[Xfce-i18n] [de][Patch] xfce4-web-browser mistranslation

[Enrico Tröger]

On Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:25:58 +0200, Christian Dywan
<christian at twotoasts.de> wrote:

Hey,

> > > Oops, forgot to actually reply. Thanks for the reminder.
> > > 
> > > > msgid "Web Browser"
> > > > -msgstr "Mozilla (Web-Browser)"
> > > > +msgstr "Web-Browser"
> > > 
> > > Like I said initially, I would personally translate it. For
> > > instance with 'Netznavigator', but I leave it up to you.
> > 
> > To be honest, I hate 'Netznavigator'. Its meaning is so far away
> > from what Web-Browser means. Of course, if you translate it
> > literally it might fit but it is still not good.
> > I'd like to keep it 'Web-Browser'.
> 
> Hm... why far away? What you are doing is navigating. What you are
> navigating is the web. In fact, English uses the term navigating
> as a synonym for browsing in the context. And languages like French

It seems we can't get to an agreement on this :). Therefore it'd be
cool if any other German translators could state on this, I'm fine to
use 'Netzvaigator' if others think this fits well and I didn't know
that it is similar in French and Spanish.
Sorry.


> > > > #: ../modules/menu/menu-data/xfce4-terminal.desktop.in.h:1
> > > > msgid "Terminal"
> > > > msgstr "Terminal"
> > > 
> > > > > I don't think so, 'Konsole' would be even worse as it reminds
> > > > > more to KDE's konsole. I'd say 'Terminal' is fine as it is the
> > > > > name of
> > > > the general application type 'terminal emulation' and it fits
> > > > the
> > > > > name of Xfce's default terminal emultion application
> > > > > 'Terminal'. So, I'd say changing it would cause even more
> > > > > confusion.
> > > 
> > > Incidentally I've had access to a mac last week and tried to find
> > > a command line - it turned out it had a "Terminal" and a
> > > "Konsole", one of them was actually a log file viewer.
> > > 
> > > I don't use KDE but I see the problem with "konsole". What about
> > > "Kommandozeile"? That would not conflict with any application name
> > > as far as I can say and it's just as common as "Konsole".
> > 
> > I can live with "Kommandozeile" even I still don't understand why
> > always everything has to be translated. Sometimes the English terms
> > are just better, more unique and easier to understand.
> 
> Well, to me English terms usually have a number of drawbacks. Those
> include the fact that non-English speakers don't understand them in
> their true sense, but merely as an abstract term. Plus terms tend to
> be used in ways that make no sense in English. Plus English has a
> different rethoric towards metaphorical speech, for instance German
> usually uses much more real, serious terms instead of associating
> technical things with animals or references to insider jokes. Last but
> not least, Germans trying to pronounce English terms is simply
> horrible, and that includes people who are fluent speakers, in the
> worst case leading to uncomprehension.
> Incidentally all the same arguments apply if you ask me why I dislike
> French words in English language.

That might be right even though I don't think all this is too bad. I
actually like the English language more than the German one. French is
something special for me, the spoken French sounds nice but it's way
too hard to speak :)  (for me).
Regarding the argument that English terms pronounced by Germans might
lead to incomprehensibility, yes. But what if there are translated
terms which Germans can easily pronounce but nobody understands what is
meant with it?
Using the 'Web-Browser' example, if you read German computer magazins,
a magazin in the TV or talk to a guy, once anyone is speaking of an
application to open a website, they will most probably speak of a
'Web-Browser' not of a 'Netznavigator'. IMO, the point is that everyone
already knows what a Web-Browser is and so 'Netznavigator' might be
just confusing as people ask themselves: 'What's this? Something new?'
and then they realise: 'Oh, it's just a browser, why does it have such
a strange name?'. Maybe I'm wrong but that's my feeling about the
current situation.

If you now would argument that we have the chance to change this by
using 'real' German terms and so make the German language better in the
long term, I think I will agree but I also think this is quite a bit
utopian.


Regards,
Enrico

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