On Fri, May 18, 2012 at 11:38 AM, drew <[email protected]> wrote: > On Fri, 2012-05-18 at 11:29 -0400, Donald Whytock wrote: >> On Fri, May 18, 2012 at 11:20 AM, drew <[email protected]> wrote: >> > On Fri, 2012-05-18 at 11:08 -0400, Rob Weir wrote: >> >> On Fri, May 18, 2012 at 10:55 AM, drew jensen >> >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> > Hi, >> >> > >> >> > Recently there has been some discussion on the projects private ML >> >> > regarding issues about native language groups and how best to support >> >> > work groups which will by definition be somewhat circumscribed from the >> >> > whole by virtue of language without losing the cohesion of a single >> >> > project focus. >> >> > >> >> > I invite others pick that up here: >> >> >> >> What we do currently: >> >> >> >> 1) One big ooo-dev list >> >> >> >> 2) Some NL-specific lists. I don't subscribe to them at all, so >> >> others would need to say how they are currently being used. >> >> >> >> 3) We have some emerging procedures for how volunteers can contribute >> >> to product and website translations, but this information is scattered >> >> in old ooo-dev posts and not easy to find. >> >> >> >> I wonder whether a good step forward might be to document on our >> >> project website (http://incubator.apache.org/openofficeorg) the >> >> procedures from #3 above. Then when we have a new volunteer on the >> >> list we can point them to this information. This could expand to >> >> other NL topics such as local marketing/events, trademark usage, NL >> >> mailing lists, etc. >> > >> > hmm I would say, eventually yes, but if you mean - one giant dev list is >> > already the decided outcome and so just document it as such, then I'd >> > say no, not yet. >> > >> > I do not think this project is such that one can just say 'the Apache >> > way' and be done with it - there is about to be a new Apache way me >> > thinks. >> > >> > For instance I wonder how much experience there is in the Apache Way >> > with a project which will need to look local in certain places around >> > the world (China, Vietnam, Brasil, Venzuela and Bolivia come to mind >> > quickly) as without this the local government support goes away and >> > without that so does the local project - or at least that is my >> > understanding of the situation in those places. I use that only to say >> > that IMO this needs some real thought as to how this project is going to >> > build itself. >> >> Has any thought been given to reaching out to language-teaching >> communities at colleges for translation assistance? This would do >> dual duty of getting help with translation of top-level site >> information and spreading the word about AOO. There may be teachers >> who would consider translation of NL pages extra-credit work for >> students. > > Sounds like a great idea, if, the reason for this project is simply to > scratch an itch - in other words if the goal here is to build the > software and then not really concern ourselves with who uses it, because > that is outside of the scope of this project and left to others to do > (and a valid position, perhaps) then I'd say sure, that sounds like one > good avenue to work on. In that scenario of the reason for the project > we don't care really about building local teams, only in the work > product. > > //drew
I was thinking of a bootstrap. At the moment, if all the policies and procedures and process descriptions are in English, then all your NL communities must start with a person who's capable in both English and the target language. If, on the other hand, you mass-produce translations of those policies and procedures and process descriptions into multiple languages and put them on NL root pages, you've widened your community-founding pool. Yes, scratching an itch. And prying open a door. Don
