L10n:Starting a localization: Difference between revisions

From MozillaWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
 
(22 intermediate revisions by 4 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
This document outlines what you should expect in order to start building a new language, in the form of a language pack.
__NOTOC__{{L10navbar}}<p><br>


= Team building =
Every existing L10n team began with a common characteristic: they all wanted to share the open web with everyone who shared their language. From there, they began an effort that ultimately resulted in a localized version of Firefox for their region of the world. As this desire spreads around the world, more and more people come to the Mozilla L10n program to either localize Firefox for a new region of users or to join forces with an existing L10n team in their region.  
Initially, you want to join an existing team or start a new one if there isn't one already working on your language.  


* Check out the [[L10n:Teams]] list to determine whether your language is already started or not.
=The L10n teams=
* Add yourself to a [[L10n:Teams]] wiki page that identifies you and what you're working on so people can find you.
* If you haven't already you should also get onto the IRC Channel, [http://irc.mozilla.org/ #l10n]. You will be able to get real-time help from other localizers and members of the L10n-driver team. You can also post questions or suggestions to [http://www.mozilla.org/community/developer-forums.html#dev-l10n m.d.l10n], available as newsgroup or on Google groups. In addition, you would want to have a bugzilla account as the majority of our work is started and tracked to completion in this way.
* Set up a communication channel for your language. You can use mailing lists or newsgroups, which many open source hosting partners offer, or simply open a Google or Yahoo group. You should leave a link to this forum on the wiki page for your language, so that new volunteers and members of the Mozilla community can find it. That's important because building a community around you to support your work is an essential part of being an open source project.


= Localization work =
A comprehensive list of our awesome L10n teams is located on the [[L10n:Teams|L10n:Teams page]]. We use [[L10n:Locale_Codes|locale codes]] to identify these teams. Locale codes list the language first, then the region where the language is spoken (e.g., Mexican Spanish = es-MX). Each organized team has a wiki page to identify their team members, their main projects, and how to contact them. These teams are largely self-governing and can often include contributors who are focused on more areas of Mozilla than only L10n. They all range in sizes from a single active contributor to twenty active contributors, but regardless of size, they're always looking for more people to join their efforts!
Now you and your community are set up to do the actual localization work.


You may want to set up a central repository for your work (code, mailing lists, newsgroups, website). Depending on your working habits and the size of your team, you may want to look into open source hosting offers like [http://mozdev.org mozdev.org] or [http://sf.net/ SourceForge]. You can also just use plain files and regular backups, or set up your own P2P VCS.
==Joining existing L10n teams==
Localizing Mozilla products is a lot of work (and fun) but that means there are plenty of opportunities to get involved! Visiting the [[L10n:Teams|L10n:Teams]] page is the best way for some one to learn if there is an ongoing effort to localize Firefox and other Mozilla products in their region. If an effort already exists in a region, then those who are interested in joining that team do the following:


You should localize the Mozilla sources instead of the built files, and make your work publicly available. We believe this as a good way to start out because it let's people know you are open to new collaborators and enabling a smooth path going forward.  
* Email the owner of that region's L10n team about getting involved.
* Visit the [http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.l10n/topics mozilla.dev.l10n newsgroup] and introduce themselves as a new contributor joining the xx-XX community.


To make your work available for users to download and test, create a language pack which can be hosted on [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:1/cat:37 AMO]. AMO offers many advantages for both you and your testers and users, from download capacity to automatic updates of your Add-on.
==New L10n teams==
Of course, not everyone who visits the [[L10n:Teams|L10n:Teams]] page will find a L10n team for their region. Instead these people find a unique and exciting opportunity: starting a new L10n effort for their region, from scratch! While the opportunity can seem like a mountain of a challenge, everyone who has successfully walked that path will agree that it is also exciting and very rewarding. If an effort doesn't exist in a region, then those who are interested in starting that effort do the following:


Starting from scratch on a new localization depends a good deal on whether you use a [[L10n:Tools|tool]], and if so, which. On MDC, we documented [[mdc:Creating en-X-dude]], which works with the Mozilla build system and an UTF-8-capable editor. You won't need a compiler, though, no worries. The steps rougly include
* Visit the [http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.l10n.new-locales/topics mozilla.dev.l10n.new-locales newsgroup] and [http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.l10n/topics mozilla.dev.l10n newsgroup] and introduce themselves as new contributors starting the xx-XX community.
* Check out the [http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Mozilla_Source_Code_%28CVS%29 en-US tree].  
* Create your team's wiki page by using the template form found on the [[L10n:Teams|L10n:Teams]] page.
* Once you've created your working clone, edit the resulting tree to translate the strings (perhaps with [[L10n:Tools| tools]])
* Visit the [https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Localization_Quick_Start_Guide Localization quick start guide] to learn about all of the technical details involved in localizing Firefox and other Mozilla projects.
* Package up the result into a [http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Creating_en-X-dude#Create_a_language_pack language pack]
* Shipping it to some friends to test it.
* Translate more ...


Most of your work will happen here. There are many code strings to change so read the documentation we provided above carefully and use the resources we offer extensively to get you through it successfully!
=Mozilla L10n maxims=


The critical elements of this stage are to ensure your work has been reviewed by the community, particularly those interested in your language. You can use AMO to host your language packs and update them regularly. It's important to collect input from any and all sources about your language pack as this is the first time that people will be using it on a day-to-day basis and giving you feedback about the quality of your work. It is these same users who will then download and promote your new localization.
In order to be successful and have fun with localizing Firefox, each member of the L10n teams follow some very simple maxims.


Something to think about all throughout your work is [[l10n:Building_blocks| expanding the community around you]] who can help you with the language you're working on. This is a good thing and will be useful for you for testing, celebratory events (i.e, launch parties), and possibly web pages or other areas you might need or want help with. We want to help you with this and are working on programs that we believe will do so. To read more about this, check out Seth's blog on our [http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2007/06/04/support-update-3/ global program].
==Communication==
<b><i>Be very vocal.</i></b>


= Going beyond language packs =
The most successful L10n teams are those who jump in on discussions and ask for help when it's needed. We offer several communication platforms for localizers to express themselves and get be heard.
Working on a language packs has the advantage that your testers can get updates on your work much more easily, and it requires a lot less [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toolchain toolchain] compared to doing fully localized builds.  


As mentioned in the [[L10n:Localization Process]], having language packs only comes with a few downsides for your users. In particular, the in-product web pages are not in your language, and the install and migration experience occurs in the language that your users installed first. Depending on your language, this may be more or less severe. Our common objective is to create fully localized official builds together, once you and your testers are comfortable with the localization  thus far.  
* [irc://irc.mozilla.org/l10n The #l10n IRC channel] is a chat room where localizers from all over the world discuss L10n issues and help one another to succesfully localize their products.
* [http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.l10n.new-locales/topics The mozilla.dev.l10n.new-locales newsgroup], [http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.l10n/topics mozilla.dev.l10n newsgroup], and [http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.l10n.web/topics mozilla.dev.l10n.web newsgroup] are available to post questions or suggestions for various L10n-related topics. They are available as newsgroups or Google groups.
* We use [http://bugzilla.mozilla.org Bugzilla] to track L10n developments and individual L10n team progress.
* For more on how localizers talk at Mozilla, visit the [[L10n:Communication|L10n:Communication wiki page.]]


<div class="note">There are known issues for language packs between minor releases of Firefox we are working to fix [[https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=334136|bug 334136]].</div>
==Collaboration==
<b><i>The more people involved, the merrier.</i></b>


To move forward from the stage of language packs, you would request to make your build official, which is described in the [[L10n:Becoming_an_Official_Localization]].
The larger the L10n team, the easier it is to distribute the workload. Each L10n team can set up an IRC communication channel for their language. They can also use mailing lists or newsgroups, which many open source hosting partners offer, or simply open a Google or Yahoo group. Collaboration is important to  building a L10n community to support and distribute the workload. It is an essential part of being an open source project.
<div style="text-align:right">[[L10n:Localizing_a_project|Next >>]]</div>
 
[[Category:L10n]]

Latest revision as of 21:39, 15 August 2012

Mozilla L10n Main | Join Mozilla | Overview | L10n Drivers | Communities | Meetings | Blog | Resources


Every existing L10n team began with a common characteristic: they all wanted to share the open web with everyone who shared their language. From there, they began an effort that ultimately resulted in a localized version of Firefox for their region of the world. As this desire spreads around the world, more and more people come to the Mozilla L10n program to either localize Firefox for a new region of users or to join forces with an existing L10n team in their region.

The L10n teams

A comprehensive list of our awesome L10n teams is located on the L10n:Teams page. We use locale codes to identify these teams. Locale codes list the language first, then the region where the language is spoken (e.g., Mexican Spanish = es-MX). Each organized team has a wiki page to identify their team members, their main projects, and how to contact them. These teams are largely self-governing and can often include contributors who are focused on more areas of Mozilla than only L10n. They all range in sizes from a single active contributor to twenty active contributors, but regardless of size, they're always looking for more people to join their efforts!

Joining existing L10n teams

Localizing Mozilla products is a lot of work (and fun) but that means there are plenty of opportunities to get involved! Visiting the L10n:Teams page is the best way for some one to learn if there is an ongoing effort to localize Firefox and other Mozilla products in their region. If an effort already exists in a region, then those who are interested in joining that team do the following:

  • Email the owner of that region's L10n team about getting involved.
  • Visit the mozilla.dev.l10n newsgroup and introduce themselves as a new contributor joining the xx-XX community.

New L10n teams

Of course, not everyone who visits the L10n:Teams page will find a L10n team for their region. Instead these people find a unique and exciting opportunity: starting a new L10n effort for their region, from scratch! While the opportunity can seem like a mountain of a challenge, everyone who has successfully walked that path will agree that it is also exciting and very rewarding. If an effort doesn't exist in a region, then those who are interested in starting that effort do the following:

Mozilla L10n maxims

In order to be successful and have fun with localizing Firefox, each member of the L10n teams follow some very simple maxims.

Communication

Be very vocal.

The most successful L10n teams are those who jump in on discussions and ask for help when it's needed. We offer several communication platforms for localizers to express themselves and get be heard.

Collaboration

The more people involved, the merrier.

The larger the L10n team, the easier it is to distribute the workload. Each L10n team can set up an IRC communication channel for their language. They can also use mailing lists or newsgroups, which many open source hosting partners offer, or simply open a Google or Yahoo group. Collaboration is important to building a L10n community to support and distribute the workload. It is an essential part of being an open source project.

Next >>
Retrieved from "https://wiki.mozilla.org/index.php?title=L10n:Starting_a_localization&oldid=461418"