Re: Is there any interest in localizing term delimiters in git messages?

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Oct 17, 2023, 21:49 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqzg0gx6k9.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <CAP6f5Mmi=f4DPcFwfvEiJMdKMa0BUyZ019mc8uFXyOufgD4NjA@mail.gmail.com>

Alexander Shopov <ash@kambanaria.org> writes:

Show 13 quoted lines

> Typical example:
> ORIGINAL
> msgid "  (use \"git rm --cached <file>...\" to unstage)"
>
> TRANSLATION
> msgstr ""
> "  (използвайте „git rm --cached %s ФАЙЛ…“, за да извадите ФАЙЛа от индекса)"
>
> The important part are the `<' and `>' delimiters of the term "file"
>
> Instead of using them - I omit them and capitalize the term. As if `<'
> and `>' are declared as localizable and then I translate them as `',
> `'

Is it because it is more common in your target language to omit <> around the placeholder word, or is it just your personal preference?

Whichever is the case, I am not sure how it affects ...

> So I am asking - is there any interest from other localizers to have
> such a feature? Would the additional maintenance be OK for the
> developers?

... the maintenance burden for developers. Perhaps I am not getting what you are proposing, but we are not going to change the message in "C" locale (the original you see in msgid). In untranslated Git, we will keep the convention to highlight the placeholder word by having <> around it, so the "(use \"git rm --cached <file>...\" to unstage)" message will be spelled with "<file>". You can translate that to a msgstr without <> markings without asking anybody's permission, and I do not think of a reason why it would burden developers to do so.

As long as the target audience of your translation wants to see <file> to be translated to ФАЙЛ without <> around the word, I do not think there is any problem doing so. I of course am assuming that using capitalized placeholder is the norm for all users who use Bulgarian translated Git---if it is not some users want to see <> around the placeholder word just like "C" locale, then you'd need to answer your users wish first, or course, but that would not need to concern the developers who write the "C" locale messages.

Thanks for helping Git easier to use for users with your language.