Package: dbconfig-common
Version: 2.0.12
Severity: minor
Dear Maintainer
On 1 September 2019 I delivered an updated Dutch translation for
dbconfig-common. This is my report on the errors that I found in the
English source text.
This report uses 'the English source text' as an abstraction that
refers to the strings that have been made translatable in the source
code of dbconfig-common. It also uses 'paragraph' to refer to one of
those strings.
I will use the error types that are listed in the following table.
If you use a monospaced font, the table will be displayed neatly.
===========================================================
linguistic level error types
===========================================================
word level spelling error
word choice error
-----------------------------------------------------------
sentence level grammatical error
phrasing error
-----------------------------------------------------------
paragraph level coherence error
clarity error
-----------------------------------------------------------
text level text level error
===========================================================
SOURCE TEXT
Alternatively the passwords can be permanently remembered in the
debconf database (which is protected by Unix file permissions),
though this is less secure and thus not the default setting.
ERRORS
- Word choice error: 'permanently remembered' ('stored').
SOURCE TEXT
The ${pkg} package must have a database installed and configured
before it can be used. This can be optionally handled with
dbconfig-common.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'This can be optionally handled with
dbconfig-common.' (This can be done with dbconfig-common when
desired.).
SOURCE TEXT
If you are an advanced database administrator and know that you want
to perform this configuration manually, or if your database has
already been installed and configured, you should refuse this option.
Details on what needs to be done should most likely be provided in
/usr/share/doc/${pkg}.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'know that you want' ('want').
- Phrasing error: 'should most likely be provided in' ('is likely
provided in').
SOURCE TEXT
If you wish to reinstall the database for ${pkg}, you should select
this option. If you do not wish to do so (if you are reconfiguring
the package for unrelated reasons), you should not select this option.
ERRORS
- Clarity error: 'for unrelated reasons'.
SOURCE TEXT
Warning: if you change the name of the database, the old database
will not be removed. If you change the name of the user that connects
to the database, the privileges of the original user will not be
revoked.
ERRORS
- Word choice error: 'Warning' ('Warnings').
- Grammatical error: 'if' (If).
- Coherence error: 'If' (And if).
SOURCE TEXT
Perform upgrade on database for ${pkg} with dbconfig-common?
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'Perform upgrade on' (Upgrade).
SOURCE TEXT
According to the maintainer for this package, database upgrade
operations need to be performed on ${pkg}. Typically, this is due to
changes in how a new upstream version of the package needs to store
its data.
ERRORS
- Word choice error: 'for this package' (of this package).
- Phrasing error: 'database upgrade operations need to be performed
on ${pkg}' (the ${pkg} database needs to be updated).
- Phrasing error: 'needs to store' (stores).
- Coherence error: 'its data' (the database).
SOURCE TEXT
If you want to handle this process manually, you should refuse this
option. Otherwise, you should choose this option. During the upgrade,
a backup of the database will be made in
/var/cache/dbconfig-common/backups, from which the database can be
restored in the case of problems.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'handle this process' (do this) {verbosity}.
- Word choice error: 'from which' (with which).
- Phrasing error: 'in the case of' (in case of) {not idiomatic}.
SOURCE TEXT
If other database types are supported by ${pkg} but not shown here,
the reason for their omission is that the corresponding
dbconfig-<database type> packages are not installed. If you know that
you want the package to use another supported database type, your
best option is to back out of the dbconfig-common questions and opt
out of dbconfig-common assistance for this package for now. Install
your preferred dbconfig-<database type> option from the list in the
package dependencies, and then "dpkg-reconfigure ${pkg}" to select it.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'know that you want' (want).
- Phrasing error: 'back out of the dbconfig-common questions' (back
out of your answers to the dbconfig-common questions).
- Phrasing error: 'Install your preferred dbconfig-<database type>
option' (Install your preferred dbconfig-<database type>).
SOURCE TEXT
If you no longer have need of the data being stored by ${pkg}, you
should choose this option. If you want to keep this data, or if you
would rather handle this process manually, you should refuse this
option. Either way, it won't affect your other databases.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'have need of' (need).
- Coherence error: 'If you want to keep this data' (But if you want
to keep this data).
SOURCE TEXT
The underlying database for ${pkg} needs to be upgraded as part of
the installation process. Just in case, the database can be backed up
before this is done, so that if something goes wrong, you can revert
to the previous package version and repopulate the database.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'Just in case' () {colloquial}.
- Phrasing error: 'before this is done' (beforehand) {verbosity}.
- Phrasing error: 'Just in case, the [...], so that if something goes
wrong' (The [...], so that if something goes wrong) {repetition of a
point}.
- Word choice error: 'repopulate' (restore).
SOURCE TEXT FRAGMENT (3 times)
This will usually also impact your ability to install other packages
until the installation failure is resolved.
ERRORS
- Word choice error: 'failure' (problem).
SOURCE TEXT FRAGMENT (4 times)
retry - Prompts once more with all the configuration questions
(including ones you may have missed due to the debconf priority
setting) and makes another attempt at performing the operation.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'Prompts once more with all the configuration
questions' (Prompts the user to answer each configuration question
again).
- Phrasing error: 'makes another attempt at performing the operation'
(attempts the operation once more) {verbosity}.
SOURCE TEXT FRAGMENT (3 times)
This is normally useful only if you have solved the underlying
problem since the time the error occurred.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'since the time' (after).
SOURCE TEXT
Configuring the database for ${pkg} requires the package ${dbpackage}
to be installed and configured first, which is not something that can
be checked for automatically.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'checked for' (checked).
SOURCE TEXT
Please select the remote hostname to use, or select "new host" to
enter a new host.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'the remote hostname to use' (the name of the
remote server to use).
SOURCE TEXT
Please specify the port the ${dbvendor} database on the remote host
is running on.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'the port the ${dbvendor} database on the remote
host is running on' (the port the ${dbvendor} database server on the
remote host uses).
SOURCE TEXT
Please provide a ${dbvendor} username for ${pkg} to register with the
database server. A ${dbvendor} user is not necessarily the same as a
system login, especially if the database is on a remote server.
ERRORS
- Coherence error: 'user' (username).
- Phrasing error: 'system login' (system username).
SOURCE TEXT
This is the user which will own the database, tables, and other
objects to be created by this installation. This user will have
complete freedom to insert, change, or delete data in the database.
ERRORS
- Text level error: 'username' in the previous paragraph is not
coherent with 'user' in this paragraph.
- Grammatical error: 'the user which' (the user who).
SOURCE TEXT
Advanced usage: if you need to define the domain that the user will
log in from, you can write "username@domain".
ERRORS
- Word choice error: 'define' (specify).
SOURCE TEXT
Please provide a path where the ${dbvendor} database file for ${pkg}
should be installed into.
ERRORS
- Clarity error: A path refers to a file or directory that needs to
be addressed. The source text is about a file. Therefore, the path of
the file could be meant. However, 'where' refers to a location and
'into' refers to a motion from outside to inside. Therefore, the path
of a directory (also known as folder) where the file should be
installed could also be meant.
SOURCE TEXT
By default, ${pkg} will be configured to use a MySQL server through a
local Unix socket (this provides the best performance). To connect
with a different method, or to a different server entirely, select
the appropriate option from the choices here.
ERRORS
- Word choice error: 'choices' (options).
- Phrasing error: 'select the appropriate option from the choices
here' (please select the appropriate option) {verbosity}.
SOURCE TEXT
MySQL application password for ${pkg}:
ERRORS
- Clarity error: 'application' can refer to 'MySQL' itself and to
some unknown application that has its password set with MySQL.
SOURCE TEXT
Please provide the name of the account with which this package should
perform administrative actions. This user is the one with the power
to create new database users.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'This user is the one with' (This is the user with)
{verbosity}.
- Coherence error: an account's name is not a user. {This error is
extremely hard to deal with by translators.}
- Word choice error: 'create' (register).
SOURCE TEXT
For MySQL, this is almost always "root". Note that this is not the
same as the Unix login "root".
ERRORS
- Word choice error: 'login' (username).
SOURCE TEXT
Please provide the password for the administrative account
"${dbadmin}" with which this package should create its MySQL database
and user.
ERRORS
- Clarity error: 'user' can refer to 'MySQL user' and to 'package
user'.
SOURCE TEXT
Database user accounts can be configured to use a variety of plugins
for authentication with MySQL. If the server default won't work with
this application, it is necessary to specify one that will. Please
select one from the list of available plugins. Leaving the selection
set to its original value should work unless a remote server is using
unpredictable defaults, but other options may not be supported by
${pkg}. If problems arise, the package's documentation should give
hints; see /usr/share/doc/${pkg}/.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'Database user accounts can be configured to use a
variety of plugins for authentication with MySQL.' (Database user
accounts can be configured to use a plugin for authentication with
MySQL. This plugin can be chosen from a variety of plugins.).
{Database user accounts are unlikely able to concurrently use more
than one authentication method.}.
- Word choice error: 'unpredictable' (unusual).
- Coherence error: 'Leaving the selection set to its original value
should work unless a remote server is using unpredictable defaults,
but other options may not be supported by ${pkg}.' (Leaving the
selection set to its original value should work unless a remote
server is using unusual defaults. One or more of the other options
may not be supported by ${pkg}.).
- Word choice error: 'hints' (useful information).
- Phrasing error: 'If problems arise, the package's documentation
should give hints; see /usr/share/doc/${pkg}/.' (If problems arise,
the package's documentation may provide useful information. This
documentation should be in /usr/share/doc/${pkg}/.) {If problems
arise, the documentation does not change in response.}.
SOURCE TEXT
Your options are:
* default - use the default determined by the server.
* mysql_native_password - no MySQL authentication plugin is used.
* sha256_password - a more secure password encryption algorithm.
* caching_sha2_password - SHA2 plus an in-memory authentication
cache.
ERRORS
- Text level error: Because of the previous paragraph, this paragraph
must be a list of available plugins. However, only the first item in
this list seems to be a plugin.
- Clarity error: 'more secure' {More secure than what? More secure
than the default determined by the server? If so, then how much more
secure is SHA-256 when the server determines SHA-512?}.
- Spelling error: 'SHA2' (SHA-2).
SOURCE TEXT
TCP/IP + SSL
ERRORS
- Word choice error: '+' (and).
SOURCE TEXT
PostgreSQL application password for ${pkg}:
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'PostgreSQL application password' (PostgreSQL
password) {Because PostgreSQL is a database management system, that
system will manage passwords for access to the database.}.
SOURCE TEXT
If you are using "ident" authentication, the supplied password will
not be used and can be left blank. Otherwise, PostgreSQL access may
need to be reconfigured to allow password-authenticated access.
ERRORS
- Word choice error: 'left blank' (left out).
SOURCE TEXT
PostgreSQL servers provide several different mechanisms for
authenticating connections. Please select what method the
administrative user should use when connecting to the server.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'several different' (various) {verbosity}.
- Phrasing error: 'administrative user' (administrator) {verbosity}.
SOURCE TEXT
PostgreSQL servers provide several different mechanisms for
authenticating connections. Please select what method the database
user should use when connecting to the server.
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'several different' (various) {verbosity}.
SOURCE TEXT
Empty passwords unsupported with PostgreSQL
ERRORS
- Phrasing error: 'unsupported with' (are not supported by).
DISCUSSION
Statistics:
- Spelling errors: 1
- Word choice errors: 16
- Grammatical errors: 2
- Phrasing errors: 39
- Coherence errors: 6
- Clarity errors: 5
- Text level errors: 2
- Total number of errors: 71
- Total number of paragraphs: 110
- Number of unused paragraphs: 8
- Number of (used) paragraphs: 110 - 8 = 102
- Average number of errors per paragraph: 71 / 102 = 0.70
I am not a native speaker of English. A native speaker may be able to
find more errors, in particular idiomatic errors.
Most paragraphs contain only one or two sentences.
Because of the average number of errors per paragraph and the
average length of the paragraphs, I mark the English source text as
unsatisfactory.
English is the largest language by number of speakers, and the third
most-spoken native language in the world, after Standard Chinese and
Spanish. (source: Wikipedia)
According to Debian's Bug Tracking System, dbconfig-common has been
translated in German, French, Italian, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese,
Turkish and Russian. Standard Chinese and Spanish are not in this
list, thus the English source text is particularly important.
CONCLUSION
71 errors were found in the English source text of dbconfig-common.
I mark the text as unsatisfactory.
I recommend that:
1. You correct the English source text.
2. You have the result proofread according to the Debian Developer's
Reference.
3. You ask the translators for new translations.
4. You update the package.
Kind regards
Maarten
member of the Dutch translation team
