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Why does not it support other world languages?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 10:47 am
by mustafa
Hi everbody,
While Goldwave is considered one of the best software in the world, why does not it support other world languages?
Which advantage could Goldwave gain from this policy? I am really curious? If the policy is logical, other program authors may also evaluate it. After the logical explanation, I'll use only English program. I hope Goldvawe will not deprive us of this important information.
Regards,

Re: Why does not it support other world languages?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 11:04 am
by mustafa
The use of Goldwave by an Indian, French, Cambodian, Arabian, German, Russian or Turkish etc.... who does not speak English users may be more advantageous for Goldwave...
Thank you.

Re: Why does not it support other world languages?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 11:43 am
by Tristan
Goldwave isn't Microsoft. There's only one guy on the staff. Maybe you should volunteer your services to translate the program into other languages. :)

Re: Why does not it support other world languages?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:34 pm
by mustafa
Tristan wrote:Goldwave isn't Microsoft. There's only one guy on the staff. Maybe you should volunteer your services to translate the program into other languages. :)
Definitely, a brilliant answer. But, there is not only one Microsoft in the world. Also, is not it early (20 years) to think about translating the program into other languages?

Thousands of software companies in the world are working with 2-3 people and volunteer translators. I don't understand what is Goldwave's different.

The software is not just about material interest. e.g.There are also public responsibilities such as thinking about the comfort of the users.

Re: Why does not it support other world languages?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:46 pm
by mustafa
There is a saying in my country. "Playing on your own, dancing on your own". That's what we do in the forums.

Re: Why does not it support other world languages?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 6:51 pm
by Tristan
Have you ever actually used GoldWave? Even the demo? Just wondering.

My guess is, most people get along just fine with an English version of GoldWave. I don't think a translation into, for example, Cambodian is going to open up a lot of new markets (You really think Cambodian is a "world language"? Cantonese, maybe). But, I could be wrong.

You brought up the issue of volunteers. I don't know what's stopping you from offering your services to Chris as a translator. This could be your moment.

Frankly, I think if the worst thing that you can say about GoldWave is that there's only an English version of it, the developer's doing a pretty good job.

Re: Why does not it support other world languages?

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 4:03 pm
by Tristan
So, Mustafa, what do you think of my idea? Have you talked it over with Chris yet? Remember, you may be the only hope for the GoldWave fans in your country!

Re: Why does not it support other world languages?

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 1:11 pm
by GoldWave Inc.
I had hoped to support translation modules for GoldWave, but the amount of time and work involved is beyond what I can support. It isn't just a matter of providing translated text, it requires testing every language with all of the windows/dialogs in GoldWave to ensure the text fits in the space available and resizing/redesigning any dialogs that have problems.

Also there is the problem of receiving questions from users in all the different languages, which makes customer support very challenging.

Re: Why does not it support other world languages?

Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 11:21 pm
by Waffles
I've worked on the development side of some projects that offered multi-language support. On top of all the reasons already listed why multi-language support is problematic, it's also not a simple as "Display phrase X in language Y"; it can get quite complicated when dynamic statements have to be displayed and different grammar rules have to be applied.

As a simple example, if a real estate program needs to display how many houses are available in a given area, it might need to output something like,
10 houses are available.
If only 1 house is available, the output would need to look like
1 house is available.
This could be programed as

Code: Select all

output = qty + " house";
if(qty != 1)
  output += "s are";
else
  outpu += " is";
output += " available.";
This kind of grammar-oriented output would require specific code for each language supported. Alternatively, the programmer can be lazy and have the program output
10 house(s) available.
1 house(s) available.
Which could be handled with a single "plug-and-chug" definition like

Code: Select all

output = "{NUMBER} house(s) available.";
This kind of simplification is very common in English and is quite acceptable. It is also more ideal for plug-and-chug translations, the kind that use an interchangeable list of statements.

Now take a look at the German translation of the above output. The non-lazy output would have to look like
10 Häuser sind verfügbar.
1 Haus ist verfügbar.
The ideal, lazy simplification wouldn't work as well in German, however, as the form of the subject also needs to change depending on the quantity.
10 Haus/Häuser verfügbar.
1 Haus/Häuser verfügbar.
with an internal definition of

Code: Select all

output = "{NUMBER} Haus/Häuser verfügbar.";
would be the closest equivalent and is too repetitive as both the full singular and plural forms of the subject (Haus and Häuser) are displayed.

The moment program translations have to deal with variable human-language-specific data, the project can no longer focus entirely on process development, and for a closed-source project maintained by a small team (in this case one person if I'm not mistaken) adding and maintaining simply the functionality of multi-linguistic support can be overwhelming and hinder the progress of main features.