/dev/urandom1d ago

i have a question for speakers of different languages regarding how the software you are using expresses the concept of "an action is currently happening" (examples in english: "Downloading updates..." / "Saving report.doc, please wait...")

so far i see the following options, please correct me or provide with additional ones, or info on languages i have not mentioned

#german / #deutsch: passive voice with phrases such as "wird heruntergeladen" (is being downloaded)

#french / #français: nouns corresponding to verbs, such as "lecture" (reading), "téléchargement" (down-/uploading) and "enregistrement" (saving)

#russian / #русский: likewise verbal nouns, such as "чтение" (reading), "загрузка" (loading/uploading), "сохранение" (saving)

#italian / #italiano: verbal nouns ending in -aggio

#japanese / #日本語: verbs ending in 中

#l10n #i18n #translation

Show threadAmir E. Aharoni

@rnd In #Hebrew, the one I usually use as a translator is something like "the action is being performed", for example "מתבצעת הורדת קבצים", literally "files downloading performs itself". It's a bit wordy, but the most precise. "Downloading" here is a noun, not a present continuous verb. מתבצעת is a reflexive verb.

Sometimes translators write "הורדת קבצים", which is just that noun, and doesn't express the current continuous action. Sometimes it's enough, but I usually don't do it.

Apr 6 at 12:07pmWeb
Show threadYaron Shahrabani23h ago
@aharoni @rnd there are cases where I'm using terms like „ הקבצים נכתבים” which translates to "the files are being written" which is the action without the actor.
Show threadAmir E. Aharoni23h ago
@yaron @rnd I often think about this philosophically: *who* is the actor? The human user? The program? The computer? The file? The company that developed the program? I don't have an answer...
Show threadYaron Shahrabani22h ago
@aharoni
So unless I specifically specified it in the string or around it I prefer not to mention what it is, mostly from gender bias perspective.
@rnd
Show thread/dev/urandom22h ago

@aharoni @yaron in russian localization specifically, the most common option is:

  • address the user in second person specifically when something needs to be asked from the user

  • avoid referring to the computer in any person (buttons that say things like "Apply", "Cancel", "Save" etc. are written in the infinitive, in addition to the verbal nouns mentioned in OP they're also used for messages like "Unable to save..." or "Error while downloading...")

i guess the idea is that the computer is a tool, while the user is the one operating that tool, and even if something is happening that the user did not want or ask for, the computer shall not be personified