Translating a website via a list of sentences or segments is sometimes quite dry to say the least. The provided files in textual mode, from Excel spreadsheets to Gettext .po, do not allow the translator to see how the translated text will be rendered in its environment: the interface.
How can we know for instance if a shorter wording would be more judicious when the text is displayed within a menu tab? Such sentence would be catchier as a page title, other would gain to be optimized for search engines, or more explanatory for a site map.
There is never only one possible translation, nor a best one that would fit in every situations: each translation must be adapted for an audience, a specific use, an aim, a layout, a context.
<script src="https://pontoon-dev.mozillalabs.com/pontoon.js"></script>
By passing your mouse through the page, you will see the editable blocks getting highlighted, and a pen-shaped icon will enable you to edit them. Once the text localized, you can save it or cancel your changes.
When subscribed to the application via BrowserID.org, you will be able to save your translations on the Transifex service, or to download them in HTML format (which is ideal to translate a static website), JSON and PO (the classical Gettext format).
The texts reused from page to page, and even on the whole site, will have to be translated over and over. This is only a graphical interface, with no translation memory linked to it.
Translation in context is then possible, and it helps us making enlighted choices to adapt it to its use and the way it will be displayed in the end.
How can we know for instance if a shorter wording would be more judicious when the text is displayed within a menu tab? Such sentence would be catchier as a page title, other would gain to be optimized for search engines, or more explanatory for a site map.
There is never only one possible translation, nor a best one that would fit in every situations: each translation must be adapted for an audience, a specific use, an aim, a layout, a context.
What it is all about
Pontoon, by Mozilla Labs, is an online live website localization tool. It makes possible to change each text block of a page and to see all the styling directly applied to the translated segment. The result is then visible in the page look and feel, and is integrated in a genuine translation quality management process where both the place and goal of the translated text are taken into account.How it works
After having inserted the following javascript snippet in the code of the page, you can now enter the address of the page in this form.<script src="https://pontoon-dev.mozillalabs.com/pontoon.js"></script>
By passing your mouse through the page, you will see the editable blocks getting highlighted, and a pen-shaped icon will enable you to edit them. Once the text localized, you can save it or cancel your changes.
When subscribed to the application via BrowserID.org, you will be able to save your translations on the Transifex service, or to download them in HTML format (which is ideal to translate a static website), JSON and PO (the classical Gettext format).
What the limits are
The fact of altering the visible text unfortunately implies you cannot change the hidden text lurking behind the scene. Images ALT tag, page title (TITLE tag), as well as all the messages handled by javascript and ajax will remain in the source language.The texts reused from page to page, and even on the whole site, will have to be translated over and over. This is only a graphical interface, with no translation memory linked to it.
Conclusion
If that tool is only limited to visible text, its direct use in visual mode enables us to see the translation alive exactly where it will be used, and to adapt it accordingly.Translation in context is then possible, and it helps us making enlighted choices to adapt it to its use and the way it will be displayed in the end.
Localisation d'un site en direct avec Pontoon (in French)
Localización de un sitio en vivo con Pontoon (in Spanish)
Localização de um site ao vivo com Pontoon (in Portuguese)
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