Can we discuss a better way to translate Rails documentation and blog posts? It is so counterproductive that there is no option to display translations when accessing each documentation.
Could we follow the Ruby or React repository structure?
Can we discuss a better way to translate Rails documentation and blog posts? It is so counterproductive that there is no option to display translations when accessing each documentation. Could we follow the Ruby or React repository structure?
If you’re familiar with the topic, or have at least looked into it a bit, perhaps you could summarise what those strategies look like, and their trade-offs?
If there’s general agreement with a better solution, are you offering to make it happen?
(I have mixed feelings about translations of release-announcement blog posts in particular: improving accessibility is good, but if it means a seemingly-official channel will lag months behind reality...)
FWIW, we’ve discussed this several times in the past.
In the Rails code base, everything is in sync because the documentation is tighted to the software. A complete PR should ideally have code, tests, and docs. API and guides affected by the patch. A Rails release ships code and docs together.
We are not interested in officially supporting translations, because there is no way contributors can write in different languages. Docs would be left behind, and it is a matter of time that they are too out of sync.
That said, for people that are interested in doing the work, guides generation have a minimal support for locales. But that would be out of the development cycle of Rails, and not part of the official documentation.
Why can’t we have decoupled codebase documentation sponsored by Rails?
I know it sounds trivial or minor, but as a Brazilian and non-native English speaker, I know the difficulties a person may have when trying to learn a new technology and not have localized documentation.
ruby-lang.org has translated documentation and it has worked despite the lack of sync with the original texts.
Why can't we have decoupled codebase documentation sponsored by Rails?
I know it sounds trivial or minor, but as a Brazilian and non-native English speaker, I know the difficulties a person may have when trying to learn a new technology and not have localized documentation.
I agree.
ruby-lang.org has translated documentation and it has worked despite the lack of sync with the original texts.
Please note that ruby-lang.org contains general information, not API documentation. General information is more stable over time, and there's less of a cost if occasionally some change in the English version isn't translated asap.
Regards, Martin.
That is a legit interest and something you can totally invest your time on if you wish. As it was said previously in the thread, Rails provides some support to ease the generation of the guides in other languages.
But you need to sit in chair and do the work.
You can check https://github.com/ruby-china/rails-guides for inspiration.