Hi folks!
I have a friend who uses Ubuntu. He’s interested in trying out openSUSE/kde, but only if it supports Syriac language (which Ubuntu does).
When I checked in yast → languages, I couldn’t find the language. I also tried to search for ‘syriac’ in yast → software management, but nothing turned up.
Does openSUSE support Syriac (or Aramaic, serto, estrangela)?
If so, how do I go about installing it?
Brahma-Vihara wrote:
>
> Hi folks!
>
> I have a friend who uses Ubuntu. He’s interested in trying out
> openSUSE/kde, but only if it supports Syriac language (which Ubuntu
> does).
>
> When I checked in yast → languages, I couldn’t find the language. I
> also tried to search for ‘syriac’ in yast → software management, but
> nothing turned up.
>
> Does openSUSE support Syriac (or Aramaic, serto, estrangela)?
> If so, how do I go about installing it?
>
>
You should ensure that the language is available in KDE too.
–
GNOME 3.6.2
openSUSE Release 12.3 (Dartmouth) 64-bit
Kernel Linux 3.7.10-1.16-desktop
On 2013-09-11 23:56, Brahma-Vihara wrote:
> Does openSUSE support Syriac (or Aramaic, serto, estrangela)?
> If so, how do I go about installing it?
You need the language to be supported upstream.
As for openSUSE components, look here for your language:
(I do not see it)
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)
I found the following info on KDE - Internationalization/Localization :
“All KDE applications support the “right-to-left” interface mode as well as Indian languages (Devanagari, Bengali, Tamil, Syriac, Tibetan, Khmer).”
So it seems KDE supports it. What do I do now?
On 2013-09-12 11:26, Brahma-Vihara wrote:
>
> I found the following info on ‘KDE - Internationalization/Localization’
> (http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/i18n.php) :
>
> “All KDE applications support the “right-to-left” interface mode as well
> as Indian languages (Devanagari, Bengali, Tamil, -Syriac,- Tibetan,
> Khmer).”
>
> So it seems KDE supports it. What do I do now?
It only means that KDE supports that type of language. Is the language
itself translated at KDE?
If you look at the list of translator teams (from your link above) you
will see there is none for “syriac”.
I’d hazard a guess: Ubuntu does not send its translation upstream.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)
The package bundle-lang-other has Syriac.
Thanks so much Knurpht!
Now that I’ve installed the package, what am I supposed to do next? When I look in Yast->languages or KDE’s Configure desktop->locale, there are no new languages added in the list.
Do I need to ‘activate’ the package in some way in order for it to show up?
On 2013-09-13 00:06, Brahma-Vihara wrote:
>
> Knurpht;2584295 Wrote:
>> The package bundle-lang-other has Syriac.
>
> Thank so much Knurpht!
>
> Now that I’ve installed the package, what am I supposed to do next? When
> I look in Yast->languages or KDE’s Configure desktop->locale, there are
> no new languages added in the list.
>
> Do I need to ‘activate’ the package in some way in order for it to show
> up?
Because that package does not contain KDE translations. In fact, the
package is empty!
It contains a README file that says:
+++···························
This package is left intentionally blank.
It provides locales, we do not have real bundles for and is extended
by real translations.
···························+±
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)
Thanks Carlos!
That explains it 
So what are my options? Can I be of any help upstream to remedy the situation? Can I do the work, even though I don’t know language? Is it a lot of work (maybe I can convince my friend to do it, if it’s not time consuming)?
Here’s a list of available languages for KDE: KDE Localization - Translation Teams AFAICS there’s not Syriac (unless it’s called otherwise). If you have the Ubuntu package (though I wonder where that would come from) you could attempt to rebuild the deb package to an rpm using “alien”.
On 2013-09-15 22:56, Brahma-Vihara wrote:
>
> robin_listas;2584461 Wrote:
>> Because that package does not contain KDE translations. In fact, the
>> package is empty!
> Thanks Carlos!
> That explains it 
Welcome.
It happens that I’m a translator, thus I know a bit about the issues 
> So what are my options? Can I be of any help upstream to remedy the
> situation? Can I do the work, even though I don’t know language? Is it a
> lot of work (maybe I can convince my friend to do it, if it’s not time
> consuming)?
It is a lot of work for one person, not worth it unless someone pays
you, or you are very, very, very interested.
How to do it?
Well, you have to add yourself (or your friend) to several projects. For
the translation of openSUSE software (YaST and a few things more) you
have to create a new language under the openSUSE translator “project”
(link on my first post here). There is a mail list where contributors
talk. I contribute there.
Then for the translation of KDE, you have to join the equivalent KDE
group. Gnome has another group, etc. Firefox, OpenOffice
(Libreoffice?)… each have their own teams, and their own method of
applying translations to code.
Then GNU software is translated under the GNU Translation Project. Link
here:
http://translationproject.org/html/welcome.html?team=index
I contribute a bit to the Spanish team. This group provides translations
for many things… for example, bash.
Manual pages are seldom translated. However, big projects (KDE, etc) may
translate their own documentation and help files to different degrees.
Ah, some software projects are not attached to any translator team, they
go on their own - for example, xine (I translate it to Spanish). The
result is that they are translated to few languages, if any - with some
exceptions, for popular software.
There are other translation projects, independent, of which I know very
little. Pottle, for instance. No, wrong name… :-? Ah, pootle! Link:
http://pootle.translatehouse.org/?id=pootle/index
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pootle
I don’t contribute there, not my style. I think it is a kind of wiki
type contribution: each person translates one string and submits it.
Others may modify, review, whatever those strigs, one by one. I’m unsure.
I understand, but I’m unsure, that ubuntu uses some similar translation
style, and they don’t contribute their translations upstream, so that
people on other distributions may benefit. Which is why Ubuntu has a
translation for your friend’s language, and openSUSE doesn’t. (This
paragraph is not verified information)
IMO, that’s an unfair waste of effort, not the opensource style.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)
Okay, that is indeed a liiiittle more work than what I had in mind
Thanks again though for the help you’ve put in writing the above!
My friend speaks English, so I believe he would be happy with the English version of openSUSE/KDE as long as he can connect and use his Syriac keyboard. Would mapping the keyboard layout to the Syriac alphabet be a manageable project for one person. If so what would it take? Should I visit the kde’s translation group or is it another group altogether that manages keybord layouts?
On 2013-09-22 23:46, Brahma-Vihara wrote:
>
> robin_listas;2585369 Wrote:
> Okay, that is indeed a liiiittle more work than what I had in mind
> Thanks again though for the help you’ve put in writing the above!
Welcome.
Yes, I know, it is a lot of work for one person.
It needs a team, rather several teams if you want to translate it all.
One person could perhaps do it, working full time.
> My friend speaks English, so I believe he would be happy with the
> English version of openSUSE/KDE as long as he can connect and use his
> Syriac keyboard. Would mapping the keyboard layout to the Syriac
> alphabet be a manageable project for one person. If so what would it
> take? Should I visit the kde’s translation group or is it another group
> altogether that manages keybord layouts?
Yes, I think one person could do it, but I don’t know how. It is not a
translation task, just a mapping job. I think you need one for text mode
and another for graphical mode. I just don’t know who does it.
Now and then someone mentions changing the mapping of one key. An entire
keyboard I don’t remember seeing it.
Er… is it just changing the position of letters, or does the language
need its own letters? Because then you need also fonts for the display.
If you are lucky they will already be in the UTF-8 set.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)
In KDE - Systemsettings - Input devices - Layouts - check Configure Layouts
Next click Add and select Arabic (Syriac) from the list. Also have a look at the variants.
Click Apply, and see what happens. From what it looks like Syriac is an Arabic layout.
Yes, that’s the winning ticket! Thank you so much Knurpht!! I did the above and the keyboard layout turned to Syriac. Now I’m off to tell my friend about the good news