Are you fluent in multiple languages? Having our software interfaces and documentation available in multiple languages is important to enable more people to be able to comfortably use our software, and you can help make this happen.
The KDE Translation teams take fragments of text from KDE software as well as sections of Documentation, all of which are primarily written in English, and translates them into other languages.
The translations are fed back into the software, and the end result is that a user can use an application entirely in their native language.
And that, of course, means you too — instead of translating messages and menu items and button text in your head every time you use an application, you can do it just once, and then have it in your own language whenever you use it.
Communicating with the team
There are several ways to get in contact with the translation team.
The most important are:
- the #kde-i18n channel on Matrix or IRC Libera Chat is where translators chat to each other in real time
- the primary mailing list for talking about translations is the kde-i18n-doc list
- other lists for specific languages which you can find on the complete list of KDE mailing lists
We track issues related to KDE translation infrastructure on Invent.
First steps
KDE uses SVN to store the translations and Lokalize to translate them.
Those translations can be text from GUI applications, from their manuals, or from websites.
You will want to review The Translation Howto to learn the process.
To dive in and start translating:
- head to KDE Localization Home Page and choose your language
- contact the specific team for your language and download the translation files
- translate the files given to you
- send the files back to the translation team (whether it's via mailing list, via a chat application, or any preferred method used by your team)
Mentorship program
KDE is a big community, and translating its software is a big project. It is easy to feel lost when you first start. Several people have volunteered to help new members by answering your questions and pointing you to the right places. You can find a list on the mentoring page.