Help:Localization

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These are instructions for the localization of the pollwiki, its associated servers and other facilities of the voting network.

Before you begin

The voting network is still (as of 2011) an unstable prototype. It is therefore recommended that you familiarize yourself with the use of its facilities before translating them. Translate only those facilities that are actually used.

Pollwiki

The pollwiki is what you are looking at now. See the main page for more information.

Viewing a localized page

You will ordinarily set a preferred "language" on your preferences page. This becomes your default locale when you are logged in. To view a page in a different locale, append a locale code to the URL in your address bar. To view the page in German, for example, append ?uselang=de.

http://reluk.ca/w/Help:Localization
http://reluk.ca/w/Help:Localization?uselang=de

However, if the URL already has a '?' in it, then append &uselang=de.

http://reluk.ca/w/Help:Localization?action=history
http://reluk.ca/w/Help:Localization?action=history&uselang=de

The complete list of locale codes is shown when you set a preferred language on your preferences page.

Translating the system messages

Most of the pollwiki's localizations are implemented using system messages. To translate and edit the system messages you must be a member of the translator group. The generic MediaWiki messages have already been translated for most common languages. These include the labels on the tabs and links you see along the top of this page, for example. Ordinarily the only messages you need to translate are the English messages in the MediaWiki namespace. Ignore the redirects (greyed out) and the existing translations for other languages.

Translation is accomplished as follows. Create a subpage (example Vo-poll/de) for each message that requires translating (Vo-poll). Then enter your translation as the content of that subpage.

Translating ordinary content

Some pages have content that is translated for multiple locales. You can locate these pages by viewing a list of all pages that link to Template:Languages. Translation is accomplished in the same manner as for system messages. Create a subpage (example Help:Help/de) for each page that requires translating (Help:Help). Then enter your translation as the content of that subpage.

Bridging languages in an extended poll

This is currently unimplemented. The basic design supports free-range drafting, in which a single collaborative drafting effort is extended across multiple languages, drafting media and sites. Currently we implement only the latter. This enables drafters to free range across multiple wikis by way of draft pointers. In future (or as required) we will implement a linguistic equivalent, enabling translators to serve as bridges among drafting communities that would otherwise be isolated by language barriers.

Votorola

not yet drafted