HP 9000 User Manual page 53

5
Translation Problems
The developer should have provided a translator's "cookbook". Without this,
here are some possible translation problems you might encounter:
• The meaning of a message, or a substitution parameter, may be unclear or
ambiguous so that the desired translation is not apparent.
• There may be unspecified size constraints on the message. For example, it
may be displayed in a space with a fixed length.
• There may be parts of a message that should not be translated. For example,
messages for a command may contain the command name.
• Some messages might be used together and need to be translated as a pair.
Some possible solutions you might try:
• Experiment with the program to see if you can determine the intended
behavior.
• Ask the developer of the program.
• Ask someone who has localized the program.
Installing Localized Messages
Once the message text source file has been translated to the target language
you can generate a message catalog containing the newly translated messages.
First set the
LANG
environment variable to the locale you will be translating in.
To create a message catalog from the translated date .msg message text source
file, run:
gencat date. cat date.msg
The new message catalog date. cat can now be used for installation in the
appropriate locale.
Note that a message catalog contains no information to indicate the locale for
which it is intended. To help ensure that the message catalog is installed in
the proper directory, we recommend you deliver the catalog with a script that
will install the catalog in the correct locale. Once the new message catalog is
installed, be sure to verify the correct installation.
5-4 Localizing International Software