[Scummvm-devel] scummvm.desktop

[Max Horn]

Am 20.10.2006 um 11:18 schrieb Laurent Blume:

> Hi all,

Hi Laurent!

>
> I want to improve a bit my package to add the ScummVM icon to the
> Solaris GNOME menus. So I've improved (hopefully!) a bit the
> scummvm.desktop file to add a few localized descriptions, with the  
> help
> of friends
>
> It's not much, but hey, it's something I can do :-)

Every little bit counts! But...

> Does that look ok?

Not quite. Those translations, at least those I understand  
sufficiently well, aren't quite OK.

>
> [Desktop Entry]
> Encoding=UTF-8
> Name=ScummVM
> Exec=scummvm
> Icon=scummvm.xpm
> Terminal=false
> Type=Application
> StartupNotify=false
> Categories=Application;Game;AdventureGame;
> Comment=An engine for classic point-and-click adventure games
> Comment[da]=En maskine for klassisk Point-and-click eventyrspil
> comment[de]=Eine Maschine für klassische Abenteuerspiele
> Comment[es]=Un motor para juegos de aventura clásicos
> Comment[fr]=Un moteur pour des jeux d'aventure classiques
> Comment[it]=Un motore per giochi di avventura classici
> Comment[pl]=Silnik klasycznych gier przygodowych typu najedź i  
> kliknij

The german one was translated to literally. Translated back, it says:  
"A machine/motor for classic adventure games". Short descriptions  
like these just don't work well when the translator sticks to close  
to the original text. I believe that several of the other  
translations suffer from the same problem -- but my limited language  
skills may have mislead me there.

But IMO even the english desc isn't too god. Nor is the one found in  
our current scummvm.desktop file:

Comment=Interpreter for several adventure games
Comment[pl]=Interpreter graficznych gier przygodowych

Most users will be confused by the "Interpreter" part. So will the  
current descript: "An engine for ... games"... hu? SO I can create  
games with it? Or what? Is it an add-on ?

How about something like this:

Comment=Allows playing certain classic graphical adventure games on  
modern computers
Comment[de]=Zum spielen vieler alter graphischer Adventures auf  
modernen Rechnern

This states that you can play games with it; it also makes it clear  
that only certain games are supported (no Discworld yet :), and only  
graphic adventures (no Zork, no DOOM...). The last part ("on modern  
computers") is there to emphasize why one would want to have such a  
tool. But if the desc it too long, we could omit it, I guess

Comment=Allows playing certain classic graphical adventure games
Comment[de]=Zum spielen vieler alter graphischer Adventures

Some variations: Replace "certain" with "many"; add a noun at the  
start: "Programm allowing..." or "A programm allowing" or so. Maybe  
you guys out there have other ideas, please tell us :-)

  In any case, some native speaker should probably fine-tune the  
english version ;-)


Cheers,
Max