Localization: Italian

[waydabber]

Thread for the Italian localization

[waydabber]

waydabber/BetterDisplay#2165 (comment)

[MapleLeaf14]

Hi! Ready to start the localization

[waydabber]

Amazing, great news! :)

Here is the italian localization file. Let me know if you have any questions!

it.xcloc.zip

[waydabber]

I made some changes in how you BetterDisplay localization works. Here is the announcement: waydabber/BetterDisplay#2165 (comment)

[waydabber]

Hi @MapleLeaf14 - thanks for volunteering to work on the Italian localization! Since there doesn't seem to be much progress/feedback on this, I need to ask - are you still working on this? If not, that is completely fine and I completely understand - but then I'll need to remove the translation placeholder files from the project for now (until there is an other volunteer of course). I ask this only to keep things in order and get a feel on how things are proceeding. Thank you! :)

[MapleLeaf14]

Hi @waydabber, thanks for the message. I would really like to be able to finish the project. The obstacle that I have encountered so far is that the file cannot be imported into a CAT Tool (which helps me a lot with spell and grammatical checks and consistency). Do you think it is possible to convert it even into a simple Word or Excel file? This would speed up the translation a lot! Since I love your software I would really like to finish the translation.

[waydabber]

Hi there, yes, the localization file itself is an xliff file (if you right click fr.xcloc and use Show Package Contents, you'll see the package's internal structure - you need to go to Localized Contents and get the fr.xliff file).

You should be able to convert this xliff file to Excel or some other format and work in that, then convert it back, maybe using tools like this:

https://github.com/mgumz/xliffer

You can actually simply open the xliff file in a simple text editor (like BBEdit) but you'll have to familiarize yourself with its structure. It is probably a good idea to translate some texts first and see how those look like in the xliff file compared to untranslated items.

[waydabber]

Sorry, I mean it.xcloc. :)

[waydabber]

Let me know if you have any trouble with this, I can try creating an Excel for you if that helps to bootstrap the process!

[giulianopires]

I'm ready to assist you with the translation @MapleLeaf14!

[waydabber]

Great, thank you @giulianopires!

[MapleLeaf14]

Let me know if you have any trouble with this, I can try creating an Excel for you if that helps to bootstrap the process!

A thousand thanks! The Excel file would be very useful!

[MapleLeaf14]

I'm ready to assist you with the translation @MapleLeaf14!

Sounds good! We could divide the text to be translated and then each corrects the other's translation. What do you think about it?

[giulianopires]

I'm ready to assist you with the translation @MapleLeaf14!

Sounds good! We could divide the text to be translated and then each corrects the other's translation. What do you think about it?

That looks perfect! I've already started translating through Xcode. Have you made any progress?
I can upload the file I've already translated.

[MapleLeaf14]

I'm ready to assist you with the translation @MapleLeaf14!

Sounds good! We could divide the text to be translated and then each corrects the other's translation. What do you think about it?

That looks perfect! I've already started translating through Xcode. Have you made any progress? I can upload the file I've already translated.

I started working on the text put I'm waiting the Excel file to do the translation (I'm gonna use CAT Tools that helps and fastener the process). @waydabber did you try to create the xls file?

[waydabber]

Hi @MapleLeaf14 - now that I am thinking about it a bit more, I am not entirely sure the process would work this way as the Excel then needs to be converted back so it can be imported and if there are changes from multiple sources (both of you are working), the Excel would need to be regenerated periodically.

One translator who worked on one of the languages said the fastest way for him was to quickly just translate the short titles/texts manually, for the longer ones copy the text to deepl, edit the automated translation a bit and then copy back. This was quite efficient.

[waydabber]

Hmm. But it seems DeepL can actually read XLIFF files and translate them.

https://support.deepl.com/hc/en-us/articles/7507376697500-Translation-of-XLIFF-files#h_01GQSQH0HFD9E5T77RZDHERMFV

It might be a good idea to try this (I'll try it myself as well).

[MapleLeaf14]

Hi @MapleLeaf14 - now that I am thinking about it a bit more, I am not entirely sure the process would work this way as the Excel then needs to be converted back so it can be imported and if there are changes from multiple sources (both of you are working), the Excel would need to be regenerated periodically.

One translator who worked on one of the languages said the fastest way for him was to quickly just translate the short titles/texts manually, for the longer ones copy the text to deepl, edit the automated translation a bit and then copy back. This was quite efficient.

In the past I worked as Project Manager for a translation company and that’s why I am a big supporter of CAT Tools. Allow me to short elaborate on the benefits:
CAT tools maintain consistency across translations by storing previously translated segments in a translation memory. This ensures that terminology and phrases remain uniform throughout the software, enhancing user experience and minimizing confusion.
Efficiency: CAT tools automate repetitive tasks, such as translating repeated phrases or segments. This significantly reduces the time and effort required for translation
Quality Assurance: CAT tools often come equipped with built-in quality assurance features, such as spell checkers, terminology consistency checks, and quality assurance checks. These tools help identify and correct errors early in the translation process, maintaining the quality of the localized software.

Overall, if you agree, we can proceed in this way: since this is the first time we translate the BD, we proceed to use Excel and then CAT Tools. Subsequent versions will work directly on the source file (I imagine that the new texts will still be limited in number). What do you think about it?

[waydabber]

I am open to using any tool of course. I tried to search for apps/solutions that help translate XLIFF files using AI or machine translation and seemingly there is a huge amount of apps/services but all seem rather daunting to me and most led to various subscription based solutions requiring signup so I just gave up... 🤣

[waydabber]

It seems the XLIFF to Excel converter I linked previously does not actually work... or I can't make it work. 😭

By opening the XLIFF file as a plain text file and processing it by filtering for all <source> elements, I can of course extract the strings but I am not sure why or how that would be useful.

[MapleLeaf14]

It seems the XLIFF to Excel converter I linked previously does not actually work... or I can't make it work. 😭

By opening the XLIFF file as a plain text file and processing it by filtering for all <source> elements, I can of course extract the strings but I am not sure why or how that would be useful.

Eureka! I was able to convert the file and import it to Crowdin. This is a very famous platform that allows you to use several tools to support translation (spell check, consistency, translation suggestion) and allows multiple people to collaborate. What do you think about it? https://crowdin.com/project/betterdisplay-in-italian/invite?h=4c81eeb4ce99d2ffd301509fdfd0cab22017218
By doing this, @giulianopires and I can translate at the same time and you can see the progress.

[MapleLeaf14]

it_TRANSLATION_TEST.xcloc.zip

I translated about 20% of the file via the above platform and exported the test file to see if everything works (the missing strings to translate are in English). What do you think?

[waydabber]

Nice! Can Crowdin be used as a general tool for all localizations?

[waydabber]

XCode imported the file just fine, it's at 22% now. I assume this is a valid translation progress right, so I can add it to the repo?

I tried to add other languages to Crowdin as well but so far could not figure out how. if you have some simple step-by-step instructions to follow/replicate, you can do a write-up. Crowdin seems to be free and accessible for open translation projects so it might make sense to transition all localizations. What do you think?

[giulianopires]

@MapleLeaf14 I had translated some part yesterday, I believe a little less than you by Xcode. I will start working from your update now. Ok?!
I'm trying to understand how the platform you sent works. I created an account but I still can't see all the strings for us to translate together.

[waydabber]

Anyway, I updated the repo with the new Italian strings as well. But I believe you guys should use the same platform so it's best to use Crowdin then. But if I can figure out how this works, I might create an official Crowdin project for the app and migrate all translations there. Just not sure how to do this yet. I created a test project but can't seem to find a place to import the localizations.

[waydabber]

We spent some time with @giulianopires trying to import localizations to Crowdin but just did not succeed. We might need some help here @MapleLeaf14. :)

[MapleLeaf14]

Hi, as shown in the screen, when you connect to the link you must click "Go to Editor".

At this point you see the editor where you can translate the text or carry out proofreading.

These are the statuses:
Red: text to be translated
Blue: translated text
Green tick: revised text (proofreading)

Crowdin absolutely allows you to translate the same text into multiple languages. Indeed, for European languages it is also useful for translators to see references of languages of the same family (such as, for example, Italian, Spanish and French). The only thing you have to look at on the site is whether these features are free or paid.

@giulianopires having translated about 20%, the platform has already applied the translation to similar sentences (for example, having translated "the screen is disconnected" it automatically translates "the screen is connected"), but, obviously, the text needs to be revised. For this reason I would say that we can review the entire text: when it is reviewed it is important that there is a green tick.

For any doubts/info I am available :)

[waydabber]

Right, thanks @MapleLeaf14. I was able to load the texts to translate and found the translation page - it's just that I wasn't able to upload existing translations. I tried importing the xliff files as it was in the tutorial but somehow no completed translation was imported. It would be great to import existing translations so the entire localization could be moved to Crowdin. Anyway, from the point of Italian localization this is a secondary issue, will try to figure it out.

[MapleLeaf14]

Quick update: 64% translated. In the next few weeks I think the translation will be completed so we can start proofreading and consistency checking. Have a nice weekend!

[waydabber]

Nice, thank you @MapleLeaf14!

[waydabber]

I uploaded the translations to XCode, according to it the translation now stands at 71%.

[MapleLeaf14]

Italian translation 100% completed 🎉🎉🎉! For a quality translation, proofreading is necessary. @giulianopires can you take care of it?

[waydabber]

Wow, congratulations! Should I import it into the app and provide a test build?

[MapleLeaf14]

I would do the proofreading first so as to be more sure (it is useful that the translator and the proofreader are two separate people, which is why I asked @giulianopires). What do you think about it?

[waydabber]

All right! Let me know if you need an updated test build! I'll import the localization to the project nevertheless, I can update it any time.

[waydabber]

Note: I updated the sources based on the latest interim version so the state dropped to 98%, but you should not be concerned about it as new additions are happening all the time as I work on the app and add new features so being a perfectionist in localization might be frustrating because of this. Anything above 95% is a great imho, you can guys can update the translation whenever you feel like it to include the latest additions.

[MapleLeaf14]

Note: I updated the sources based on the latest interim version so the state dropped to 98%, but you should not be concerned about it as new additions are happening all the time as I work on the app and add new features so being a perfectionist in localization might be frustrating because of this. Anything above 95% is a great imho, you can guys can update the translation whenever you feel like it to include the latest additions.

Welcome to perfectionists! When you imported the text from my account to yours, Cowdin treated it as "Approved" (when in reality it is not). Could you remove this status (and so make it "Translated") so we can edit the text?

[waydabber]

Uh - how can I do that? :)

[waydabber]

Ok, I think I figured it out. It should be ok now. :)

[katullo11]

Hello there @giulianopires @MapleLeaf14! I'm a translator with quite a bit of experience in app localisation and I'd love to help you out with the localisation! I've joined the Crowdin project.

[waydabber]

Great, welcome on board @katullo11!

[MapleLeaf14]

Hi guys! Any news on the proofreading of the text?
@waydabber how can I have the Pro versione of BD? Thanks! ;)

[waydabber]

I don't see much activity in Crowdin! I'd encourage anybody who has the time to do the rest of the translation. But of course it's totally voluntary. :)

Contact me @MapleLeaf14 on the app's discord channel in a DM!

[katullo11]

Hi guys! Any news on the proofreading of the text? @waydabber how can I have the Pro versione of BD? Thanks! ;)

Hi! Sorry for the inactivity but I’ve been busy with finals. I’ll do a full proofreading once I’m done with them so I can focus entirely on the localisation.