[OpenLayers-Dev] Localisation

Robert Leverington robert at rhl.me.uk
Wed Apr 22 16:22:23 EDT 2009


Hello,

I'm from Translatewiki.net [1], we provide an open source localisation
platform for a variety of open software packages including MediaWiki
[2] (the project we started out with, and which the translation engine
is based upon) and Freecol [3] (an open source game, similar to
Civilization).

At the moment there is some work happening between Wikimedia and
OpenStreetMap [4] to develop a mechanism for embedding OSM maps within
MediaWiki (and therefore all the Wikimedia projects, such as
Wikipedia). This will eventually use OpenLayers as a platform.

Since Wikimedia projects are currently available in over 100 different
languages, we are committed to providing a thorough localisation of
the MediaWiki software and its extensions.

Given the fact that OpenLayers is going to be used, we are interested
in providing localisation for it. Having taken a look at the source
code there appears to be a platform already in place for handling
translations, and so the process of beginning to localise using
Translatewiki.net will likely be a simple one.

I am writing to ask if there is anyone (preferably a core developer)
who would be willing to liaise with me and the other Translatewiki.net
staff to assist us in providing a localisation for OpenLayers. Nearly
all of the work can be done by us, and given the current OpenLayers
code base it is unlikely many non-trivial changes will need to be
made; however, we need to ensure that translations can be exported on
a regular basis (at least once every two weeks) and that we have
someone that we can contact. Localisation is a very expensive process
in terms of the time spent by volunteers doing it, so it is essential
that we waste none of it.

I noticed that you already have a basic localisation platform in
place, however given the fact there haven't been any updates to it for
several months it would seem to be dormant. Translatewiki.net has a
large number of people who enjoy translating, and we believe that it
is benefitial to pool resources and avoid duplication.

We are available in #mediawiki-i18n on irc.freenode.net. Myself
(minute), siebrand, Nikerabbit, and Raymond_ (all staff members of
Translatewiki.net, Nikerabbit and siebrand more senior however) will
be there and can help answer any questions. Also feel free to contact
me directly off-list. I am also in #openlayers on irc.freenode.net if
you would prefer to contact me there.

Thank you,
Robert Leverington

[1] http://translatewiki.net/
[2] http://www.mediawiki.org/
[3] http://www.freecol.org/
[4] http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Collaboration_with_Wikipedia



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