Thread associated with ticket:
http://elgg.org/mod/vanillaforum/vanilla/comments.php?DiscussionID=460&page=1
Text of ticket:
Comment Author jf96 -
I have an idea for a v1.0 mod plugin that would be quite helpful. I do not pretend to understand how to build it and can barely describe it, but, I believe that it would be a huge help to the project.
1) I would want a mod plugin (accessible only to an admin - and I this is why we need moderators too) that would be able to create language files (gettext.mo / gettext.po) right on the server. The .mo file would be easily updated and modified through a page on the server. New language types and fields could be added easily.
2) There would be a central language administration for all aspects of the site. No matter what plugin was added, there would only be one central admin section to address the needs.
Basically, the system would come with English and maybe a few sample languages. Then if someone needed to add another language, there would be a button that says, "Add New Language" and it would create a new template to work from.
I know that this all sounds sophisticated, but, when you are talking about turning the site from one language (in this case English) into a totally new language (let's say, Russian) it is a mammoth undertaking. But, if the process could be simplified, then the site truly could be switched to different languages by the user very rapidly, by just changing this in their Account Settings.
I am hoping that this will be a point of discussion and that we can try to accomplish this, rather than a point of let's crash and burn this idea.
Comment Author misja (misja's response) -
I believe what you describe is somewhat similar to what Zope/Plone has via the placeless translation service. I agree it would be nice to have such a central facility, but currently would be too much of an undertaking. You are welcome to add it as an enhancement request to the issue tracker so the idea won't get lost.
