On 14-01-09 06:04 PM, Andrej N. Gritsenko wrote:
> Hello!
>
> Translation revealed that we need to decide right strings in the
> progression window and put them there. Those strings are not yet good.
> There are three questionable cases, I'll illustrate them below showing
> the window in text representation caught in the process.
>
> 1) The simplest case:
>
> Copying files: 1, 2, 3, 4
> To: /tmp
> ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
> Copying 2
>
> Q: Is the 'To' correct word or should it be 'Into' instead?
Will the destination line always show the parent folder or will it show
the actual destination filename when copying a single file or folder?
If it will always show the parent folder, then "Into" would be slightly
more correct (which might make it easier for translators to handle) but,
for historical reasons, would feel unusual.
The "slightly" in "slightly more correct" comes about because "to"
refers to a location (like a street address) while "into" refers to a
container (like a folder or room). "Into" is correct for a physical file
folder (which is the visual metaphor used) but "To" is correct for a
street address, which is the closest intuitive metaphor for "/tmp" and,
in the DOS and UNIX world, predates the folder metaphor.
Since native English speakers build a "both an neither" intuition about
whether "To" or "Into" was more correct in this case, things got
complicated.
While "Into a folder" is more grammatically correct, since "To a
location" is also correct and a location can be either a full path or a
parent folder, programmers decided to keep things simple by using "To"
for both cases. That built up a weak expectation that "To" would be used
rather than "Into".
In summary, "Into" will make users look twice, then realize that, while
it's unusual and wastes space with two extra characters, it's not wrong.
"To" won't make users look twice because they're used to seeing it.
My advice is to stay with "To".
>
> 2) More complex case:
>
> Changing attributes of files: 1, 2, 3, ...
> ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
> Changing attributes of file 53
>
> Q: Is the 'of' correct word here or should it be 'for' instead?
That's a very tricky case to explain. Both are "valid enough" but
determining which is more valid requires an understanding of English
grammar and the nature of "attributes" that most native speakers lack.
("on" would also be valid enough though less because it's intuitive and
more from seeing it used so often that it becomes normal.)
I can try to make a suggestion but first I need a clearer understanding
of which operations that message will and will not be displayed for. Is
it just for setting the mode bits or does it cover other attributes as well?
>
> 2) Yet more complex case:
>
> Creating links to files: 1, 2, 3, 4, ...
> To: /tmp
> ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
> Creating link /tmp/423
>
> Q: Is the 'to' correct word here or should it be 'onto' (or even 'for')
> instead?
> Q: If 'to' is correct then probably 'To:' should be changed? Or not?
Use "In:" since you're creating the links IN the parent folder you're
displaying.
"Onto" would be a strange choice, would only really make sense for
"Mounting <name of single device> onto <name of single mountpoint>",
and, even in that case, would be inferior to "at".
"For" doesn't make sense at all because /tmp is a position/location, not
a role, actor, purpose, goal, etc.
>
> The best would be an advice from native English speaker but opinions
> of everyone else are welcomed. Thank you in advance.
English-speaking Canadian, born and raised, with an interest in grammar
and language only exceeded by my interest in computers.
Speaking of which, I noticed a few points I can draw attention to in
that sentence to improve your grammar.
First, "an advice" is incorrect because "advice" is not a countable noun.
It's the same as how you can count cups, handfuls, cubes, pieces, loaves
of water, sand, ice, and bread, but you can't have "a sand" or "a
bread". Advice has no single, inherent, automatic unit of division, so
you have to explicitly specify one or just say "advice" and let it be
implicitly understood that you want "some advice" but aren't specifying
how much.
Second, "English-speaker" is always a countable noun, so you have to say
"from a native English-speaker" or "from native English-speakers". (The
hyphen is the grammatically correct way to indicate that "English" is an
essential part of the noun rather than a clarifying adjective. Without
either that or sufficient context, "English speaker" could mean an audio
output device (a speaker) manufactured in England or a person who gives
speeches professionally (a speaker) and is of English ancestry.)
Third, "opinions of everyone else" is one of those things that should
work but is never actually said in practice. We either say "opinions
from everyone else" or, more commonly, "everyone else's opinions".
Finally, "are welcomed" should be "are welcome". Native English speakers
won't stop to think about why "are welcomed" feels wrong but here's the
gist of it:
1. "Are welcomed" is describing an action that will be taken each time.
(It's another way of writing "Every time I receive a piece of advice, I
will welcome it")
2. "Are welcome" is describing a state of being in which something exists.
>
> With best regards.
> Andriy.
>
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