Code_Aster in English

Some words about the code_aster team point of view about internationalization.

As the post you are presently reading testifies, most members of the core team are not very fluent in english ... Moreover, our domestic users (EDF engineers) are french. So we are not very inclined for working directly using english (sources, documentations) : all contributions to internationalization should(at least for the moment) be skins, add-ons or patches for sources elements, or dissociated documents externally managed.

However, we are strongly aware of the impediment to Aster's world-wide spread tied to french language. So be ensure of the Code_Aster team good-will to every translation initiative. For instance, provided that they are well-formed, we will integrate software add-ons (and maintain, and distribute them in Aster packages) with pleasure.

What could the community do for internationalization ? What is likely to integrate the official sources or documentation ?
I try a first answer, which is of course a matter of debate.

1/ commands language : key words, commands names ...
One can easily understand that AFFE_CHAR_MECA or LIRE_MAILLAGE are not very handy for non-french readers. They would highly prefer to substitute those commands names with, for instance, LOADING_ASSIGN and READ_GEO_MESH.

These keywords are connected with the programming. We can not substitute them without modifying the source pretty deeply in the code. The only possible approach consists in changing the display of Eficas, activated with a language switch : we should add an attribute (eng) in each keyword definition in the catalogues (a rather tedious job). Unfortunately, it only involves the appearance in Eficas : \"comm\" files will be still in \"french\" or rather in Aster's jargon, in order to be analysed by the code. We plan to build by ourselves the operating layer. French/english dictionnaries will be welcome.

2/ astk, asjob

Not much thing to do, the interface is almost in english. The Python source of astk is already \"gettext\" ready... not the TCL/TK one. Your internationalization patch is welcome and could be integrated in our source tree.

3/ documentations

As said higher, we don't plan at all to produce documentation directly in english. But automatic translation softwares (systran, reverso) can be runned on word files. We tested that with a good thesaurus composed of mechanical vocabulary and our own jargon. Results are very acceptable. We could consider to place at the disposal of the community : a tar.gz of the word files, a thesaurus to be improved.

English documentations (automatically or humanly translated) will not join the official corpus but could be compiled on a looking alike dedicated area on website, with the actualization chargeable to contributors.

4/ errors and alarms, message file

Error and alarm messages are spreaded in all source. We plan to compile them in a unique catalogue (this year). So the bilingualism will be easy to manage (for instance using gettext on this unique file). Once this catalogue will be available, the community could help us to translate the messages.

5/ website

Web techniques should enable us to put an english-switch. There is not much data to be translated stored on the website (excepted forums). Once our website will be updated the community contributions could help us !

Hey man.......did you see my posts on internationalization?
Also, check here......

codeaster-intl.sourceforge.net/

Its a little something I'm working on...

Things are going slowly....working on many projects at once.
You know how that goes.

Yes, the project isn't dead!!! But you know how it all goes. I'm focusing a large part of time to A) learning new things writing my own software similar to PSCAD from Manitoba HighVoltage and C) starting up a company dedicated to other fields, but that will benefit from Code_Aster and its extensions. Which is why I do FULLY inted to pour company resources into Code_Aster when they become available.

Half of this post probably doesn't make sense.....but then it's 1:46am here on the eastern sea-board and i'm tired.
So bear with me

Till next time people!

-Jason

There are several tools for on-line translating .po files: i.e. entrans.sourceforge.net, translate.sourceforge.net

They are useful for collaborative translations.

@ Admin -

Awesome, mail me if you need to coordinate anything. Thanks!


@ vugie -

I didn't know the collaborative tools existed. I will look into them more at first chance. Thanks!


Gonna be moving during the next 2-3 weeks to the RTP (the Research Triangle Park) area here in North Carolina. Due to this, my ability to get online will be intermittent and eventually I'll no longer have the '@cox.net' addresses listed on the Sourceforge site. Things will be updated in due time.
One thing holds true for all software projects..... Never on time.

- Jason

Joel,

I have translated the messages.po file in its entirety and ftp'ed it to your website. Now somebody hurry up and get the gettext end of it going! I wish I could help further...

JMB