Re: [bug-gettext] Reverse translation

[Bruno Haible]

Hi Johan,

> Given a set of program sources with messages in languaga A, all
> gettext-ed, and a gettext translation for A into B.
> 
> Does there exist a tool to modify the program sources to use language
> B for messages (optionally creating a gettext translation for B into
> A)?
> 
> The reason is that I have a big application that uses Dutch for
> messages. It's a Dutch application aimed at the Dutch market. 
> Currently, a translation is being made into English. After this
> translation is finished I would like to physically change all program
> sources to use the English texts, since English is a better base for
> other translations that may follow.

You're right that English is a better base for future translations than
Dutch. I would do the same change as you are planning (in fact I did
such a change in my first big application, clisp: from German to English).

There is no ready-made tool for this task. If I were you, I would
create a sed script (or Emacs program) that replaces the Dutch strings
with the English strings, for the strings that fit into a single line,
and process all source files with this transformation. Then I would
handle the (hopefully few) multi-line strings by hand.

Bruno
-- 
In memoriam André Chénier <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_Chénier>