Translation guidelines

Here are basic guidelines in translating Drupal into Armenian.
 
Conveying the content
Do not be afraid to localise the original text with something very different (something that fits, of course). Read the original text, understand its content, and consider how you would formulate the text in Armenian (without first having heard of the original text).
 
Translate internet terms and technologies and refrain from using the English equivalents. If you are not sure of the equivalent word in Armenian, check in the online resources or place a topic in the Terminology section of the forum.
 
Armenian Dictionaries and References
There are resources placed on the “Armenian Resource” page of drupal.am project in order to allow the translators to look up the terms. You may use the online dictionaries, such as the “Glossary of computer terms at Armenian Hackers Network”. We also thought that it may be useful for the translators to look at some other translated project and placed the translation of vBulletin, a bulletin management software.
 
Please note however, these dictionaries and resources are brought for reference only and should not serve as the only and the authoritative source for translating terms.
 
Forum
We have created a Terminology topic in the forum section of drupal.am. Here everyone is encouraged to discuss the terms and any issues related to translation. You can look at the terms already placed there and of course you can discuss those or suggest new ones.
 
Consistency of words
It is easier to understand Drupal if translators manage to be consistent with the use of words. If you translate a term with different synonyms throughout Drupal, it is difficult for people to understand that you are talking about the same functionality.
 
A good way to achieve consistency is to look for the terms that have already been used throughout the translation. To do that you should use the filter which is available on the Translation Edit and View pages. Select ALL in the “Status” field (to see translations and suggestions) and put the term you are looking for in the “Contains” field.
 
Feel free to rewrite existing translations if you think you can formulate them better, but try to stay to the same writing style for consistency.
 
Use of space
You also have to keep in mind how much space you have in Drupal for a given text. Sometimes there is enough room that you can get rid of acronyms. Other times, the space is not enough that you need to be a little more creative.