"Ari Constancio" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > It depends. Strict translation of "open source" would be "código > aberto" and, indeed, it is sometimes used in institutional > conferences. > In ordinary conversations, I never use "código aberto" (always "open > source") but "free software" is translated as "software livre". > > Karl decided to freely interchange "open source software" with "free > software", as can be seen from the title and subtitle. > So, I decided to write "open source software" the same as "free > software" (i.e. "software livre"). > > Confusing, right? :) > > You raise an interesting issue. Is every translator writing "open > source" in the title? > At least the french translation uses "libre". > > What do you think, Karl?
I think there wouldn't even be two different terms if English didn't have this stupid ambiguity. Sigh :-). But because English needed with two terms, now every language is acquiring them, even though the distinction is unnecessary. I'm not sure what to recommend, because I don't know what the two terms connote in other languages. Also, the two terms may have different relative popularity in other languages. For example, in English, the term "open source" has essentially won -- almost no one, outside our circle of specialists, knows what "free software" means. (Sorry, I know that's disappointing to some, but it's time to face the facts :-) ). But in other languages, perhaps terms like "software livre" are dominant and more widely used than "código aberto" or whatever the equivalent is for that language. You know the answer to that better than I do. I'd be fine with just "software livre". Feel free to adjust the section that discusses the two English terms, to make it explain that, in English, the title of this book uses both terms, but that we may not reflect that in all languages, because there is no need to. -Karl _______________________________________________ Producingoss-translators mailing list [email protected] http://www.red-bean.com/mailman/listinfo/producingoss-translators
