Proposed changes to Internationalization/localization WG

[Manishearth]

So right now we have a Localization WG consisting of @sebasmagri and I. The name isn't quite accurate, the job of the team is Internationalization (making everything support translation), not Localization (doing the actual translation work).

We've not really had any meetings recently, but I and @skade have worked on internationalizing the website, based off of @renyuneyun's initial work.

This website is also being localized by a localization team for each language. @skade is coordinating them, with some involvement from me.

I've also started posting plans for localizing the compiler and stdlib, based off of discussions I and Sebastian had in the past, along with stuff I've learned from working on the website and Fluent.

There's a whole lot of work that needs to be coordinated:

• Working with the compiler for getting translation support integrated
• Working with rustdoc for translation support
• Working with rustup and infra for integrating language pack support
• Defining policy around how updates/syncs work
  • For example, how do we notify translators that a source string has changed and needs review? We can use a travis hook that checks diffs and shoots off an email, but all of this needs to be decided
• Defining policy around how translation teams work (mostly done already, may change)
• Coordinating with translation teams on everything, and helping spin up new ones

Furthermore, the actual translations need to be done.

I'm proposing we do the following:

• Create an "Internationalization Team/WG", responsible for coordinating all of this (but not for actually translating things). This should contain me, @skade, @sebasmagri , perhaps some of the folks who have helped out a lot with the website stuff.
• Create a "Localization WG" comprising of at least team managers from each translation team, perhaps with a separate mailing list for all translators.

thoughts?

[technetos]

SGTM

[badboy]

That sounds like a good idea. What the Internationalization Team|WG is supposed to do is clear from the above. What's not super clear to me is the purpose of the new Localization WG as proposed above which includes the translation team managers. Is it just to have a way to address all of them?

[komaeda]

Is there a concrete reason for organizing the translation managers within a WG instead of maybe just giving them a Discord channel where they can coordinate?

[Manishearth]

It's largely a way to coordinate.

We could also just create a couple extra mailing lists and maintain a list of translation team members somewhere.

I think it would be ideal to give them one channel per team (it may be best to set up a separate Zulip/Discord instead, or let them pick their own channels which is what's been going on right now)