How to translate puppy

Translating puppy is a community effort, there is no possibilty to make it a one person's mission. That being said, there is always a need for someone to start and take the head position, and to take the organizers role. It's quite an honor, and comes with the satisfaction of knowing that you have contributed - quite importantly - to puppy linux. I encourage you to, anyone can do it, and no programming knowledge is needed for the vast majority of the tasks.

This is a sketch, please contribute.

Steps involved

These are unordered steps, which can be done in any order. Suggested order is as follows.

Preliminary

Font configuration (optional, non-latin character users only)

Translating menus & desktop items (interface)

Translating configuration scripts

Translating applications

More info below.

Preliminary - Thinking time

Before starting, it is of MASSIVE importance for you to do one thing. Check the forums for previous translations. This can be done searching at puppy custom search or the forum search. This can avoid you a lot of frustation, and also to use your valuable time in a productive manner : ) Once you find a thread where translation is being discussed -- most likely -, please post there and inform the progress/problems you are having.

It would be also good for you to learn how to create pet packages.

Why? You might wonder. See, if you create a translated .ISO, it would be great. But now, if you create a pet, it can be used in any pupplet the user wants, and therefore, it is far more valuable and considered best-practice. Creating a pet is easy, as a pet is actually a .tar.gz with a "filesystem" in it. Do not hesitate to ask support at the forum, if required.

Font configuration for non-latin characters - Optional

I have little info to provide on this area, but I would recommend a wellminded search and a visit to this link: UTF8 locale for Puppy 4 (SFS)

Translating menu & desktop items

Check this forum link:

How to make the menu in your language. Works with JWM & Fluxbox, and I would think with other desktop environments too. Look at the third post for best-practice.

In order to translate every application, you have to translate every item in /usr/share/applications. Remember to make a pet of these items. :)

Translating configuration scripts

Translating scripts is the most important part of the translation, since with them is that the system gets properly configured. Puppy has advanced a lot in areas of allowing people to translate scripts, with the localization proyect.

I am not aware, however, if these have been added to official puppys and can be translated from there. In case they haven't, I have added a todo list item, at the bottom which is to, in order to help future translators, create a pet that contains all available localized scripts.

More info required on this step!

Translating applications

Application translation is simple, and it consists of the translation of .mo files (text files) located in /usr/share/locale/. These will at first most likely be at /usr/share/locale/en/ or /usr/share/locale/EN_us/ at first. Your job is to translate these, and create with them a pet that places them in /usr/share/locale/XX_xx/ where XX_xx is your language (ex. ES_es for spanish).

Many programs are translate-able this way, and their localized versions can be found in the internet. Check this link: Mini-HowTo for localization

TO-DO list Bored? Give a hand!

These are tasks that need to be done in order to make translating puppy a almost-painless procedure. This list is empty, but have no fear, it will be soon filled with eager to be fullfiled tasks.

Sources

Where information was gathered from:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=32117&start=4

PuppyLinux : TranslatePuppy

Revision [4993]