Goals (near and far)

[flatcap]

Here are some ideas for the Translation Team.

Complete more translations

• Find and encourage new translators
• Help answer their questions
• Create more documentation

Make it easier for new translators

• Add more comments to the code to explain the strings
• Find more similar messages and "de-dupe" them
• Share tools for working with the translation files

Make NeoMutt more consistent

We need a style guide for the message in NeoMutt.
Translators have a unique perspective -- they see all.

• Use the same terminology across the whole of NeoMutt
• Ask questions in the same way
• Phrase warnings and errors consistently
• Create a style guide

A common theme in usability guides is to make error messages consistent.

• Make it clear whose fault it is and possibly suggest a solution
• Distinguish between permanent and temporary situations

[tecepe]

I believe "Make it clear whose fault it is and possibly suggest a solution" is really important. It would improve a lot the usability of the software. Maybe we would need more space to present those messages once they will be longer?

[flatcap]

we would need more space to present those messages once they will be longer?

Yes, the UI really limits us.
There are a few possibilities:

• Extend the new logging system
  Each error message would have some extra text associated with it. The one-liner error is displayed as normal and the rest could be read in the <show-messages> window.

• Popup windows would give us the space
  (but we'd need some architectural changes first)

• Error numbers (like Vim)
  Each error has a unique E123 number which could be looked up for more information

[mgedmin]

Does https://www.neomutt.org/dev/translate-strings#sharing-your-work need updating? As a new translator I seem to remember having been instructed on IRC to commit directly to the translate branch.

[flatcap]

Sharing your work

Yes, that needs updating.
Committing directly to translate is the preferred way.