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+ Localization concepts + Localization involves the adaptation of an application to another location. Translation of the user interface elements, messages, layout, date and time formats, currency and other aspects must be considered. DHIS2 supports internationalization (i18n) of the user interface through the use of Java property strings. Each element in the user interface has been assigned a specific key, which is linked to a value. + As an example, consider the following key/value pairs. + org_unit_tree=Organisation Unit Tree +error_occurred=An error has occurred. + In French the same key/value pairs would appear as follows + org_unit_tree=Arborescence des unités d'organisation +error_occurred=Une erreur s'est produite + Note that the keys (before the = symbol) are the same in both examples, but the values (after the = ) symbol are in each of the respective languages. Each of these key/value pairs would need to be translated from the original language (English) to the destination language (e.g. French). When the user specifies French for the user interface language, all of the strings would then appear in French instead of the default language (English). Any strings which have not been translated, would appear in English. + There are a number of different mechanisms to begin to localize DHIS2, two of which will be discussed in the next sections. The web portal is a quite useful tool for collaborative translations by multiple people, however an on-line connection is required in order to utilize this resource. A special tool, the DHIS i18n Resource Editor, has been developed specifically to facilitate the translation of the application from one language to another and can be used off-line once a copy of the DHIS2 source code has been obtained. +

+ Using the DHIS2 translation server + A web-based portal solution has been setup in order to facilitate the translation of DHIS2 into multiple languages. Simply direct your browser to http://translate.dhis2.net/ and register for an account by providing a username, email address and password. The server will send you a confirmation email which you can use to activate your account. Once you have activated your account, simply press the "Log in" link from the main portal page, and provide your username and password. + The first time you login, you should select your settings, by clicking "My account->Settings". Here you can select your interface language, the projects which you wish to work on, and the languages which you will translate into. Be sure to press "Save" when have finished making your changes. + To start translating, be sure you have logged in, and then press the "Home" link in the upper-right hand corner. Select a project (e.g. DHIS2) and then click on the language which you wish to translate. The number of words which need to be translated will be displayed under the "Summary" field. Click on one of the modules (e.g. dhis-2) and the keep drilling down through the folders to find a module which needs translation, (e.g. dhis-web->dhis-web-caseentry). Now click on the "Summary" text which will say something like "194 words need attention". You will be directed to the key/value pair which requires translation. + + + + + + + + In this case, we need to translate the phrase "Name-based" from English to French. Enter the translation in the window just below the reference phrase.. If you are unsure if the translation is correct or needs review, you can mark it as "Fuzzy". Once you have completed the translation, just press "Submit". Your translations will be incorporated into the source code on a regular basis by the development team. +

+ DHIS2 i18n tool + + + Press "Browse" when the application starts and select the path of your local copy of the DHIS2 source code tree followed by OK. + + + + + + + + + + Next, select the destination locale which you will translate strings into. + + + + + + + + + + Select one of the modules from the left hand side to translate, e.g. dhis-web-caseentry. + + + + + + + + Once you have selected a module, click on a particular key from the left-hand pane. A reference value for the key will be displayed in the lower right-hand pane, and the translation value will be displayed in the upper right-hand pane. If the value does not exist, simply add the translation there. + + + Once you have finished translating, be sure to press the "Save" button. + + +

+ Things to keep in mind. + + There are a number of strings such as "yyyy-MM-dd" which are used for date/time formatting in the application. In general, these should not be altered, but there can be situations when they need to be localized. Consult this site for more information + It is not necessary to translate a string from the orginal language (English) if the translated string is the same. You can simply leave it blank. By default, DHIS2 will use English values for all strings which have not been translated. + All translated strings must be entered in UTF-8 format. If you are using the translation portal, be sure your browser settings are set to UTF-8 when translating. + Some special variables (e.g. {0} ) used curly brackets. This denotes a variable which will be replaced by a number or other value by the application. You must place this variable notation in the correct position. + +