Site Localization

Localizing Website Content

This page documents how users can contribute to the localization of content on opensolaris.org. There will be multiple steps involved in localizing everything and it will take some time. But at least there are some new tools in place, some content is already translated into multiple languages, there is an active Internationalization & Localization Community Group, and the new website offers a much better platform from which to build some interesting localization projects around the world. The sections below outline an initial contribution model, which will evolve as the site evolves. Comments always welcome to website-discuss AT opensolaris DOT org.

1. Auth

Auth is the most important application in the localization effort since all the website applications will get their language preferences from Auth when they integrate with the system. Auth is already localized into 25 languages thanks to the contributions of the OpenSolaris community using the Oracle Open CTI tool. So, as a result, the process of localizing Auth is well known and can be continued. Oracle's g11n engineering team will post updated resource files for Auth (and other applications) to the CTI tool for community translation, and then the website team will update Auth with those translations when completed. The more languages Auth is localized into the more languages our implementation of XWiki will support. Fortunately, Auth represents a relatively small amount of content, so localizations should be able to progress rapidly.

2. XWiki

XWiki currently supports 21 languages in the base application at xwiki.org. But our current implementation of XWiki on hub.opensolaris.org supports 17 languages: ar, ca, cs, de, el, es, fr, hu, in, ja, ko, nl, pl, pt_BR, ru, sv, zh. Those 17 languages represent the intersection between localizations supported on auth.opensolaris.org and those supported by the XWiki application itself. It's critical that we build out that intersection so we can enable more languages on hub.opensolaris.org for the community to localize more general OpenSolaris content.

Before you begin translating, it's important to understand that hub.opensolaris.org is not a wiki where anyone can edit and translate anything. The site is comprised of many applications and many spaces, but all of the content fits into three big sections:

1. Common Content: This content includes the front page, project overview, FAQ center, roadmaps, site map, downloads, Collectives overview and navigation, navs, header/footer spaces and documents, style sheets, etc. Oracle's Website Team manages the common content on hub.opensolaris.org, and requests to update and translate this information can be made on website-discuss. Contact information here.
2. Collective Content: This is the content inside the hundreds of Collectives on the site -- Community Groups, Projects, User Groups. Leaders of those Collectives are responsible for managing their own content and for providing edit privileges to their community members. Contact information here.
3. Subsites Content: This is the content on the dozen or so applications on the site -- usually called subsites -- that provide services to users and developers, such as cr.os.org (code review), jucr.os.org (source juicer), pkg.os.org (package), test.os.org (test), etc. Each subsite has owners responsible for maintaining their applications and managing content on their pages. The site map has more details about the services offered by each subsite. Contact information here.

So, you can only translate content where you have privileges to edit in the first place, and the site gets that user access data from the Auth application. The Roles & Collectives document explains the structure of the site and each role in each collective. Basically, if you have edit privileges to your own areas of the site and you want to translate that content, then please feel free to proceed. Here's how:

If you go to the OpenSolaris website and edit a page, you will see the following text in the right navigation bar:

Document translations
Translate this document in: ar  ca  cs  de  el  es  fr  hu  in  ja  ko  nl  pl  pt_BR  ru  sv  zh

Here's what it looks like in a screen shot.

Click on a language code in that nav. Certain elements on the screen will immediately change to that language, and the URL will change to read 'language=[whatever language you chose]'. After you translate and save the page, the right nav bar in edit mode will display the language code, and also at the top right side of the page the new language code (among whatever other translations are there) will display a generic flag icon. That tells users the page is localized into any number of languages.

However, if you want to translate content in an area of the site where you don't already have edit privileges, then you need to contact the Leaders in those areas and ask them if they would be interested in having their content localized and if they would give you the appropriate editorial privileges to do that work. Note: you can click on the "show" button in the top nav to get the content in XWiki markup from any page on the site whether you have edit privileges or not. After you get permission to localize someone else's content and agree in a putback mechanism, either you or the content's owner would go through the same process as above to place the content in the appropriate language setting in XWiki.

3. Subsites

The subsites should to get localized at some point, too. This can be accomplished in three steps:

1. First, the website engineering team will build a backend web application to serve the common graphical elements of the OpenSolaris website to the subsites, so that includes the headers, footers, wordmarks, logos, icons, etc. This way, the entire website can have a common look and feel (as much as possible given that there are many applications involved). Also, the benefit of this concept becomes clear when we have to update common elements of the site or add new translations or templates. Then all of the subsites will be updated as well, and those application owners don't have to worry about keeping in sync with the rest of the site from a graphical perspective. Over time, the sites making up opensolaris.org will look and feel more like one site (with single sign on via Auth, of course).
2. Second, the OpenSolaris community will be able to localize the content for that web application described above, and when the website team is ready to deploy it we will make the content available for localization via the Open CTI tool. Even embedded text in icons will be translated at some point.
3. Third, although the first two items are still in the future, the OpenSolaris community members can contact the subsite owners and offer to translate that content right now, which can then be uploaded to each subsite by the Leaders. That's an option for highly motivated individuals.

Contribute Right Now

So, to review, if you have language translations skills, or if you have translated content on the old opensolaris.org website via the Portals Project, here's how you can contribute to the website localization effort right now:

• Localize content in the areas of the site that you already have privileges to edit.
• Ask other Leaders in other Collectives and Subsites if they would like you to localize their content for them.
• If you are a Leader of a Collective and not involved in localization and would like your content translated, post to i18n-discuss and ask the Internationalization & Localization Community if anyone is interested in localizing your content.
• Ask the Website Team if they'd like the common content on the site localized (the answer is yes, by the way). The common content on the site has been updated substantially recently, so check with us on website-discuss AT opensolaris DOT org so we can remain in sync as much as possible.
• Add more languages to Auth via the Oracle Open CTI tool by translating the Auth resources file. Ask questions on i18n-discuss (subscribe here, archives here, forum here, blog here). New resource files are coming soon for Auth and the SCM Console.
• Add more languages directly to the XWiki application at l10n.xwiki.org by translating the XWiki ApplicationResources file. Subscribe to the xwiki users list here.

Oracle Contributor Agreement

Content translations are major contributions to this community. We take them seriously. Please read and sign the Oracle Contributor Agreement (FAQ here), so everyone's rights are understood and protected. Here's more on contributing to OpenSolaris.