View source for Reus translation guide

Translation is now closed. Thank you for a great run. We've translated the game to 7 languages thanks to your hard work.
Should you want to organize translations on your own, [http://wiki.reusgame.com/index.php?title=Guide_for_playing_the_game_in_a_custom_language this should get you started]. --[[User:Maarten|Maarten]] ([[User talk:Maarten|talk]]) 14:14, 23 April 2015 (CEST)

<strike>Translation for Reus has now begun. Wiki editors, feel free to contribute to this page, move it to the right namespace, etc. --[[User:Maarten|Maarten]] ([[User talk:Maarten|talk]]) 12:26, 17 September 2013 (CEST)</strike>

= General tips =
Translation works with keys and translated strings. Keys are the texts that the game uses to find the right translated text (string). A key might be <code>UI_ASSET_HEADER_TRANSMUTATIONS</code> where a string may be <code>Transmutations</code> (English) or for example <code>Transmutaties</code> (Dutch).

Please at all times, consider where the text is used in the game. The keys are named to give you an idea. '''Context is critical'''.

Feel free to organize things yourself. Other translators benefit from centralized information and guidelines. If you need specific help in organizing something, feel free to email Abbey Games.

The wiki contains [[Reus:Translation|a lot of translation effort]] already. Please use that information for consistency.

If you are a group of translators, you can create your dictionary using these templates: http://forums.abbeygames.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=824&p=4754#p4754

= Game play terminology =
Terms like 'Technology in use', 'Superior Seabass' or 'Swamp' have a very specific meaning in the game. They are also used often in reference, '''so please think about these first before translating, so that they stay consistent'''. The following is a list with such terminology:
* The names of sources; plants, animals, minerals
* The names of projects
* The terrain types (forest, mountain, ...)
* The names of giants and their abilities
* The names of ambassadors
* The names of resources (wealth, food, ...)
* All game mechanics (transmutations, symbioses, animal range, aspects, ...)

= Text markup =
You’ll find brackets in the strings. These are used for formatting in the game. '''Markup information should never be translated''', since it may (worst case) crash the game. Please consider the example:
<blockquote><code>[Bold:Great Marlin]\nTransmutes with [Bold:2] [Icons.Hunt] [SR:Greater Hunt Aspects] or better\n</code></blockquote>
* <code>[Bold:Great Marlin]</code> means that the text 'Great Marlin' should be rendered in bold text. The 'Bold' part and the brackets [ ] should stay as is, but 'Great Marlin' may be translated.
* <code>\n</code> is a newline character, indicating a new line. Leave as is.
* <code>[Icons.Hunt]</code> is an icon in the text. Do not translate and leave as is.
* <code>[SR:Greater Hunt Aspects]</code> - note that 'SR' is like 'Bold' earlier. In this case, 'Greater Hunt Aspects' is formatted with the 'SR' rule. Leave everything as is, except for 'Greater Hunt Aspects'.

In short, everything in brackets <code>[ ]</code> should stay untranslated, except when it has a colon <code>:</code> in it, then only the right hand part should be translated. A correct translation (Dutch) of the above would be:
<blockquote><code>[Bold:Grote Zeilvis]\nTransmuteert met [Bold:2] [Icons.Hunt] [SR:Grotere Jacht Essentie] of hoger\n</code></blockquote>

= Variables =
Some strings contain numbers between braces, e.g. {0} {1}. These will be substituted
by numbers or other texts in game. Please leave these variables in the text,
but you may want to shift them around if the languages requires this. Consider:
<blockquote><code>{0} is attacking {1}!</code></blockquote>
Here, {0}
is the name of an attacking village, and {1} is the name of the village being
attacked. Correct translations (Dutch) would be:
<blockquote><code>{0} valt {1} aan!</code></blockquote>
The Dutch translation requires that {1} is now mid-sentence instead of at the end. But also a
different order may be considered correct (literally: '{1} is being attacked by {0}'):
<blockquote><code>{1} wordt door {0} aangevallen!</code></blockquote>

= Getting started =
Please consider the checklist
* I've read this article and understand what's important in translating.
* The language I'm translating to is my native tongue.
* I understand that Abbey Games appreciates your support immensely.
<strike>Please write a short motivation and we'll activate your account asap.
Apply:
Chinese(Simplified)],
Dutch,
English,
French,
German,
Greek,
Italian,
Polish,
Portugese(Brazillian)],
Russian,
Spanish.</strike>

= Closing comments = 
Thanks for your support. If you have any questions, please email me - Maarten - at my email
address at abbeygames.com.