Talk:Multilingual Web Site

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Hi. This sounds a lot like what my software does.

Using HTML entities were not rich enough to solve the problem.

There's an XML phrase file which it uses to handle the variations in language. Some keys things:

  • The phrase file is in XML - this makes unicode characters easy etc.
  • Each phrase has a unique id, like a style sheet.
  • Phrases can include XHTML elements (or other XML), using XML namespaces.
  • Phrases can have "blanks" in. I call these "pins". This means you can handle dynamic content in a langauge specific way. eg.

In the document, you could have: 

<phrase ref="see_coloured_object"><var name="colour" ref="green" /></phrase>

In the "en" phrase file: 

<phrase id="see_coloured_object">You see a <pin ref="colour" /> <pin ref="object" />.</phrase>
<phrase id="green">green</phrase>
<phrase id="cat">cat</phrase>

Then in fr: (excuse my french!) 

<phrase id="see_coloured_object">Tous vis un <pin ref="object" /> <pin ref="colour" />.</phrase>
<phrase id="green">vert</phrase>
<phrase id="cat">chat</phrase>

producing: 

You see a green cat.

or 

Tous vis un chat vert.


- Cjg (Developer GNU EPrints, Christopher Gutteridge)

[edit]

Standards versus system

There are many systems that have different aspects of these types of facilites. Indeed, the old catalogue for localization is well over 20 years old. The point is to create standards so everybody do not start from the begining again. It is largely an exercise of harvesting the best techniques around.

I have implemented pre-web system. And also web-based using HTML as in the example; and XML using the entities and the XML processor included in the browsers.

I will flesh-out the position paper before the BOF. Please, write your own position paper or position bullet list -:) and link it to the Multilingual Web Site BOF page.

--Carrasco 16:23, 17 May 2006 (BST)

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