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diff --git a/tools/linguist/book/linguist-manual.book b/tools/linguist/book/linguist-manual.book new file mode 100644 index 000000000..04dec8713 --- /dev/null +++ b/tools/linguist/book/linguist-manual.book @@ -0,0 +1,90 @@ +\title Guide to the Qt Translation Tools +\granularity chapter + +\chapter Introduction + +Qt provides excellent support for translating applications into local +languages. This Guide explains how to use Qt's translation tools for +each of the roles involved in translating an application. The Guide +begins with a brief overview of the issues that must be considered, +followed by chapters devoted to each role and the supporting tools +provided. + +\link Release... Chapter 2: Release Manager \endlink is aimed at the +person with overall responsibility for the release of the +application. They will typically coordinate the work of the software +engineers and the translator. The chapter describes the use of two +tools. The \l lupdate tool is used to synchronize source code and +translations. The \l lrelease tool is used to create runtime +translation files for use by the released application. + +\link Translators Chapter 3: Translators \endlink is for translators. +It describes the use of the \e {Qt Linguist} tool. No computer +knowledge beyond the ability to start a program and use a text editor +or word processor is retquired. + +\link Programmers Chapter 4: Programmers \endlink is for Qt +programmers. It explains how to create Qt applications that are able +to use translated text. It also provides guidance on how to help the +translator identify the context in which phrases appear. This +chapter's three short tutorials cover everything the programmer needs +to do. + +\section1 Overview of the Translation Process + +Most of the text that must be translated in an application program +consists of either single words or short phrases. These typically +appear as window titles, menu items, pop-up help text (balloon help), +and labels to buttons, check boxes and radio buttons. + +The phrases are entered into the source code by the programmer in +their native language using a simple but special syntax to identify +that the phrases retquire translation. The Qt tools provide context +information for each of the phrases to help the translator, and the +programmer is able to add additional context information to phrases +when necessary. The release manager generates a set of translation +files that are produced from the source files and passes these to the +translator. The translator opens the translation files using \e {Qt +Linguist}, enters their translations and saves the results back into +the translation files, which they pass back to the release manager. +The release manager then generates fast compact versions of these +translation files ready for use by the application. The tools are +designed to be used in repeated cycles as applications change and +evolve, preserving existing translations and making it easy to +identify which new translations are retquired. \e {Qt Linguist} also +provides a phrase book facility to help ensure consistent +translations across multiple applications and projects. + +Translators and programmers must address a number of issues because +of the subtleties and complexities of human language: + +\list +\i A single phrase may need to be translated into several different +forms depending on context, e.g. \e open in English might become \e +\OEFFNEN, "open file", or \e aufbauen, "open internet connection", in +German. +\i Keyboard accelerators may need to be changed but without +introducing conflicts, e.g. "\&Quit" in English becomes "Avslutt" in +Norwegian which doesn't contain a "Q". We cannot use a letter that is +already in use -- unless we change several accelerators. +\i Phrases that contain variables, for example, "The 25 files selected will +take 63 seconds to process", where the two numbers are inserted +programmatically at runtime may need to be reworded because in a +different language the word order and therefore the placement of the +variables may have to change. +\endlist + +The Qt translation tools provide clear and simple solutions to these +issues. + +\RULE + +Please send comments and suggestions regarding this tutorial to the +\link mailto:doc@trolltech.com?subject=Translation_Tutorial Qt doc +team \endlink. Bugs in the tools should be sent to \link +mailto:qt-bugs@trolltech.com?subject=Translation_Tutorial +qt-bugs\endlink. + +\input linguist-manager.leaf +\input linguist-translator.leaf +\input linguist-programmer.leaf |