Re: [L-A Lokalisointi] Interesting Tekes Programmes

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003, Aschwin van der Woude wrote:
> Sure a detailed or rough plan is very good to have for our localisation project,
> which should include all localisation projects currently existing for the Finnish language.
> Such plan would in my opinion describe how we work together with these projects and how
> we could ensure a consistent and high quality across these projects. And perhaps also an approach
> to the funding question.
>
> I don't see OpenOffice localisation as a separate issue in such plan. I
> understand you are one of the translators for this projects, and I agree a
> bias to it should not appear in such a plan.

The only translator, actually, which is part of the reason.

OO is the only software that has been translated (at some point) commercially,
and it's probably also best suitable for that. The strings can't be translated
simultaneously by different translators as easily as in most other projects
and it's also technically more challenging (remember the hassle of getting the
Windows build...). Perhaps that is why there hasn't been enough active
volunteers.

Other projects are better suited for voluntary translation work, and I think
we should keep it that way and try to support the work financially. Possibly
directly with grants or rewards, but at least indirectly by arranging
meetings, perhaps paying travelling expenses, and other resources.

These two categories are so different from a financial point of view, that
I've though it would be better to keep them separate. But then, I have no clue
about how to find financing for either of the categories.

> How do you suggest to go forward which writing such a plan? Should there
> first be a meeting to come up with ideas and perhaps a rough outline?
>
> What do you see as the best approach?

I guess I'll try to make a draft at some time. Or would some other approach be
better?

-- Marko Grönroos, [email protected] (http://www.iki.fi/magi/)