dialogs. The AMO site won't be in your language, either. The in-product webpages will come up in one of the currently official languages on mozilla.com, bookmarks and search engines will be taken from the build that your users installed originally. If your users decide to upgrade to the next major version, your language packs will stop working, and get disabled like other incompatible Add-ons, until you uploaded a compatible version on AMO again. | |||
There | There is a detailed description of the [[L10n:Localization_Process_Start]] with links to further documentation and tools. | ||
If you're working on a dialect or a minority language, the disadvantages of language packs don't weigh in that bad, but for majority languages, in particular languages spoken by people without a second language supported by the Mozilla community so far, getting Firefox out there requires more work. | |||
= Official Release = | |||
= | |||
For your localization to be available directly for download on mozilla.com, there needs to be an official complete release rather than just a language pack add-on. Mozilla evaluates newly emerging localizations to possibly be turned into official localized builds. This depends on quality, popularity and other factors. | For your localization to be available directly for download on mozilla.com, there needs to be an official complete release rather than just a language pack add-on. Mozilla evaluates newly emerging localizations to possibly be turned into official localized builds. This depends on quality, popularity and other factors. | ||
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We will do some technical checks on the completeness and maturity of your localization. We'll be working together to make sure that your localization is hooked up at the right places in our build and release process, and that the hooks within Firefox to external services (such as search and web content handlers) are good for your locale and set up correctly. Your job is to make sure we don't break anything ;-) | We will do some technical checks on the completeness and maturity of your localization. We'll be working together to make sure that your localization is hooked up at the right places in our build and release process, and that the hooks within Firefox to external services (such as search and web content handlers) are good for your locale and set up correctly. Your job is to make sure we don't break anything ;-) | ||
The [[L10n:Localization_Process_Middle]] describes the necessary work and the steps we'll be taking together in more detail. | |||
Once all the additional work is done, the Mozilla Corporation will create up-to-date versions of the product for your language on our three major platforms and offers automatic security updates for it. | Once all the additional work is done, the Mozilla Corporation will create up-to-date versions of the product for your language on our three major platforms and offers automatic security updates for it. | ||
Once the official release is completed, your localization will be offered to people coming to the main Mozilla site as one of the language choices. Now it's time to take a step back and party :-)! | |||
Once | |||
The Mozilla project gives you room to take Firefox in your region to new heights, to grow your community, get more contributors, and much more. And then there's always the next major release - so you will want your localization to keep track of the progress of the project. 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 :-) | The Mozilla project gives you room to take Firefox in your region to new heights, to grow your community, get more contributors, and much more. And then there's always the next major release - so you will want your localization to keep track of the progress of the project. The [[L10n:Localization_Process_End]] talks about this in detail. 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 :-) | ||
Revision as of 12:53, 29 June 2007
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THIS PAGE IS A WORKING DRAFT | 
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| The page may be difficult to navigate, and some information on its subject might be incomplete and/or evolving rapidly. If you have any questions or ideas, please add them as a new topic on the discussion page. |
Mozilla's L10n objective is offer as many users as possible a great user experience. That includes offering them the Mozilla applications in their language. The user experience follows the route
- Finding Firefox on the web
- Installing Firefox
- Using Firefox
- Updating Firefox
- Upgrading Firefox to a new major version
Now, this is obviously not the route the localizer experience follows, which is closer to
- Wanting to contribute to Firefox in your language
- Finding out what it takes -- you're at the right place here
- Localizing the application
- Get your localization to testers
- Localize installation and migration
- Translate web pages linked from the application
- Translate Mozilla websites
The following pages should show how those two experiences get along. You might also be interesting in localizing AMO or developer documentation.
We're 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 mail us.
Volunteer
Volunteers wanting to contribute to a Mozilla application in their language should first try to find other community members already working on the localization or willing to help out. You should find them on the L10n:Teams page, which lists the teams by language code. If there is not team yet, please create a wiki page in the L10n:Teams category introducing yourself, following the examples set forth in the other pages.
The most lightweight way to expose your localization work to users and testers is to create an Add-on to hold your localization, a so-called language pack. Language packs can be uploaded to AMO, and get all the benefits that AMO brings from that. You don't have to worry about hosting costs, AMO will serve updates to your language pack to your users when they get public, you can create a nice description for your language pack, in your language, too. We're not changing our language strings on stable releases, so with the Add-on compatibility rules, your language pack will continue to work during minor updates.
On the other hand, your users won't get a localized install experience of Firefox, including the profile migration dialogs. The AMO site won't be in your language, either. The in-product webpages will come up in one of the currently official languages on mozilla.com, bookmarks and search engines will be taken from the build that your users installed originally. If your users decide to upgrade to the next major version, your language packs will stop working, and get disabled like other incompatible Add-ons, until you uploaded a compatible version on AMO again.
There is a detailed description of the L10n:Localization_Process_Start with links to further documentation and tools.
If you're working on a dialect or a minority language, the disadvantages of language packs don't weigh in that bad, but for majority languages, in particular languages spoken by people without a second language supported by the Mozilla community so far, getting Firefox out there requires more work.
Official Release
For your localization to be available directly for download on mozilla.com, there needs to be an official complete release rather than just a language pack add-on. Mozilla evaluates newly emerging localizations to possibly be turned into official localized builds. This depends on quality, popularity and other factors.
Doing an official release involves, among other things:
- More translation work (e.g. on installer and migration wizard)
- Doing localized versions of the web pages built into the product, and the start page
- Translated/localized bookmarks and possibly different search engines
We will do some technical checks on the completeness and maturity of your localization. We'll be working together to make sure that your localization is hooked up at the right places in our build and release process, and that the hooks within Firefox to external services (such as search and web content handlers) are good for your locale and set up correctly. Your job is to make sure we don't break anything ;-)
The L10n:Localization_Process_Middle describes the necessary work and the steps we'll be taking together in more detail.
Once all the additional work is done, the Mozilla Corporation will create up-to-date versions of the product for your language on our three major platforms and offers automatic security updates for it.
Once the official release is completed, your localization will be offered to people coming to the main Mozilla site as one of the language choices. Now it's time to take a step back and party :-)!
The Mozilla project gives you room to take Firefox in your region to new heights, to grow your community, get more contributors, and much more. And then there's always the next major release - so you will want your localization to keep track of the progress of the project. The L10n:Localization_Process_End talks about this in detail. 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 :-)