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Site Management => Site Support / Feedback => Topic started by: Novachen on December 27, 2020, 07:43:16 am

Title: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: Novachen on December 27, 2020, 07:43:16 am
Heyya,

i know, that i am a very controversial person here (at least for some important ones), but well, i would like to ask something nevertheless. Because you never get an answer before a question was asked.

I actually would like to have an own board (with an internal board also) that is dedicated itself to translations of FS2 and Standalones...  :nervous:
The reason is, that i am actually trying (https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=96944.0) to get every community translation of this game under one roof, so that additional languages can be added easier... or to better say, that all languages can use the same data set.

HLP IS the central point of contact with everything what has to do with FreeSpace with people from countless countries that speak many languages. So it simple would not make sense to use any other forum for this endeavour.
Alternative would be at most at ModDB, but even that is not so popular within the Freespace community than this board. References are always made to HLP.

Right now, i am using one single thread in this forum, which is sufficient to inform about releases.
But well, one single thread could make it difficult to attract people who are may be interested to create own translations. I mean all "Translation released" threads disappear in the depths of this forum.
I mean, i already make thoughs about, what will happen with the japanese and spanish translation after my available text is exhausted? So i would like to recruit new people to maintain and to translate all further text etc.
Or simple to get better in touch with mod developers, maybe even before a mod is released, because i do not want to stick to the official games forever.

A decision is not urgent however, as this whole effort is still a toddler. But well, i wanted to bring it up already  :)
But I could also understand a clear "NO" because of this :).


Greetings,

Novachen
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: Colonol Dekker on December 27, 2020, 08:03:04 am
Could it be a sub board or even a stickied topic in Freespace modding? 🤔
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: Novachen on December 27, 2020, 08:20:37 am
Well, i admit that "Hosted Project" may the wrong category actually.
I think this would fit more as a board in the "Community Projects" category.

Do not know, if a sticky actually would change anything. I mean "The modding workshop" alone is not an activity hub here. My translation thread there has the "Last post" for quite some days already. I still think, that for specific topics an own thread would be better. For example the recruiting stuff.
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: General Battuta on December 27, 2020, 09:03:36 am
I think a translation subforum would be a really good idea.
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: Colonol Dekker on December 27, 2020, 09:26:22 am
We have an accord?
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: Novachen on December 27, 2020, 11:09:21 am
I would accept a subforum, too. Of course.
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: karajorma on December 27, 2020, 07:07:54 pm
Gets my vote.
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: Mobius on January 07, 2021, 05:51:25 am
I support this, too.  :yes:

I tried to redirect marco111's attention to this thread (he's already in touch with Novachen and working on the implementation of additional translations) but he doesn't have access to this subforum. He'd be more than happy to provide help and he already has tons of translated content.
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: DefCynodont119 on January 07, 2021, 09:57:59 am
More accessibly is always good.  :yes:
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: Novachen on January 08, 2021, 09:02:00 am
I tried to redirect marco111's attention to this thread but he doesn't have access to this subforum.

Uh... this is a restricted board?  :confused:

If so... then i have no clue, why i am here in the first place :lol:
And well... i have posted this thread in the whole wrong board as it seems.  :nervous:

So, do i have to create another topic in the HLP Support Board then?  :confused:
Title: A new Community Project Board for Translations?
Post by: Novachen on January 31, 2021, 06:55:09 am
Heyya,

i already posted this in another board... the wrong one which is not even visible for most users.
So i post it again in the right one after at least a multi-language translation of the whole main campaign of FS2 was released.

I know, that i am a controversial person here, but nevertheless i actually would like to request a board, with an internal one, also, that is dedicated to translations of FS2 and its Standalones... :nervous:.

The reason is not only, that i am trying to get all translations of this game under one roof (Codenamed NTP (https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=96944.0)), so that all languages and future translations can use the same data set.
But also because all "Translation released" threads disappear in the depths of this forum, so this would be also the place for all translation releases that are also not covered by my project, yet.
Also an own board would it make it easier to get in touch with mod developers which can maybe request a translation, even before a mod is released.

HLP IS the central point of contact with everything what has to do with FreeSpace with people from countless countries that speak many languages. So it simple would not make sense to use any other forum for this endeavour.
Alternative would be at most at ModDB, but even that is not so popular within the Freespace community than this board. References are always made to HLP.

Right now, i am using one single thread in this forum, which is sufficient to inform about releases, sure.
But well, one single thread could make it difficult to attract people who are may be interested to create own translations or to find a translation of their languages. Not to speak of, that it would be easier to post a hiring request for translators in specific languages.

I think such board would fit more into the Community Projects section, as it is more comparable with FSCRP as its results are based on releases that were created by people.


Greetings,

Jenna
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: karajorma on January 31, 2021, 07:20:09 pm
I moved the old thread and merged it with this one. If no one has any disagreements, I'll make the board tomorrow.

Just one question, are you translating via mod or by using strings.tbl and tstrings.tbl? And if not the latter, what would it take for you to change?
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: Novachen on February 01, 2021, 01:19:50 am
Were it is possible every language is using  its own -lcl and -tlc.tbm file which have the text of all tables and missions.

The tables and missions itself are only supplemented, so that they include the correct string numbers.
So in campaigns that are still maintained they could be part of the official release, so that we only need to offer the translated text.

Older campaigns need a complete rerelease then. Special cases like FSPort that want to be playable on Retail... due to the string ID limit of retail I think that this will get an own missions and table release like FS2 so that it is compatible to the already estabilshed string numbers.

The goal is actually to have such releases at the minimum. So that most mod/campaigns are using only the solely (t)strings tbm and so no other release apart the main package. As there are still some engine limitations some language specific files like Fan fiction viewer text or even some scripts (if they have text that have to be translated) have to be offered individually however, as they are not handled through the tstrings.tbl.
This also applies to language specific graphics, as there are some mods which displays text via graphics in cutscenes i.e.

But have to say, that i am actually against it, to include any translated files in official mod releases, because it make it simple more difficult in case like fixing of (spelling) errors or to add whole new languages.
Title: Re: A board dedicated to translations?
Post by: karajorma on February 03, 2021, 01:55:46 am
Seems to me that what we need is filtering in Knossos then so that if you don't speak a language, you'll never see the translation projects associated with it. Not sure when that will happen but it was a planned feature.

EDIT: Board created and you've been assigned as a moderator.