GetText

Translations are hard. This is how we use GetText, a Unix standard, instead of Rails-I18N.

Why?

because you'll need I18N someday
- hard to add later
- get a working default
- don't juggle with natural text and technical keys
GetText is a very mature UNIX standard

How?

horror stories: what you will have to manage
- grammar: number, gender, case
- conjugation: person, tense, mood, voice, aspect
GetText code
- what are these files? .po translations, .mo compiled
- setup: remember to set at least one locale
- use: _('text'), _('text with %{var}') % {var: 'interpolation'}
- tricks: forms & context keys

What?

tools around GetText: POEdit, editor modes
alternatives