Translate Koha into Indian languages

Eight regional languages in India were placed in the Koha translation project. Hindi and Telugu translation is almost finished, and other languages work is in progress. Except for Hindi and Telugu, no other Indian languages received community participation in the translation process.

How to participate in Koha translation

Koha Software community maintains an online platform for translation activities. The Koha translation website is available at https://translate.koha-community.org. The Koha software community uses free software called Pootle to manage translations. Each version of Koha is treated as a project and contains languages and translation files. Translation entries are saved in .po files and multiple .po files for different modules of Koha ILS. You can participate in translation activities by creating an account on the website. No technical knowledge is required to participate in translation activities.

Select the language (e.g. Malayalam) from the top of the website. Translation work on the four Koha editions is underway at the same time. 


Select the latest version of Koha for translation. Enter into the translation activities by clicking on the Koha version. When a new version of Koha is released, the current translation entries carry over to the latest one.


The translation entries are stored in different files. For ease of translation, lines related to various modules such as online catalogue, staff interface, messages and installer are stored in separate files. Clicking on the file link will allow you to enter into the file and view the lines to be translated.


Click on the Untranslated link, and it will list out the entries that need a translation. Translate the highlighted entries. 

Translate the highlighted English entries. Type the translated entries in the regional language in the box. Use Google Chrome browser, and the  Input Tools extension (Google Input Tools) to input translated entries. The translated entry can be submitted by clicking on the Submit / Suggest button. Suggested translations become part of the Malayalam translation once approved by the Administrator.

If there is a variable in the entries, it should be left as it is. Numbers, amounts, dates, etc., appear in the variable position. %s can be found where the variable appears. Even if you change the structure of the lines, add the variable note in the desired position. Do not delete the variable part.

When the translation of each line is complete, the next line is highlighted for translation.

Participation in the Koha translation project does not require technical expertise. Best collaboration space for LIS students and professionals. Participation in the Koha translation project helps the students and professionals acquaint themselves with Free Software’s sharing culture. Become a contributor and help in Koha translation.

No comments:

Post a Comment