Bug#940624: Errors in the translatable messages
Summary: a few of these are good wishlist-grade suggestions.
>> 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').
"Permanently stored" would work, but presumably the idea is that it's
meant to remind users of dialogues saying "Remember password?"
>> SOURCE TEXT
>> The ${pkg} package must have a database installed and configured
>> before it can be used. This can be optionally handled with
>> dbconfig-common.
>> ERRORS
>> - Phrasing error: 'This can be optionally handled with
>> dbconfig-common.' (This can be done with dbconfig-common when
>> desired.).
No, that says something different; for a start, it implies that you
can leave it until some other time, if you like. Also, which verb in
the main sentence is "This can be done" referring back to? Presumably
"configure(d)", but it's hard to be sure; whereas "this can handled"
only needs to refer back to a noun, such as the situation in general.
>> SOURCE TEXT
>> If you are an advanced database administrator and know that you want
>> to perform this configuration manually, or if your database has
>> already been installed and configured, you should refuse this option.
>> Details on what needs to be done should most likely be provided in
>> /usr/share/doc/${pkg}.
>> ERRORS
>> - Phrasing error: 'know that you want' ('want').
Again, not quite the same. "Are sure that you want" would work too,
but it isn't *better* (since for a start it's longer).
>> - Phrasing error: 'should most likely be provided in' ('is likely
>> provided in').
No - not quite idiomatic ("probably" would work better), a bit weak
(so beef it up to "most probably"), and not quite grammatical (the
"is" should be "are"). Or leave it as it is, since there's nothing
really wrong with it.
>> 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'.
I don't remember the context, but I presume it means something like
"If you are reconfiguring the package that uses the database for
reasons that have nothing in particular to do with the database
itself".
>> 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').
No, Warning signs aren't labelled "WARNINGS!" even if they go on to
mention several dangers.
>> - Grammatical error: 'if' (If).
No. There are style guides that prefer uppercase after a colon in
particular circumstances, and style guides that always forbid it. The
debian-l10n-english "house style" (more or less by accident) goes with
the lowercase option.
>> - Coherence error: 'If' (And if).
Make your mind up! Are these two separate warnings or do you want
them run together into one? Besides, there are probably just as many
style guides that prohibit sentence-initial "and/but" as there are
style guides that allow uppercase after colons.
>> SOURCE TEXT
>> Perform upgrade on database for ${pkg} with dbconfig-common?
>> ERRORS
>> - Phrasing error: 'Perform upgrade on' (Upgrade).
I suspect that the point of this phrasing was that it makes the
structure clear: with "Upgrade database" the reader needs to expend a
tiny amount of mental effort working out that it has "upgrade" as a
verb and "database" as its object (it's not, for instance, introducing
the concept of an upgrade database), "Perform upgrade on database" is
longwinded, but unambiguous.
If you want to translate it starting from the assumption that "what it
really means is UPGRADE DATABASE, and if English had a proper system
of grammatical word-endings, that's what it would say!", well. feel
free to imagine that's what it says, but there's no need to change the
English text.
>> 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).
This is the first one I've seen so far where I think your version
might actually be an improvement, but the difference is so tiny!
>> - Phrasing error: 'database upgrade operations need to be performed
>> on ${pkg}' (the ${pkg} database needs to be updated).
Hang on, updated or upgraded? That aside... the longwindedness here
*might* be because the "operations" that need to be performed may be
slightly obscure package-management-admin activities on the
Bug#940624: Errors in the translatable messages
Dear debian-l10n-english members,
Yesterday, I received the following bug report about the templates of
dbconfig-common. I recall the templates have been reviewed on this list
in the past, could you please comment on the remarks by Maarten?
Paul
On 17-09-2019 23:20, maar...@posteo.de wrote:
> 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- 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- option from the list in
Bug#940624: Errors in the translatable messages
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- 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- 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-
option' (Install your preferred dbconfig-).
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
