Shoutbox

Look at the list of languages available...

People from around the world can choose their native language, be it Arabic, Danish, Japanese, TWO different kinds of Spanish, and many others.

There is, however, one group of people who never seem to be able to have any system in their native language.

We are the ENGLISH people!

Yes, that's right. English English. From England.

Forever we're stuck with having to use computer systems in the American language, simply because our languages are very similar. Do we understand it? Yes. Is it fair that Finnish people, for example, have something written 100% in their own language but we don't? NO.

I would like to offer my services to the MSG Plus people to translate the interface to British English, and I propose that you offer it as an option in the list. There aren't many changes... but the changes which can be made are important ones. Please do not alienate an entire nation just because we happen to understand the Americans' version of our language.

Thanks!

Mind giving an example of something that needs to be changed? Is there really that much of a difference except for a few little words/slang?

color = colour
parenthesis = brackets (common usage)
favorite = favourite
(All in the preferences screens)

Tiny differences? Yes.
So small that they're not worth bothering about? No.

OK, so there are only a few in MSG Plus. But all over the internet, thousands of pieces of software are written multilingually, but ignoring British English. The biggest culprit is Windows itself! There are versions of Windows in so many languages around the world, but we English (with a population if 60 million) are ignored, while Danes for example (with a population of approx. 5 million) have a version written 100% in their native language.

Why are 60 million British people ignored? Because we happen to be able to understand American. I don't think that's fair.

Sorry if I sound like I'm picking on MSG Plus. In fact I think it's a fabulous piece of software, and my MSN feels naked without it Congratulations to the authors. But I feel very strongly about this language issue, and I intend to pursue it wherever I can. MSG Plus just happens to be one piece of software where I have the opportunity to bring the matter to the attention to the writers.

Thanks for listening

quote:

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Originally posted by eurosong
color = colour
parenthesis = brackets (common usage)
favorite = favourite
(All in the preferences screens)

Tiny differences? Yes.
So small that they're not worth bothering about? No.

OK, so there are only a few in MSG Plus. But all over the internet, thousands of pieces of software are written multilingually, but ignoring British English. The biggest culprit is Windows itself! There are versions of Windows in so many languages around the world, but we English (with a population if 60 million) are ignored, while Danes for example (with a population of approx. 5 million) have a version written 100% in their native language.

Why are 60 million British people ignored? Because we happen to be able to understand American. I don't think that's fair.

Sorry if I sound like I'm picking on MSG Plus. In fact I think it's a fabulous piece of software, and my MSN feels naked without it Congratulations to the authors. But I feel very strongly about this language issue, and I intend to pursue it wherever I can. MSG Plus just happens to be one piece of software where I have the opportunity to bring the matter to the attention to the writers.

Thanks for listening

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Personally i understand what you mean.. and ye it must suck.. I dunno though if Patchou would like to do a british version.. that's all up to him I think..

Anyways I hope this works out for you man!
best of luck

-lp15

You could also just make your own unofficial translation and distribute it to whoever wants it.

If we start doing this, we would have two french versions (France and Canadian french), two portuguese,... I can understand your point, but I dont think it is needed

eurosong: parenthesis is perfectly legitimate English.

I personally think you have the wrong viewpoint on this subject. You're seeing English as the inferior version of American. See it as the fact that the Americans are using, if not slightly contorting, our language.

lp15: thanks for your support.

Ddunk: I am an IT person, but it's still beyond my capacity to disassemble a .exe, modify it, recompile it and put it back into an installation file. Besides, even if I could do that, the point is that British English should be officially supported by programs' creators: it shouldn't have to be an afterthought which is only implemented by hacking.

Frasie: If you "don't think it is needed", then you have missed my point. Which country are you from? Is your country perhaps one of those for which there is full native language support? How would you feel if, with 99% of software, you had to put up with seeing different spellings and alternate words, simply because the writers could not be bothered to respect that yours is a language in its own right?

Time: Yes you're right; "parenthesis" is perfectly legitimate English. That is to say, it's in the dictionary and can be used in this sense perfectly correctly. However, native speakers of British English colloquially use the word "brackets". As for your comment on my having the wrong viewpoint, well I must tell you that you have entirely misunderstood my point! You somehow inferred that I'm seeing English as inferior! Nothing could be further from the truth. As a proud Englishman, I see English English as the original. The Americans started out by using our language, but now they have changed it so much that it's no longer our language: they have their own version of it. In their country then that is to be respected - their spellings are perfectly correct. But in the UK, we do not wish to be FORCED to use this new version of our language.

Please. Let us have software in our own language.

quote:

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Originally posted by eurosong
Frasie: If you "don't think it is needed", then you have missed my point. Which country are you from? Is your country perhaps one of those for which there is full native language support? How would you feel if, with 99% of software, you had to put up with seeing different spellings and alternate words, simply because the writers could not be bothered to respect that yours is a language in its own right?

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Fraisie is from Quebec Canada... she is also Patchou's girlfriend. We in Canada do have to put up with most things being spelt the american way its just the way life is. Please stop complaining and make your own version and post it here. It probably wont be added to the installer but people will be able to download and install it if they wish.

quote:

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Originally posted by eurosong
Ddunk: I am an IT person, but it's still beyond my capacity to disassemble a .exe, modify it, recompile it and put it back into an installation file. Besides, even if I could do that, the point is that British English should be officially supported by programs' creators: it shouldn't have to be an afterthought which is only implemented by hacking.

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Just navigate to C:\Program Files\MessengerPlus! 3\Resources and play with the DefaultLg.dat.

And as Fraisie said earier, if different dialects were to be included for English, it'd have to happen with most other languages too, most notably, Portugese (as there has been many topics on the dialects of that).