Prior to DSpace 7, the DSpace XML and JSP User interfaces had different catalogs of interface messages. Unified on a single user interface, the DSpace community is transitioning to a widely adopted web standard for the translation of interface messages.
Originating in the Linux world, the GNU gettext tools and the PO file format is also the backbone of localization support in Wordpress, django and Drupal
The DSpace community is actively seeking contributors to aid in the translation of DSpace interface messages, to ensure that DSpace 7 can benefit from the most extensive localization support in the history of the project.
Contributing to translations requires a Github and a DuraSpace wiki account. Head over to www.github.com to create a free Github account.
Accounts for the DuraSpace wiki are free as well and can be requested in an email to sysadmin@duraspace.org, indicating that you wish to contribute to DSpace 7 Translations.
Make yourself familiar with the new .pot catalog of DSpace messages, as well the .po file format with the translations for the catalog.
Explore tools that can help you with the management of .pot and .po files. https://poedit.net/ is one widely used desktop application.
As part of preview release 1, the developers are still using en.json catalogs. Once Pull Request 366 is accepted, the migration to the new .POT and .PO standard files will be official.
As long as DSpace 7 is still in development, it is expected that the dspace.pot catalog, as well as the different translations, will continue to be extended and evolved.
Together, we aim to release as many, as complete translations as possible, as part of the official DSpace 7.0 release.
Please list your name, email address alongside any of the languages to which you wish to contribute. Also feel free to join the channel #translation on the DuraSpace Slack for assistance and discussion around DSpace 7 translations.
Bram Luyten - bram@atmire.com