Re: German translation of PostgreSQL documentation

Alvaro Herrera writes:

> PostgreSQL is not the first project in translating its documents. In
> fact the free desktop environments are very far ahead. The KDE guys
> devised a way to convert the DocBook into PO, which is more manageable
> for translation; the translated PO can be converted back to DocBook.
> The PO format provides most of what's necessary to keep translations
> up-to-date, as of course you already know.

I've read about that too, but I don't quite see how it can work. I mean,
do you want to maintain 1000 pages of documentation via PO files? How do
you manage the document structure? But do feel free to investigate that
and report to us.

> I think this requires switching from SGML DocBook to XML DocBook 4.2. I
> don't think it's too much to ask to change the format if it allows for
> easy translation. However IIRC Rod Taylor already proposed a change to
> XML some time ago and you rejected it. Would you accept the change now?

You can convert SGML to XML automatically, so that shouldn't stop anyone.
IIRC, most proposals to upgrade the DocBook version were rejected because
they usually happened near the end of the development cycle, when people
are supposed to be working on the documentation and not be bothered with
new tools.

--
Peter Eisentraut peter_e(at)gmx(dot)net