LL-L "Language use" 2003.11.26 (05) [E]

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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Kenneth Rohde Christiansen <kenneth at gnu.org>
Subject: LL-L "Language use" 2003.11.26 (03) [E]

How Linux translation works is that before a string is shown the program
looks up the string (within a given textdomain). If it is translated it
will show the translated string instead.

This works pretty well and gives nice localized desktops - there is of
course a lot more to it; localization of numbers, dates, mirroring of
the desktop when using right-to-left languages.

All of this is supported by GNOME, which in its latest official release
has approx. 100% support for Dutch, 35% for Waloon, and 30% for
Limburgish.

ref: http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gtp/status/gnome-2.4/top.html

Some screenshots of GNOME in various languages
http://www.gnome.org/~kenneth/gm-utf8.png
http://ximian.dulug.duke.edu/screenshots/large/bn-Screen_desktop.jpg
http://gnome.or.kr/gallery/screenshots/xserver?full=1
http://gnome.or.kr/gallery/screenshots/bdo?full=1

It also mirrors RTL languages:
http://www.gnome.org/~kenneth/mouse-properties-ar.png

Cheers, Kenneth

> Any promotion of a
> regional language in the computer community will remain regional unless
> there is an agreed international language for computers that is semaphore
> neutral.  Only then will there be a reason for having LINUX in Frisian,
> Waloon, Dutch etc... that is, it will be attractive and functional.
>
> Bryan E. Schulz

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