[wp-polyglots] Suggestions for better localizations

[Karl Wångstedt]

Hi all

I posted a similar email to the wp-tester mailinglist a while ago.  
Then I didn't realize this list existed, so I'll post here as well.  
Hope not to may get this as a duplicate.

I've noticed a thing in the code that are inconsequent. In some  
places the right angle quote sign are used in links and in buttons.  
This, in my opinion, is not very good UI. Especially not in button  
labels. But besides that, it's not consequent how it's used.  
Sometimes the quotation mark is inside the gettext translation code,  
and sometimes it's outside the translation.

I.e.
In wp-admin/edit.php I found this snippet:
<?php previous_posts_link(__('Next Entries &raquo;')) ?>

and in wp-admin/edit-page-form.php I found this:
<input name="savepage" type="submit" id="savepage" tabindex="6"  
value="<?php _e('Create New Page') ?> &raquo;" />

What I'm suggesting is that the code modifies to include the  
"&raquo;" inside the gettext msgid instead of (somtimes) outside.  
That way even english sites can make a translation that skips the  
quotation marks in buttons and links (if they choose).

This is good for those situations where the WP-framework is used to  
build CMS's and commercial sites where the language and UI might need  
to be more strict/modified.

The other thing I found is that WP translates the inch sign (") into  
typographic quotes (or "curly quotes"). But this translation is made  
into english typography. A lot of other languages use other quote signs.

I.e.
French: « quote »
German: „quote“ and »quote«
Swedish: ”quote” and »quote«
Italian: «quote»

My suggestion is that this is turned in to a preference in (perhaps)  
Options-General, where it's up to the admin to choose the typographic  
quotes. This type of preference are available in Indesign, Quark  
Xpress and other design and typographic software.

But maybe some of you have a better idea how to cope with this issue.

Also it would be nice (but maybe not as important) to choose what  
character to use as decimal separator in WP generated text. In  
english it's correct to use a point (.) to separate decimals, and to  
use a comma (,) to separate thousands. But this is not true for other  
languages. In swedish we use comma to separate decimal, and a space  
to separate thousands.

Could it perhaps be handled the same way as month abbreviations are  
handled in WP2?

So, what do you guys think?

Karl Wångstedt

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