File: gettext.info,  Node: Creating,  Next: Updating,  Prev: Template,  Up: Top

6 Creating or preparing for translating a PO file
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   When starting a new translation, the translator creates a file called
‘LANG.po’, as a copy of the ‘PACKAGE.pot’ template file with
modifications in the initial comments (at the beginning of the file) and
in the header entry (the first entry, near the beginning of the file).

   Before continuing an existing translation, after a new release of the
package PACKAGE was made, the translator updates the file called
‘LANG.po’, with respect to the new ‘PACKAGE.pot’ template file, and adds
her name in the ‘Last-Translator’ field of the header entry.

   The easiest way to do so, in either case, is by use of the ‘msginit’
program.  For example:

     $ cd PACKAGE-VERSION
     $ cd po
     $ msginit

   The alternative way, without ‘msginit’, is as follows:
   • When starting a new translation, the translator does the copy and
     modifications by hand.  She copies ‘PACKAGE.pot’ to ‘LANG.po’.
     Then she modifies the initial comments and the header entry of this
     file.

   • When continuing an existing translation, the translator invokes
     ‘msgmerge --previous -o LANG.new.po LANG.po PACKAGE.pot’ and ‘mv
     LANG.new.po LANG.po’.

* Menu:

* msginit Invocation::          Invoking the ‘msginit’ Program
* Header Entry::                Filling in the Header Entry