Working with Translations
Introduction
The PHP Manual is translated into several languages, but this process requires humans to constantly update each language.
Getting started
A few steps must be taken before working on a translation.
And since this document is not complete, please read the official HOWTO on this topic:
Also, read the HOWTO for additional information, like how to download the documentations source from CVS.
Determine if the translation exists, and if it's active
This is an easy step for several languages, but not for those that are considered outdated. A few places to look:
- Each week a suite of tools are ran against the translations, with the results online here:
The mailing list. Each translation has its own mailing list that receives both commits and discussion. The lists will show up as php.doc.{lang} below, whereas the mailing address is doc-{lang}@lists.php.net where {lang} is the appropriate country/language code.
Several tools/scripts exist within the documentation files that help out finding errors and/or information related to the translation. The output of these scripts are also online:
Write the appropriate mailing list
Send an email to the translations list and introduce yourself. If you're interested in translating a certain section, say so, or ask for suggestions. While writing this introduction, also send a copy to the main documentation list (phpdoc@lists.php.net).
Start work on the translation
The main documentation HOWTO discusses working on the English version, but a few translation specific notes are worth mentioning here:
- Add the EN-Revision tag to each translated file.
- Check out either:
- phpdoc-all : includes English (phpdoc-all/en/) and every translation (phpdoc-all/{lang}
- phpdoc-{lang} for the translation, which includes the English version (in en/)
- Commits go to the translation go to the appropriate list whereas English commits go to doc-cvs@lists.php.net