Now that the translation is live, I took some time to review the content in context and found a few issues with the translation. I fixed most of them on Weblate, but for some reason some couldn’t be fixed. Here’s a quick list:
String location: source_app/__init__.py:73
For some reason the site doesn’t recognize spaces when using the “strong” tag. The Portuguese (and English) string currently reads: (…) o quenãogarante o seu anonimato.
String location: source_templates/base.html:24 source_templates/base.html:43 AND source_templates/index.html:32 source_templates/index.html:84
Added a missing article
String location: source_templates/generate.html:4
After seeing this in context, this translation was shown to be completely inappropriate. Fixed.
source_templates/generate.html:5
The original text is a little bit convoluted and can be a little bit misleading (see next item). The translation has been adapted.
source_templates/generate.html:46 AND source_templates/generate.html:44
The text on these buttons is actually misleading, even in English, because of the previous string. When I first read this, I thought the “existing codename” was the codename that had just been generated and is shown above. But it’s actually the other way around: the code above is the “new codename”. Since the user gets to this page when using the service for the first time, it’s weird to assume he might already have a codename. I’m changing the Portuguese translation to address that, but I also recommend reviewing the original string.
source_templates/why-journalist-key.html:17
Another problem with the original string. Shouldn’t “roswell_photos.pdf” be replaced by “<filename>”?
When sending documents, the “Browse…” button and the string “No files selected” aren’t translated, but I couldn’t find any corresponding strings to translate
Could you please explain how inappropriate this is ? Should we be concerned that it confuses people ?
Sorry for not being more precise, and I might have overstated it a bit. It just sounds weird the way it was, since we don’t say “welcome” that way in Portuguese.
In any case, almost none of these issues are very serious, with the possible exception of #5.
Could you please tell me which navigator you are using to verify that and which URL as well so I can reproduce the problem ?
I’m using Tor Browser (but this particular string appears when using Tor2Web), and I’m taking the string locations from the “Source information” box on the translation platform.
I unsuccessfully tried to find other ways to say ‘welcome’ in portuguese.
While in a one-to-one dialogue ‘boas-vindas’ is not used and would sound just weird, in public places such as meetings, ‘boas-vindas’ doesn’t sound awkward and is correct, despite of not being the most common term. Considering our efforts to use a more neutral language, I still think that ‘boas-vindas’ is a better candidate than ‘bem-vindo’ even after seeing the demo in portuguese.
I unsuccessfully tried to find other ways to say ‘welcome’ in portuguese.
While in a one-to-one dialogue ‘boas-vindas’ is not used and would sound just weird, in public places such as meetings, ‘boas-vindas’ doesn’t sound awkward and is correct, despite of not being the most common term. Considering our efforts to use a more neutral language, I still think that ‘boas-vindas’ is a better candidate than ‘bem-vindo’ even after seeing the demo in portuguese.
How about “bem-vindo(a)”? It might not be the cleanest, most elegant solution, but it is a pretty well-established practice.
I would like to understand why you consider ‘boas-vindas’ less preferable than ‘bem-vindo(a)’. I supposed it was the best candidate available because it addresses everybody without distinction of gender, differently of what ‘-o, -a’ do. Furthermore, it was a choice made after thinking about some possible negative reactions to the '‘o (a)’ or ‘x’. Also, let’s remember that if we wish to avoid distinction of gender, the ‘-x’ option is to be considered over ‘a, o’. Finally, once we use ‘o (a)’ or ‘x’ in one string, we probably should think about keeping consistency and using it in the whole app.
I would like to understand why you consider ‘boas-vindas’ less preferable than ‘bem-vindo(a)’. I supposed it was the best candidate available because it addresses everybody without distinction of gender, differently of what ‘-o, -a’ do. Furthermore, it was a choice made after thinking about some possible negative reactions to the '‘o (a)’ or ‘x’. Also, let’s remember that if we wish to avoid distinction of gender, the ‘-x’ option is to be considered over ‘a, o’. Finally, once we use ‘o (a)’ or ‘x’ in one string, we probably should think about keeping consistency and using it in the whole app.
Hello. For me the number one priority is for the translation to sound natural. “Boas-vindas” sounds like Google Translate; it’s just not used like that. Trying to avoid gender bias is an important and commendable thing to do, and I think for the most part we did a good job in this respect, but unfortunately there’s only so much we can do.
Also, I don’t consider ‘-x’ to be preferable. It’s unpronounceable and inelegant, whereas o(a), while still not ideal, at least it is well-established and accepted.
Lastly, I don’t see how this creates a problem with consistency, as this word appears only once, and we have solved other similar cases by rewording the strings.
In any case, I don’t pretend to have a monopoly on the truth. All this is just my opinion, and I’m just the translator. Since I haven’t received any instructions concerning these matters, I did what I thought was best. The team is of course free to change what it wants. It is a very minor issue, after all.
Would you like me to open an issue to change this ? I tend to like this semi humoristic placeholder but I understand it may not be the best.