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[MD]

There are standars programs, for example Gettext.

These programs process the sources and i generate a file .po.    
And this file (.po) contains the strings to translate in other languages for example Spanish   .

It is not difficult to mark the strings to translate in the source code, it is a mechanical and repetitive process.

[Mechanoid]

I think this sort of work should be reserved for when the game is 100% completed, and when translating everything would yeild the most benifit for the least work.

If Toady does this now, and for every version, it'll just become retardedly difficult and time consuming.

In short:
Learn English.

[Bas Cost Budde]

I don't object to learning english (although there is some faint echo of anglocentrality in your formulation) but yet I'd like to be able to show this game in my native language, too. It'd be cool (and the classmates of my 5 year old who plays a fortress right now would be slightly able to follow what he's talking about.)

[schnobs]

quote:I think this sort of work should be reserved for when the game is 100% completed

I don't think this game will ever be completed. Toady may at some day decide not to work on it any longer, but as long as he does there will always be bits and pieces to add.

[flap]

Or keep adding stuff for ever and ever... without ever doing one third of what he expected first.

So if we want to do translation, it never can be too early. But it depends how complicated it is for toady to do that.

[Mechanoid]

One major problem with translations is that one word or phrase in english may be much shorter then the same word or phrase in spanish /french /etc

This means that if a 6 letter english word translates to a 10 letter spanish word, those 4 extra letters could technically roll off the screen, and result in a very ugly reading; like when you order a mason workshop to make a 'light stone armor stand'
There are just too many letters in the phrase, and the entire sentence gets cut off by the game screen.

This is what i meant by waiting until the game is finished. When Toady completes all the arcs and core components, the game can then undergo a visual overhaul, allowing for resizing /reformatting of the game views and the like, so that such text errors dont happen; thus allowing for a better translation to be made.
[If i was playing a game that was translated to english, and the dev neglected to resize the screen so that the phrase would fit on screen, and so instead had the (probably critical) phrase cut in half, i'd be pissed off.]

[ March 22, 2007: Message edited by: Mechanoid ]

[MD]

Thanks   . I will wait to Dwarf Fortress is finished. But, When he is finished? In months?

I think that the project would have to be free software, this problems (translations, bugs, ports to other OS...) would be fixed faster.

[herrbdog]

That's not gonna happen. And I am glad too, as then it is Toady's vision, unified.

Open source doesn't mean faster development, nor less bugs. It just means you have more cooks in the kitchen. Might be good, might not. Like everything else, it depends.

'Course translations of text might probably be needed, but, yeah, too much to go yet, I think.

[axus]

It's worth a shot, but I wouldn't expect frequent releases.

[Carlos Gustavos]

Wouldn't a (proper) translation also require variable sentence structure or grammar, not just translating strings?

Eg.
rock table -> mesa de piedra
<material> <object> -> <object> de <material>

[Toady One]

Yeah, it's the grammar issues that make it difficult, given how much the game builds sentences from components.  I'm not sure those utilities really help in that case.  There'd need to be some kind of additional format.  This might be healthy, and I might start fiddling with those things if I try to add grammar to the in-game languages.