一项调查
案例研究
In the winter of 2003, a survey was done on FOSS localization efforts in several Asian countries. Progress in localization varies considerably from place to place. Governmental sponsorship of the project appears to be the single most important factor in achieving rapid success in localization. Without exception, the developers surveyed cited "Freedom to Develop" as their primary reason for choosing to localize FOSS instead of using proprietary software.
2003年冬，有人对几个亚洲国家自由／开源软件本地化的工作进行了一项调查。各国本地化的进程有很大差异。政府对本地化项目的支持似乎是本地化取得快速成功的最关键因素。接受调查的开发者们无一例外地选择了“开发的自由”作为他们选择本地化自由／开源软件而不是使用私有软件的首要理由。
The CJK Initiative
=CJK 项目=
China, Japan and Korea are officially cooperating in FOSS localization. The well-funded and extensively promoted "CJK" programmes encouraging use of localized FOSS are at par with that of the wealthiest nations.
With educational and technological infrastructure and a large pool of skilled technology and language specialists, these three countries have the potential to dominate East Asian FOSS development in the next decade.
中国、日本和韩国在自由／开源软件的本地化上进行了官方合作。资金充足、推广全面的“CJK”项目谷里使用本地化的自由／开源软件，其力度可以与最富裕国家的类似项目媲美。
这三个国家拥有的教育和技术基础设施和大量熟练的技术和语言专家，使它们有潜力在今后十年中的东亚自由／开源软件开发中占主导地位。
As donors and advisors, all three countries have a track record of supporting FOSS initiatives worldwide. Others should emulate the technical and organizational competence of the CJK FOSS and localization initiative, which is being led by the the Chinese Software Industry Association (CSIA), Japanese IT Services Industry Association (JISA), and the Federation of Korean Information Industries (KFII).
This primer is too short to fully detail the impressive work of the CJK initiative. However, a number of references to CJK as well as contact information for the key leaders of the movement are provided.
作为出资者和监督者的三个国家都有支持世界各地自由／开源软件项目的记录。由中国软件行业协会（Chinese Software Industry Association, CSIA）、日本信息技术服务产业协会（Japanese IT Services Industry Association, JISA）和韩国信息业联盟（Federation of Korean Information Industries, KFII）领导的 CJK 自由／开源软件和本地化项目具有的技术实力和组织优势值得其他国家效仿。
本书没有足够的篇幅详细叙述 CJK 项目的突出成果，但提供了关于 CJK 的参考资料以及项目关键人物的联系信息。(3)
Indian Languages
=印度语言=
There are already multiple localized Indic language versions of GNU/Linux, Mozilla and OpenOffice.org available online. The depth of technical experience of Indian programmers in localization should enable them to provide assistance to other Asian countries in their localization efforts.
India has world-class IT infrastructure and skills. It also has a multiplicity of languages. Currently, the Indian Ministry of Information Technology is localizing to Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Sanskrit.
网络上已经有多种本地化的印地语 GNU/Linux，Mozilla 和 OpenOffice.org 版本。印度程序员丰富的本地化经验将使他们能够为其他亚洲国家的本地化工作提供帮助。
印度拥有世界级的信息技术基础设施和技术力量。同时印度也是一个多语言的国家。目前，印度信息产业部正在进行印地语、马拉地语、坎纳德语、Malayalam、泰米尔语、泰卢固语和梵语的本地化工作。
At least two independent groups as well as the Ministry of Information Technology are currently localizing to Tamil.
An initiative to localize GNU/Linux to around 10 Indian languages, called Indix, is being spearheaded by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), a scientific society of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Mumbai. There is also a Hindi GNU/Linux and a Bangla version in progress.
除了信息产业部以外，还有两个独立的团体在进行泰米尔语的本地化。
一项将 GNU/Linux 本地化为10种印度语言版本的称为 Indix 的项目，正在由通信和信息技术部位于孟买的一个名为先进计算开发中心（Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, CDAC）的科学团体牵头开发。一个印地语和一个 Bangla 语的版本也在开发之中。
English is widely used in India. Therefore, the underlying programming languages are easily understood, making the work much easier. For English language FOSS development, South Asia can realistically compete with Europe and the United States today.
印度广泛地使用英语。因此，他们更容易理解编程语言，也使本地化工作更容易进行。对于基于英语的自由／开源软件开发，今天的南亚与欧美国家可以同场较量。
Thai
=泰国语=
Localization of FOSS in the Thai language was started in 1993 by Thai students in Japan in an effort to use Thai in Unix environments. Later, a similar movement commenced in Thailand. These two movements merged and Linux TLE and the Thai Linux Working Group were launched in 1999. However, the movement was limited to a small community until mid-2001 when the Thai version of OpenOffice.org, dubbed Pladao and sponsored by Sun Microsystems (Thailand), was announced to the public. Documentation is being carried out by private publishers who, in exchange, will retain the copyright on their work for later sale to the public in the form of books and manuals.
1993年由留日泰国学生进行的在 Unix 环境下使用泰国语的尝试，标志着将自由/开源软件本地化为泰国语版本的工作开始。不久，类似的活动在泰国开展起来。这两个项目后来合并到一起，并在1999年启动了 Linux TLE 和泰国 Linux 工作组项目。但是，运动始终都处于小群体的水平，直到2001年中由升阳微系统（泰国）公司支持的被称为 Pladao 的 OpenOffice.org 泰国语版本向公众发布。文档工作任务由私人发行商承担，作为交换，他们可以保留他们工作的版权并在今后以书籍和手册的形式向公众出售这些文档。
Only 10 individuals are actively involved in the project at this time, with development resources provided by a combination of private companies and government.
目前计划的活跃成员只有10名，开发的资源则由私人公司和政府共同提供。
Thai developers are using GNU Compiler and Tools for modifying GNU/Linux, Mozilla’s “Bugzilla” for defect tracking, and CVS for version and source control. In addition, OpenOffice.org, a productivity suite, is being localized for Thai users.
泰国的开发者们使用 GNU 编译器和工具修改 GNU/Linux，用 Mozilla 的“Bugzilla”跟踪错误，并用 CVS 进行版本和代码控制。此外，OpenOffice.org 这种办公套件，已经为泰国用户进行了本地化。
The primary difficulties the Thais are experiencing include lack of feedback from users, lack of documentation, and conflicts with other Thai localization projects because of a lack of coordination and standards.
泰国开发者面临的主要问题是缺乏来自用户的反馈，缺乏文档，以及由于缺乏协调和标准而与其他泰国本地化工程产生的冲突。
The Thais intend to roll out the software for both the private sector and public institutions, but are still in the planning stage at this time. The team has not yet seen a high-profile effort to promote the use of FOSS in Thailand. This may change in the near future, depending on government and private funding. In comparison to the CJK efforts, Thailand has fewer developers, less money, and less outside interest due to the size of its market. Other Thai localization projects are discussed on pages 7-10.
泰国准备为私有企业和公共部门同时提供本地化的软件，但目前工作仍然处于筹备阶段。在泰国还没有高级别的部门进行工作推广自由/开源软件的使用。这种情况可能在不久的将来有所改观，取决于政府和私人的资助。与 CJK 项目相比，泰国的开发者较少，资金较少，而且外界由于其市场的规模也缺乏兴趣。其他的泰国语本地化工程在案例研究部分有详细讨论。
Vietnamnese
=越南语=
FOSS localization to the Vietnamese language began in 1998, primarily as an individual effort by an enthusiast. Today, there are between 20-50 people working on the project. They are volunteers, providing their resources and time for free, and all are using FOSS tools for the work. But even with the number of individuals currently involved, there are not enough people to perform all of the necessary work.
自由/开源软件的越南语本地化开始于1998年，最初是爱好者的个人行为。今天，有20-50人为这项计划工作。他们都是志愿者，无偿贡献他们的资源和时间，而且都在工作中使用自由/开源软件工具。但现在参与到计划中的人仍然不足以进行全部必要的工作。
Vietnamese localizations of GNU/Linux, Gnome, KDE, XFCE, Fluxbox, OpenOffice.org, Mozilla, XMMS, GnuCash, Gaim and Knoppix are in progress.
目前进行中的工作包括 GNU/Linux、Gnome、KDE、XFCE、Fluxbox、OpenOffice.org、Mozilla、XMMS、GnuCash、Gaim 和 Knoppix 的越南语本地化。
Plans for introducing the software to the Vietnamese people include the publication of books, formation of user groups in major cities, and provision of the software to private and public institutions. Already, there has been some effort to promote the use of FOSS in secondary schools, universities and government offices. Recently the government adopted a FOSS policy.
将这些软件介绍给越南人民的计划包括出版书籍，在大城市组建用户组，以及向私人和公共单位提供软件。目前在中学、大学和政府推广使用自由/开源软件的工作已经展开。最近越南政府颁布了与自由/开源软件有关的政策。
Malay
=马来语=
The Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems (MIMOS) has launched a Web site to document projects in FOSS within Asia with links to key resources. MIMOS’s goal is to localize key applications into the national language, Bahasa Melayu. MIMOS has already developed a local language GNU/Linux GUI and open source applications for the government. Two other localization projects are GNOME, led by Hasbullah Bin Pit, and OpenOffice.org, spearheaded by MIMOS.
马来西亚微电子系统研究院（Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems, MIMOS）启动了一个网站，用于记录亚洲的自由/开源软件项目，并有重要资源的链接。MIMOS 的目标是把重要的应用程序本地化为国家通用语言 Bahasa Melayu。MIMOS 已经开发了一个 GNU/Linux 的本地语言 GUI 以及政府用的开源应用程序。此外还有 Hasbullah Bin Pit 领导的 GNOME 本地化计划和 MIMOS 牵头的 OpenOffice.org 本地化计划。
Khmer
=谷美尔语=
The Khmer Software Initiative has an ambitious though under-funded plan to localize FOSS for Khmer speakers in Cambodia and elsewhere. In addition to a localized version of the GNU/Linux user interface and some applications, they intend to create a development library, complete documentation both online and in print, and specialized training materials for developers and end users. It is not known how many individuals are working on the project currently.
谷美尔软件项目有一项虽然资金不足但目标远大的计划，为柬埔寨和其他地方的古美尔语使用者本地化自由/开源软件。除了本地化版本的 GNU/Linux 用户界面和一些应用程序外，他们还打算建立一个开发图书馆，完善网络和印刷版本的文档，以及为开发者和最终用户专门编写的培训材料。目前不清楚有多少人在为这项计划工作。
As elsewhere, the Khmer team envisions providing the software to both private and government users. A publicity campaign is planned and the developers expect significant support from the international development community to complete much of the work.
像其他国家一样，谷美尔人的开发队伍也预备同时向私人和政府用户提供软件。他们正在计划一次宣传攻势，开发者们也希望得到国际开发社区的帮助以完成大量的工作。
The quality of the planning for Khmer, a crucial first step, is very high. As with other developing countries, funding and personnel to complete the work are the main hurdles. For more information on this area, please read Khmer Case Studies on pages 12-15.
作为关键的第一步，谷美尔本地化项目的规划工作质量很高。像其他发展中国家一样，用于工作的资金和人力不足是主要的障碍。关于这一地区的更多信息请参阅后面的谷美尔案例研究。
泰国语本地化
老挝语本地化
库美尔语本地化
本地化计划现状
Fortunately for localizers, Thai language support has been stabilized by means of standardization achieved in the preceding years. The only limitation is the readiness of the internationalization frameworks within Gnome, KDE, Mozilla and Open Office.
对泰国语的本地化工作者来说，幸运的是泰国语在过去已经通过标准化的方式稳定下来。唯一的限制是 Gnome，KDE，Mozilla 和 OpenOffice 中国际化框架的完备程度。
FOSS communities of Thailand contribute a lot to both software development and user support. Governmental organizations also play important roles in FOSS reaching the masses.
泰国的自由／开源软件社群为软件开发和用户支持都做出了很大贡献。政府组织也在大众接触自由／开源软件的过程中起了重要的作用。
Thai Language
=泰国语=
The official language of Thailand is Thai. Spoken by almost the entire population, with several dialects in different regions, Thai is a tonal, uninflected and predominantly monosyllabic language. Most polysyllabic words in the vocabulary have been borrowed, mainly from Khmer, Pali and Sanskrit.
泰国的官方语言是泰国语。几乎整个人口都说泰国语，只在不同地区有几种方言。它是一种有声调，没有词性变化和几乎完全单音节的语言。词汇中的大多数双音节词都是外来语，主要来源是库美尔语、巴厘语和梵语。
Thai belongs to the Tai language family, which includes languages spoken in Assam, northern Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, northern Viet Nam, and the Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guanxi.(4)
泰国语属于 Tai 语族，包括在印度 Assam 邦、缅甸北部、泰国、老挝人民民主共和国、越南北部，以及中国云南、贵州和广西省(4)使用的一些语言。
Thai script belongs to the Bhrami family. The oldest evidence of Thai script dates back over 700 years to the Sukhothai Age. Over the years, Thai script has gradually changed. Contemporary Thai script is composed of 44 consonants, 21 vowel symbols (32 sounds when combined), four tone marks, two diacritic marks and 10 decimal digits. Tone marks, diacritic marks and some vowel signs are stacked over or below the base consonants. The stacking is a shared characteristic among many South-East Asian scripts, especially those that are derived from Bhrami like Lao, Khmer and Myanmar languages. However, there are no complex precombined conjuncts in Thai, unlike most Indic scripts (Devanagari, for example). Only stacking is required. Lao is the script closest to Thai.
泰语字母属于 Bhrami 语族。书面泰语的最早证据可追溯到700多年前的 Sukhothai 时代。从古至今，泰语字母渐渐改变了。现代泰语字母包括44个辅音字母，21个元音字母（合并使用可表示32种读音），4种声调，2种变音符号和10个十进制数字。声调符号、变音符号和一些元音符号标注在基本元音的上方或下方。这种叠加标注方式是许多东南亚语言的共同特点，特别是从 Bhrami 语发展而来的语言，如老挝、库美尔和缅甸语。但是，在泰国语中没有复杂的复合音，这点不像大多数印地语字母（例如 Devanagari 语）。只需要叠加就可以表示所有语音。老挝语字母是最类似泰国语字母的。
Standardization
=标准化=
Standardization is the key to the success of Thai language support in computers. It allows interoperability and resolves many localization issues. Important standards include character set, keyboard layout and input/output method specifications.
标准化是实现计算机泰国语支持成功的关键。它允许互通性并能解决许多本地化问题。重要的标准包括字符集，键盘布局和输入/输出方法标准。
The standardization of IT in Thailand has been recognized since 1984 (5), when there were many efforts to use the Thai language in computers. More than 26 sets of code pages were defined by different vendors resulting in incompatibility. As a solution they were all unified as TIS 620-2529/1986 as the national standard by the Thai Industrial Standard Institute (TISI). A prominent legacy was the code table defined by Kasetsart University (KU) in a successful R&D effort to enable the Thai system in MS-DOS. It was the most widely adopted standard. Therefore, computer programs were obliged to support both encodings until TIS-620 became more popular and KU became obsolete.
泰国信息技术的标准化工作在1984年得到重视 (5)，当时有许多致力于在计算机上使用泰国语的工作。不同的提供商制定了至少26种互不兼容的编码方案。泰国工业标准研究所（Thai Industrial Standard Institute, TISI）的解决方法是把它们统一为国家标准 TIS 620-2529/1986。这个时代一份重要的遗产是 Kasetsart 大学（KU）一次成功的研发工作，为 MS-DOS 下的泰国语系统定义的码表。它是使用最广泛的标准。因此，计算机程序不得不同时支持两种编码，直到 TIS-620 越来越流行，而 KU 编码终于退出历史舞台。
Therefore, when Microsoft released Windows into the Thai market, TIS-620 was the only encoding adopted. The same was true for Macintosh. Thus, the character encoding issue was firmly settled.
因此，当微软向泰国市场发售 Windows 时，TIS-620 是唯一的实用编码。对于 Macintosh 平台也是如此。这样，编码标准的问题就完全解决了。
In 1990, TIS-620 was amended to conform to ISO standards, but the code table was left completely unchanged. This new version was called TIS 620-2533/1990. The amendment enabled TISI to actively join many international standardization activities. For example, it submitted the character set to the European Computing Manufacturers’ Association (ECMA) for registration in the ISO 2375 repertoire, and was assigned as ISO-IR-166 so that it could be used with ISO/IEC 2022 mixed code page encoding. An example of such implementation is GNU Emacs. Around 1996, a TISI technical committee drafted a proposal for the Latin/Thai part (part 11) of ISO/IEC 8859, based on TIS-620. However, it was suspended due to the prohibition of combining characters. It was reactivated in 1999, and endorsed as an international standard in 2000.
1990年，为了与 ISO 标准兼容，TIS-620进行了修改，但码表部分完全没有改变。新版本被称为 TIS 620-2533/1990。这次修改使得 TISI 能够活跃地参与国际标准化运动中去。例如，它将字符集提交给欧洲计算制造商协会（European Computing Manufacturers' Association, ECMA）以在 ISO 2375 目录中注册，并且被分配了 ISO-IR-166 这个编号，这样泰国语就可以在 ISO/IEC 2022 混合码表编码方式下使用。另一个这种实现的例子是 GNU Emacs。1996年前后，一个 TISI 技术委员会起草了一份基于 TIS-620 的关于 ISO/IEC 8859 的拉丁/泰国语部分（第11部分）的提案。但是，提案由于对合并字符的限制而被搁置。提案在1999年重新讨论，并且在2000年成为一个国际标准。
The TIS-620 code table was pushed for inclusion in the Unicode table. Although the influence of the ISCII encoding scheme (which forced all vowels, including the leading vowels, to always be encoded after consonants) had made the Unicode consortium force Thai to change its encoding scheme, TISI defended the TIS-620 practice, as Thai script did not need such complications. Although this made Thai (and Lao) different from other Indic scripts, it saved Thai (and possibly Lao) implementations from the big hindrance of lacking supporting technology for ISCII practice at that time, as well as from the burdens of migration from the well-settled and widely-adopted practice. So all Thai language-processing codes for TIS-620 and Unicode, apart from the necessary code conversion, are fully compatible.
TIS-620 编码被要求加入 Unicode 码表中。虽然 Unicode 的 ISCII 编码系统（要求所有元音，包括音节开头的元音，都放在辅音之后）使得 Unicode 联合会迫使泰国改变其编码方案，TISI 维护了 TIS-620 的编码方式，因为泰国文字不需要这样的改动。虽然这使泰国语（可能也包括老挝语）与其他印地文字不同，但它将泰国语（以及老挝语）将当时缺乏 ISCII 编码方案技术支持带来的巨大困难中拯救出来，也避免了改变广泛应用和固定的习惯所带来的麻烦。因此所有处理 TIS-620 和 Unicode 的代码，除了必要的编码转换部分之外，都是完全兼容的。
In addition to the character set, the Thai keyboard layout was standardized as TIS 820-2531 in 1988, and later amended by adding keys for special symbols and published again as TIS 820-2538 in 1995. Another keyboard variant designed after research on character frequencies, called Pattajoti, is also available. But it is not as popular and is not a national standard.
除了字符集之外，泰国语键盘布局也在1988年标准化为 TIS 820-2531，后来增加了特殊符号键位并在1995年重新颁布为 TIS 820-2538。在研究了字符出现频率后设计的一种称为 Pattajoti 的变体也可以使用，但它没有规模相当的用户群，也不是国家标准。
Thai input/output methods were also standardized through the efforts of the Thai API Consortium (TAPIC), which was formed by a group of vendors and academies and sponsored by the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC). The specification, called WTT 2.0 (from its Thai abbreviation ‘Wor Tor Tor’, which stands for “Wing Took Tee” or “runs everywhere”), was published in 1991. Its contents were composed of three parts, describing character set and encoding scheme, input/output methods, and printer identification numbers.
泰国文字输入/输出方法也通过由供应商和学术界组成，并由国家电子和计算机技术中心（National Electronics and Computer Technology Center, NECTEC）资助的泰国 API 联合会（Thai API Consortium, TAPIC）的努力得以标准化。这份标准被称为 WTT 2.0（得名于其泰国语缩写 Wor Tor Tor，意思是“Wing Took Tee”，即“随处运行”），于1991年发布。其内容包括三部分，分别描述了字符集和编码体系，输入/输出方法，以及打印机识别字。
Although not endorsed by TISI as a national standard, WTT 2.0 was adopted by virtually all the major vendors who participated in the draft, including DEC, Sun, Microsoft, MacIntosh and IBM. WTT 2.0 had enjoyed being the de facto national standard for seven years, until it was dubbed TIS 1566-2541 by TISI in 1998.
虽然 TISI 并未将 WTT 2.0 作为国家标准推广，几乎所有参与草案编写的制造商，包括 DEC，升阳，微软，苹果和 IBM 都采用了这个标准。WTT 2.0 在后来7年中都是事实上的国家标准，TISI 在1998年将其定名为 TIS 1566-2541。
There are other activities (6) with international standards bodies that promote understanding of Thai language requirements among vendors. For example, in 1998 the “tis-620” MIME character set was registered with the Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA) for information interchange on the Internet (7). Another example is an annex of ISO/IEC 14651, International String Ordering, describing how the predefined sorting order for Unicode can be tailored to match the requirements of Thai string ordering.
泰国还有其他与国际标准机构合作，促进供应商对泰国语言需求了解的活动 (6)。例如，1998年“tis-620”因特网邮件扩展（MIME）字符集在因特网数字分配管理处（Internet Assigned Number Authority, IANA）注册为因特网信息交换的标准 (7)。另一个例子是 ISO/IEC 14651 的附录《国际字符串排序》，其中描述了 Unicode 预先定义的排序顺序应当如何被修改以适应泰国语言字符串排序的需要。
With these established standards, specifications for Thai implementations are clear and interoperability is guaranteed. The standards have played an important role in several developments in the Thai computer industry, including FOSS localization.
这些标准的建立使得泰国语言的编程实现有清晰的原则可循，并能保证互操作性。这些标准在泰国计算机工业的几项开发中起着重要作用，包括自由/开源软件的本地化。
Localization
=本地化=
Thai localization of FOSS was started in 1993 by Thai students in Japan with the ThaiTeX project initiated by Manop Wongsaisuwan as a first effort to use Thai in the versatile typesetting program (8). Subsequently, the project was maintained by the Thai Linux Working Group (TLWG) (9) which was formed in 1999.
1993年在日本由 Manop Wongsaisuwan 发起，其他学生参与的 ThaiTeX 项目是第一次在多用途排版程序中使用泰国语的尝试(8)，并宣告了泰国语自由／开源软件本地化的开始。此后，这个项目由1999年组建的泰国语 Linux 工作组维护。
Apart from Thai LaTeX, other surrounding UNIX environments have been modified by the same group of people to support Thai. Their work may be summarized as follows:
除了泰国语 LaTeX，这一组开发者还修改了其他周边 UNIX 环境以支持泰国语，他们的工作简述如下：
Manop Wongsaisuwan: ThaiTeX (ttex), X bit-map fonts.
Thai Project (by Vuthichai Ampornaramveth): (10) cttex (C version of ttex), xiterm+thai (Thai X terminal), likit (Thai text editor for X).
ZzzThai project (led by Poonlap Veerathanabutr): (11) thailatex-component, X bit-map fonts, Thai support in xfig, Thai-HOWTO and Thai RPMs.
At the same time, other Thai support projects were developed by researchers of the NECTEC in Thailand, including:
同时，NECTEC 的研究人员开发了其他的泰国语支持项目，包括：
Virach Sornlertlamvanich: Thai support in Omega (Unicode-based TeX kernel), Thai in GNU. Emacs, machine translation, and many other NLP projects.
Surapant Meknavin: thailatex (babel-based), Thai search engine.
Phaisarn Charoenpornsawat: swath (Thai word break utility).
Theppitak Karoonboonyanan: Thai string collation , Thai Locale. (12)
The National Fonts Project: Standardized font design specification, three public domain vector fonts (Kinnari, Garuda and Norasi).
Another project worth mentioning is Linux SIS (School Internet Server) (13), which was initiated by NECTEC for use in the SchoolNet project (14). Although it is a server-centric distribution, it was during this project that another main task force for Thai FOSS localization was constituted. Through a mailing list for supporting its users, the volunteers agreed that another distribution for desktops was needed, and was feasible to develop, as almost all of the specialists mentioned above were there. This task was undertaken by the Thai Linux Working Group. A Web site (linux.thai.net) was created for general user support. A new GNU/Linux distribution called Linux TLE (Thai Language Extension) was created to collect, as comprehensively as possible, the existing works of Thai developers and package them for users.
另一项值得一提的工作是 Linux SIS（Linux 中小学校因特网服务器）(13)，它由 NECTEC 提出，用于 SchoolNet 工程(14)中。虽然这是一个面向服务器应用的发行版本，但另一支泰国语自由／开源软件本地化的队伍在这个项目中得以建立。在用户支持邮件列表中，志愿者们认为还需要一个面向桌面的版本，而且在上述专家的帮助下开发也是可行的。这项任务由泰国 Linux 工作组承担。他们为一般用户支持工作建立了一个网站（linux.thai.net）。一个称为 Linux TLE（泰国语扩展）的 GNU/Linux 发行版本被开发出来以尽可能全面地纳入泰国开发者的本地化作品并将它们打包给用户使用。
Apart from being a tool for boosting the use of FOSS by Thai users, Linux TLE also provided a platform for development, and a test cycle where users could participate through bug reports. The ultimate goal was to improve Thai support for FOSS from the source. Therefore, getting patches checked-in to upstream projects was the final success indicator.
除了作为推进泰国用户使用自由／开源软件的工具，Linux TLE 也为开发提供了平台，以及用户可以参与报告错误的测试流程。其最终目标是从源代码水平增强自由／开源软件对泰国语的支持。因此，将补丁加入上游开发工程是评价成功的最终标准。
So far, lots of source code from TLWG and Linux TLE have been incorporated in upstream projects, including:
目前，许多来自 TLWG 和 Linux TLE 的源代码都已经被加入到上游工程中，包括：
Thai locale definition in GNU C library.
Thai keyboard maps in XFree86.
Thai XIM in XFree86.
Thai fonts in XFree86.
Thai Pango modules.
Thai string ordering in MySQL.
GTK+, GLib, Qt, KDE, Mozilla, Xpdf, etc.
In 2000, Linux TLE was handed over to NECTEC for maintenance. Three versions (3.0, 4.0 and 4.1) were
released and gained a lot of recognition from users in all parts of the country. A dedicated Web site was
created for it at opentle.org in 2003. TLWG continued to build its user and developer communities.
2000年，Linux TLE 被移交给 NECTEC 进行维护。发布的三个版本（3.0，4.0和4.1）都受到了全国各地用户的广泛赞誉。2003年项目有了专门的网站 opentle.org。TLWG 继续建设其用户和开发者社区。
Some of the TLWG projects that are hosted and maintained by the community are:
社区存放和维护的一些项目包括：
libthai (15): a library of Thai basic support routines, including character sets conversion, input/output methods, word break, string collation, etc. Some plug-ins for Pango GTK+ IM are also provided.
thaifonts-scalable (16): a collection of scalable fonts available to the public, plus some fonts developed in-house. All fonts are maintained and improved based on standard technical specifications.
thailatex (17): Babel-based Thai support for LaTeX document preparation, based on Surapant
Meknavin's work.
Other significant development efforts to boost the Thai environment in FOSS are Pladao (18) and OfficeTLE (19). Both projects aim to develop Thai support in OpenOffice.org. Pladao was initiated by Sun Microsystems (Thailand) and was subsidized by Algorithms Co. OfficeTLE was initiated and operated by NECTEC. Both of these projects are working in parallel, emphasizing different aspects. Pladao is feature-rich, while OfficeTLE emphasizes Thai language processing quality. Many hope that they will merge, possibly through upstream projects.
其他重要的推进了自由／开源软件的泰国语环境改善的开发工作还有 Pladao (18) 和 OfficeTLE (19)。两个计划的目的都是开发 OpenOffice.org 的泰国语支持。Pladao 是由升阳微系统（泰国）公司发起，由 Algorithms 公司赞助。OfficeTLE 是由 NECTEC 发起和运作。两个计划并行工作，强调不同的方面。Pladao 功能丰富，而 OfficeTLE 强调处理泰国语的质量。许多人希望这两个计划能够通过上游开发项目合并。
Obstacles
=阻碍=
These are the obstacles to the localization of FOSS in Thailand:
以下是泰国自由／开源软件本地化的主要障碍：
Too few developers. With the growth of the user base, the lack of FOSS developers to serve the growing requirements and expectations is a big problem. The premature growth of FOSS adoption in Thailand has unbalanced the community, both in terms of the ratio between users and developers, and in terms of unrealistic expectations with regard to price and freedom. Worse, the community existing developers have been fragmented because they are often employed by competing businesses. Proprietary competition has reduced the traditional cooperation responsible for the progress of FOSS in Thailand.
Misconception. If one wishes a movement to be initiated by the government, it is necessary for the government to have a good understanding of all of the concerns. The government must realize the benefits of FOSS as a means for developing technologies, as well as for improving the technical skills of the developers. Otherwise, it just becomes exploitative. According to some, even though the Thai government has popularized FOSS through the recent campaign for affordable PCs, they have also damaged public opinion of FOSS by their failure to provide proper support. Premature promotion of FOSS to uninitiated users when it is not ready would only create a bad impression. On the other hand, claiming that Microsoft's decision to lower the price of proprietary software is actually a success for FOSS, can be seen as exploiting FOSS as a negotiation tool. Moreover, "localization" tends to be perceived by the government as an activity that is about development of local GNU/Linux distributions, which is not true. Thus, many government policies simply miss the point and sometimes make things worse.
"Laonux" is the name of the Lao language version of GNU/Linux. This section deals with Laonux implementation. An overview of its success and obstacles to its development is also provided.
“Laonux” 是老挝语版本 GNU/Linux 的名字。这一节主要关注 Laonux 的实现，也提供了其开发过程的成功和困难的概述。
Traditionally, the Lao language and its literature have been written in two scripts, Lao and Tham. The Tham script is derived from the Lanna script (of present-day Chiang Mai and northern Thailand), which in turn originates from ancient Mon (20). The Lao language belongs to the Tai language family, which includes languages spoken in Assam, northern Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, northern Viet Nam, and the Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guanxi (21). Lao script is believed to have originated from the Khmer writing system. It originated in the Grantha script, which was the southern form of the ancient Indian Brahmi writing system (22).
传统的老挝语言和文字用两种字符表示，老挝字符和 Tham 字符。Tham 字符是从 Lanna （现在的清迈和泰国北部）字符发展而来，而 Lanna 字符又是起源于古代 Mon 语言 (20)。老挝语属于 Tai 语族，该语族包括印度 Assam 邦，缅甸北部，泰国，老挝人民民主共和国、越南北部，以及中国的云南、贵州、广西使用的语言 (21)。一般认为老挝文字起源于库美尔书写系统。它的来源是 Grantha 文字，是古代印度 Brahmi 书写系统的南方变体 (22)。
Lao script shares characteristics with other South-East Asian writing systems. It follows complex rules of layout involving consonants, vowels, special symbols, conjuncts and ligatures. Spaces are not used to separate words, and vowels appear before and after, under and over consonants.
老挝文字与其他东南亚书写系统有类似的性质。它复杂的书写规则牵涉到辅音、元音、特殊符号、复合词和连写字符。单词间不用空格分隔，元音可能表示在辅音的前或后，以及上方或下方。
Obstacles and Successes
=困难和成功=
In localizing FOSS for the Lao script, the following tasks must be completed:
在自由／开源软件的老挝语本地化中，必须完成以下的任务：
Identifying the technical obstacles to be overcome.
Creating the world's first English/Lao technical dictionary.
Finding and coordinating technical volunteers.
Establishing de facto technical standards.
Performing and testing the work.
User training and education.
Identifying the sources of funding.
The work of investigating how GNU/Linux can be localized for Lao began in the summer of 1999 and proceeded slowly at first. Months of research and experimentation identified the technical difficulties and tools available to resolve them. Anousak Souphavanh, working from Rochester, New York, eventually formed a team of volunteers, teachers and students from the National University of Lao PDR to focus on translating KDE into Lao. The KDE desktop in Lao allows the end user to access the basic functionalities of a computer, including email, Web browser and office applications.
对 GNU/Linux 本地化如何进行的研究开始于1999年夏天，开始时进展缓慢。数个月的研究和实验发现了一些技术问题和解决问题的工具。在纽约州 Rochester 工作的 Anousak Souphavanh 最终建立起一支由志愿者以及老挝人民民主共和国国立大学师生组成的队伍，专注于把 KDE 翻译成老挝语。老挝语 KDE 桌面允许最终用户使用计算机的基本功能，包括 email，web 浏览器和办公室套件。
Until 2002, the work progressed slowly but steadily, aided largely by helpful and frequent advice from fellow FOSS enthusiasts worldwide. The community regularly provides invaluable information and assistance in tracking down documentation of technical issues, relating experiences in solving similar problems, or simply encouraging the volunteers in their efforts.
到2002年，在世界各地自由／开源软件支持者大量有益建议的帮助下，本地化工作进展虽然缓慢但稳定。社区在提供技术文档，相关问题的经验，或鼓励志愿者工作方面都提供了宝贵的信息和支持。
In 2002, the Jhai Foundation provided a small stipend to support the development of Laonux. As before, research had to be performed on the technical issues and tools, and more volunteers had to be found for the required translation and programming. The programming work was completed in 2003. However, the bulk of the translating remains undone. The major obstacle is the lack of an English/Lao technical dictionary. Without this, any translation will be inconsistent and confusing to users.
2002年，Jhai 基金会提供了一笔小额资金用于支持 Laonux 的开发。像以前一样，对技术问题和工具的研究仍在进行，而翻译和编程需要更多的志愿者。编程工作在2003年完成。但是大量的翻译工作还未结束。主要的困难是缺少一部英语／老挝语技术词典。没有它，翻译就不一致，容易使用户迷惑。
Upon completion of the dictionary, it is relatively simple to translate the remaining message strings and integrate them into the desktop environment. This work can be performed by either professional or student translators at a relatively low cost. But until the dictionary is completed, the work will continue at a snail's pace.
到词典完成时，翻译剩下的信息字符串并将它们整合到桌面环境中就比较容易。无论专业人员还是学生翻译者都可以以较低的成本完成这项工作。但是词典完成之前，工作只能以极其缓慢的速度进行。
Funding for the dictionary and translators is now being sought from international development agencies. In addition, funding for professional documentation, training and user education is required.
目前项目正在从国际开发组织寻找词典和翻译工作所需的资助。此外，也需要专业文档、培训和用户教育的资金支持。
Standardization
=标准化=
The lack of technical standards for the Lao script and its implementation in software remains a difficult challenge. The following standards must be completed and accepted officially:
缺乏老挝文字及其计算机实现的标准带来了巨大的挑战。官方必须完成并采纳以下的标准：
Character set.
Keyboard layout.
Unicode fonts.
Input methods.
Output methods.
To date this project has yielded some very useful de facto technical standards. Lao officials now recognize the vital importance of these standards and have adopted the goal as their own. These standards and the technical dictionary could dramatically speed up the ensuing. Until the majority of Lao developers agree to follow standards, further development will be hampered.
目前本地化计划已经产生了一些非常有用的技术标准。老挝官方现在认识到了这些标准的重要性并且设立了他们自己的目标。这些标准和技术词典可以极大地加速以上的目标。只有大部分的老挝开发者服从以上标准，今后的发展才不会受阻碍。
Localization
=本地化=
Team members have resolved the following issues. These solutions follow ISO standards and should be adopted by future localization efforts to avoid duplication of effort and incompatibility between systems.
团队成员已经解决了以下的问题。这些解决方案遵循 ISO 标准，应当在将来的本地化工作中利用，以避免重复劳动和系统的不兼容。
First, Unicode fonts were used instead of the existing fonts that override glyphs of English letters as per keyboard layout because these fonts are not standards compliant. Unicode is now the worldwide standard for FOSS developers. Also, development tools such as Kbabel and KDE require Unicode compatibility.
首先，用 Unicode 字体代替了现有的用英语字母替换为老挝语字符的键盘布局形式的字体，因为这些字体与标准不兼容。Unicode 现在是自由/开源软件开发的国际标准。而且，Kbabel 和 KDE 这样的开发工具也需要 Unicode 兼容性。
Laonux is a KDE localization, which is why the rendering of fonts is handled by the Qt libraries (as opposed to Pango or X Window). The Qt library file “Qt-qfont_X11.cpp” was modified slightly to point to the appropriate range for Lao. Initially Lao fonts were not rendered properly while stacking combined characters (i.e., consonant and a vowel). With the help of Theppitak Karoonboonyanan, patches were submitted to fix the rendering. Resolving these issues was a major breakthrough for Laonux development.
Laonux 使用本地化的 KDE 界面，因此字体的渲染是由 Qt 库来进行（而不是使用 Pango 或 X Window）。为了给老挝语字符安排合适的指针范围，Qt 库文件“Qt-qfont_X11.cpp”被开发者进行了少量修改。开始时堆叠字符（例如辅音和一个元音）的老挝语字体没有被正确渲染。在 Theppitak Karoonboonyanan 的帮助下，他们提交了补丁用来修正渲染问题。解决这些问题是 Laonux 开发的重大突破。
Inputs are handled by XKB, the keyboard map for X. It is used in converting key-strokes to key symbols defined in “X11/keysymdefs.h”, with language switching capability. XKB Lao keys were created with the appropriate Lao Unicode range. Finally, the GNU C library definition for Lao was created. This is mainly UTF-8 locale settings for date/time and related issues.
输入是由 X 键盘映射（XKB）处理。它被用来将击键动作根据“X11/keysymdefs.h”中的定义转换成符号，并具有选择语言的能力。开发者建立了覆盖老挝语 Unicode 范围的 XKB 键盘映射。最后，老挝语的 GNU C 开发库的定义也被建立。这主要包括处理日期/时间和其他相关问题的 UTF-8 区域设置。
Future Plans
=未来规划=
Continue work on Laonux.
Begin work on localizing OpenOffice.org.
Continue translation work for PHP Web portal tools.
Begin work on localizing Mozilla and other Web tools.
Train users and technical staff for localization projects.
The first priority is to create the English/Lao technical dictionary. Whether this will be funded by governmental sources, grants or international aid is unclear. Without this dictionary, translating and localizing the software cannot be completed. Another priority is to continue cooperating with other regional software localization efforts, especially where they have already addressed similar issues.
首要的任务是建立英语－老挝语的技术词典。还不清楚这将由政府赞助，还是由其他基金或国际援助来资助。没有这部词典，软件的翻译和本地化无法完成。另一个需要优先进行的工作是继续与其他的地区性软件本地化工作合作，特别是那些已经遇到类似问题的项目。
Additional modifications and updates to ISO and Lao government IT standards are required for the long term. These include Input/Output methods, keyboard layout, collation, locales, and additional Lao OpenType Unicode fonts standards.
为长远打算，需要对 ISO 和老挝政府信息技术标准进行添加和更新。这些标准包括输入／输出方法，键盘布局，编码，区域设置，以及附加的老挝语 OpenType Unicode 字体标准。
Cooperation with universities for localization is ongoing. With most of the technical issues resolved, localization is now primarily a language issue. To avoid unnecessary anglicisms, professional linguists are needed. If technical professionals are involved in this process, they are likely to impose what they already know, which is English. It is far better for the future to adopt native language terms wherever practical. However, without funding, it is likely that a hodge-podge of anglicisms will prevail.
与大学的本地化合作正在进行。解决了大部分的技术问题后，本地化目前主要是一个语言问题。为避免不必要的西方腔调，需要专业的语言学家。参与本地化过程的技术专业人士倾向于使用他们所理解的语言，带有英语的色彩。如果可行，使用本土语言的词汇对将来更有好处。但是，没有资金的支持，产品难免会夹杂大量的英语腔调。
On the technical level, support for Lao script in IBM's ICU library is needed. ICU is the script support base for OpenOffice.org and for Java (released by IBM and Sun Microsystems). It is a complete library, including script rendering, layout, collation (sorting of words), line breaking, spell-checking, etc.
在技术层面上，需要 IBM 的 ICU 库对老挝语的支持。ICU 是 OpenOffice.org 和 Java (由 IBM 和升阳微系统公司发布）的字符支持库。它是一个包括字符渲染、外观、词语排序，断行，拼写检查等功能的完整的库。
Some difficult and important technical work has been done. However, full integration in ICU will force us to define all of these issues very clearly, and this will pave the way for the developers to create Lao applications in Java and C++. Without this, professional Lao software development can be difficult.
这需要完成一些困难而重要的工作。但是，对 ICU 的全面整合将迫使我们非常清晰地定义这些要素，而这将为使用 Java 和 C++ 的开发者铺平道路。做不到这点的话，专业的老挝语软件开发可能将十分困难。
Khmer Language
=库美尔语=
As in the case of Thai and Lao, Khmer script originates from the Grantha script, the south Indian form of the ancient Indian Brahmi writing system.
像泰国和老挝的文字一样，库美尔文字起源于一种古代印度 Brahmi 书写系统的南印度形式， Grantha 文字。
Khmer script follows complex rules of layout in which consonants may take two different forms (e.g., the small form is placed on a lower line if it immediately follows another consonant). Space is used not to separate words but to indicate a pause in reading (very much like a comma in English). Vowels pronounced after a consonant may appear before, after, above, below; before and after (formed by two glyphs); before and above; below and above; or under and after the consonant.
库美尔文字的排列规则比较复杂，辅音可以有两种形式（例如，当辅音紧跟另一个辅音时，采用小写形式写在较低处）。空格不仅表示分词，也表示读音的停顿（很像英语中的逗号）。在辅音后发音的元音可以出现在其前，后，上方，下方，或者同时出现在辅音前后（用两个符号表示），前方和上方，后方和上方，或下方和后方。
At present, the definition of the language is so poor that even the number of vowels in the language is not clear. The number of vowels in the official reference (the only available dictionary) is different from the number of vowels taught in schools. The reference dictionary is sorted phonetically, making a systematic collation algorithm that will follow the same order impossible. Words starting with the same consonant may be ordered under different listings depending on how that consonant is pronounced in that word. As in the Lao localization project, an English/Khmer technical dictionary is not available, and the lack of it severely hampers the efforts to translate software into the local language.
目前，这种语言的定义还很不严格，甚至元音的个数都尚不清楚。在官方的参考书（唯一的词典）中规定元音的个数与学校中教授的原因个数都不同。参考词典是按语音顺序排列的，使得系统的排列算法无法按照相同的顺序实现。以相同元音起头的单词可能因为其辅音读音的不同被编入不同的部分中。像老挝的本地化计划一样，由于缺乏英语／库美尔语技术词典，将软件翻译成本地语言的工作受到了严重的阻碍。
Obstacles and Successes
=困难和成功=
When the KhmerOS project was first being considered, the technical situation was as follows:
当最开始考虑库美尔OS项目时，技术方面的现状如下：
Khmer had already been included in Unicode. Fixed in 1996 by a team of people who had no contact with the Cambodian government, the definition in Unicode was later disputed, but to no avail. The Unicode Consortium refused to change anything, including the addition of necessary Khmer vowels, on the basis that these could be formed by combining other existing Khmer characters. The Consortium only permitted adding comments to the existing standard. The standard is now considered fixed by the Khmer government (in its 4.0).
Microsoft had published OpenType specifications for Khmer, and included the language in its Uniscribe complex text layout engine. MS Publisher worked very well in Khmer, but MS still did not handle either line-breaking or sorting. MS Word crashed quite often while using Khmer.
Some OpenType Khmer fonts already existed, though none in the public domain.
No FOSS programs were implemented in Khmer in the GNU/Linux environment, but some FOSS (such as Mozilla) worked well in Khmer under Windows, using the Microsoft Uniscribe engine.
Some people had been considering FOSS in Khmer, but the idea had not gone beyond mailing list discussions.
There has been an amazing proliferation of legacy (non-Unicode) fonts. Up to 26 different font encodings had been defined. They worked well enough under MS Word by modifying "normal.dot".
It is also important to understand the social situation, as follows:
了解以下的社会状况也很重要：
The lack of computers in the Khmer language increases the digital divide. Only people who speak English have access to jobs that require the use of computers.
Because computer interfaces are in English, the words used for computer-related work are also in English, introducing many `'anglicisms `'that could have been easily avoided if the software had been translated.
As people have to memorize new English words (in the menus), training for computer use takes a long time and it is soon forgotten if it is not used.
There is no English/Khmer technical dictionary.
The development of databases for governmental purposes is not possible, as no database management systems that handle either legacy or Unicode Khmer encodings have been developed.
In order to join the World Trade Organization, Cambodia has passed an intellectual property law that, when in force will, in theory, compel people to pay for proprietary software. FOSS allows developing countries to comply with the requirements of WTO without having to spend large amounts of money.
Spanish computer scientist Javier Solá, who lives in Cambodia and has more experience with computers and strategy than with FOSS, has decided to see what can be done in this situation. He has started writing an ambitious project with the following deliverables:
居住在柬埔寨的西班牙计算机科学家 Javier Solá 对计算机和政策有着比对自由/开源软件更多的经验，他决定尝试在这样的现状下可以做些什么工作。他开始进行一项目标远大的计划，要提供以下的成果：
A full computer operating system, office suite and entertainment applications needed by an average computer user – entirely in the Khmer language. A user will see only the Khmer language script on his/her screen. The system will include full documentation in Khmer, in electronic and paper formats.
A “development library” (a set of programs) to be used by software developers to include support for the Khmer language in their applications; documentation of the development library.
A set of up to 50 computer fonts (Unicode OpenType fonts) to be used in the application menus, for word-processing or for computer design.
A keyboard layout, supporting drivers and 5,000 physical keyboards that support the abovementioned Unicode fonts.
5,000 copies of an installation disk that would be easy to use and would include all of the above software and documentation; with 1,000 of them accompanied by a full printed documentation.
Training materials addressed to end-users, including the use of the system and the applications, and a training course for typing with the new keyboard.
Computer end-user trainers trained to teach the new system using the above-mentioned materials: University professors, students and software development company personnel trained in advanced GNU/Linux and FOSS and application development using the Khmer script support tools provided by the project; computer vendor personnel trained in the installation of the system.
FOSS expertise centres in universities, including trained professors, students and computers with Internet connectivity.
Software development companies empowered to develop applications based on FOSS that require support for the Khmer language script.
Government personnel trained to use the system. Personnel expertise on software purchasing, coordination of applications between similar administrations, and analysis of priority applications for improved governance.
Marketing materials for deployment of the system.
Widespread publicity of the system directly or through computer and software vendors.
The project not only considers the final goal but also the order in which the programs will be translated. First Mozilla, an email client, and then OpenOffice.org, an office suite, will be released under MS Windows. Finally these will be included in a fully Khmer GNU/Linux release when the user interface is translated.
这个计划不仅考虑了最终目标，也考虑了翻译软件的顺序。首先是 email 客户端 Mozilla，然后是办公套件 OpenOffice.org，都在微软 Windows 下发布。最终这些软件在用户界面翻译完毕后都会被包括在完整的库美尔 GNU/Linux 发行版中。
After considering and later rejecting (for lack of real industry interest) the creation of an Industry Consortium, the project soon found a home in the local Open Forum of Cambodia, an NGO with a long history of supporting technologies for social purposes in Cambodia.
在考虑并放弃了成立行业联合会的想法（由于缺乏行业利益）之后，计划很快在本地的柬埔寨开放论坛安置下来，这是一个在柬埔寨长期支持有利社会的技术发展的非政府组织。
Sharing the idea of the project with anybody who would listen, setting up a Web site (www.khmeros.info), and initiating contact with various people interested in Khmer and computers, brought in the first volunteers.
通过与任何有兴趣的人分享计划的想法，设立专门网站（www.khmeros.info），以及与许多对库美尔语和计算机有兴趣的人们的初步接触，第一批志愿者参与到了计划中。
Typographer Danh Hong put into the public domain one of his Khmer OpenType fonts. This was an important preliminary step to get the FOSS community interested in this language.
字型设计师 Danh Hong 将他的一种库美尔语 OpenType 字体提供给公众。这是让自由/开源软件社区开始对这种语言感兴趣的重要的第一步。
Lin Chear, a Canadian engineer of Khmer origin, started looking at Pango and in a few days created the necessary programs to support Khmer in Gnome and its family of products. Khmer will be supported by version 1.6 of Pango. KDE followed soon after.
一位库美尔裔加拿大工程师 Lin Chear 开始研究 Pango 并且用几天时间开发了在 Gnome 和其相关产品中支持库美尔语的必要程序。1.6 版的 Pango 将提供对库美尔语的支持。KDE 紧随其后。
With the help of Lin Chear, the European maintainer of Qt, developed the routines needed for supporting Khmer in KDE and programs that use Qt for language support. Lin Chear applied a Pango patch to Mozilla and got a version of Mozilla working in Khmer on GNU/Linux.
在 Lin Chear 的帮助下，Qt 的欧洲维护者开发了在 KDE 和使用 Qt 作为语言支持的程序中的库美尔语支持。Lin Chear 在 Mozilla 上使用了一个 Pango 补丁并获得了一个能在 GNU/Linux 上用库美尔语工作的 Mozilla 版本。
Back in Phnom Penh, the KhmerOS project established itself in a small office at the Open Forum facilities. Using USD1,500 from the first small donations, they hired two computer scientists and with a couple of old donated computers, started creating a glossary of Khmer computer terms as preliminary work before starting the translation. A donation from a Hong Kong businessman would later permit the purchase of new computers.
在 Phnom Penh，KhmerOS 计划在开放论坛的设施中为自己建立了一个小办公室。他们用第一笔小额捐款中的1,500美元雇请了两个计算机科学家，加上一些捐助的旧计算机，开始建立库美尔语的计算机术语词典，作为翻译工作开始前的预备工作。来自一位香港商人的捐助将用于购买新的计算机。
Meanwhile, work and discussion regarding keyboards and collation algorithms are ongoing. Implementations in the Thai language show that dictionary based line-breaking can be done in languages that do not separate their words. Work on conversion of texts in legacy fonts to Unicode encoding has also started.
同时，关于键盘和排列算法的工作正在进行。泰国语的实现表明基于词典的断行可以用于没有分词标志的语言中。将旧式字体写成的文本转换成 Unicode 编码的工作也展开了。
“Evangelization” for Unicode is a necessary part of the project’s work. Large amounts of money are donated to Cambodia or used by NGOs for computer-related projects, such as creating a database of all Cambodian laws. If these projects are not done in Unicode, the databases will be useless in a few years.
Unicode 的“传教”工作也是计划的必要部分。大量的金钱被柬埔寨或非政府组织用于有关计算机的计划，比如建立所有柬埔寨法律的数据库。如果这些计划不使用 Unicode 完成，这些数据库在几年内就没有用了。
Future plans include increasing the project team to five translators with at least one of them a professional translator, and releasing email, browsing, word processing and spreadsheet programs in Khmer (Thunderbird and Firefox from Mozilla and OpenOffice.org Writer and Calc).
未来的规划包括将队伍增加到5名翻译人员，其中至少一人是专业翻译，并且发布库美尔语的 email，浏览器，字处理和电子表格软件（Mozilla 的 Thunderbird 和 Firefox 以及 OpenOffice.org 的 Writer 和 Calc）。
These programs will all be released on MS Windows (2000 and XP), and will have full documentation in Khmer, as well as basic training modules in Khmer to be used by computer training professionals. Training materials are important in order to fix the language and terminology used by teachers, assuring standardization and avoiding use of too many ‘’anglicisms’’.
这些软件将在 Windows （2000和 XP）上发布，并附带完整的库美尔语文档，以及电脑培训专业人士使用的用库美尔语教授的基本培训课程。在教师使用的培训材料中修正语言和术语是很重要的，这样能保证标准化并避免使用过多的“英语腔”。
The translation of Gnome or KDE (or both) began in 2004, as well as a series of minor applications that will allow the release of a complete GNU/Linux-based system in Khmer in the second half of 2005.
Gnome 和 KDE 以及一系列小程序的翻译都开始于2004年，这使得在2005年下半年发布完整的基于 GNU/Linux 的库美尔语操作系统成为可能。
Funding is still a major concern. Project speed is adjusted to suit funding, which comes either through grants or through contracts with corporations or other NGOs that need translated programs or services related to Khmer Unicode that can be provided by the project itself.
资金仍然是一个主要问题。计划的进度必须依照资金的情况调整。资金来自资助组织，或者那些需要库美尔语 Unicode 相关软件翻译的公司或非政府组织与计划签订的合同。
On the technical level, support is still required for Khmer script in IBM’s ICU library. Full integration in ICU will compel the project to define all such issues clearly, as well as open the way for developing Khmer applications in Java.
在技术层面上，仍然需要 IBM 的 ICU 库对库美尔文字的支持。完全整合到 ICU 中将迫使计划清晰地定义所有有关事项，也为用 Java 开发库美尔语程序提供了可能性。
Another concern is being able to use low-priced computers. In the Microsoft environment, Khmer Unicode will work only in Windows 2000 and XP, which require modern computers with a fair amount of memory and large hard disks. The way to low-priced (i.e., secondhand) Khmer computers will definitely have to be either through GNU/Linux or by getting Khmer script support in earlier versions of Windows such as Windows 98.
另一个问题是使用廉价的计算机。在微软的环境中，库美尔语 Unicode 只能在 Windows 2000 和 XP 下工作，这两个系统都需要配备大量内存和大硬盘的现代计算机。实现廉价的（例如二手的）库美尔语计算机必须通过 GNU/Linux 系统或者让库美尔语支持在 Windows 98 这样的早期 Windows 版本上工作。
The project’s distribution strategy is to try to have the software pre-installed by computer vendors and distributed by “two-dollars-a-CD” software vendors. This is to allow easy copying and wide distribution, thereby saving the project the cost of making copies.
计划的发行策略是让计算机厂商预装软件，以及通过“两美元一张盘”的软件供应商发行。这有助于方便的拷贝和广泛传播，因此为计划节省了制作拷贝的费用。
The government, under an IDRC grant, is pushing for the localization of Windows and MS Office. They have neither plans nor resources to get involved in FOSS localization, but are said to be interested in coordinating efforts so as not to duplicate work and to ensure that the Khmer language (collation, etc.) is implemented consistently in both platforms.
政府在 IDRC 的一项资助下正在推行 Windows 和微软 Office 的本地化。他们没有加入自由/开源软件本地化的计划和资源，但据说为避免重复劳动和正确一致地在两个平台上实现库美尔语（排列算法等等）支持，对合作有兴趣。
The project aims not to be sectarian about FOSS. It is better to have people using email in Khmer on Windows in the short run than to try to make them change to a completely new system abruptly. There are still two or three years before the intellectual property law is expected to be strongly enforced. This period can be used as transition time, assuring a gradual success rate, rather than trying to force an overnight change and thereby failing.
计划并不限于自由/开源软件。让人们短期内能够在 Windows 上用库美尔语使用电子邮件比试图让他们突然转换到一个全新的系统上更有好处。在知识产权法得到严格执行前还有两三年时间。这一阶段可以作为过渡，确保逐步的成功迁移，而不是强迫突然的改变而导致失败。
A survey(24) of the status of localization projects was conducted by the PAN Localization Project(25) during the training on "Fundamentals of Local Language Computing" in Lahore, Pakistan in January 2004. Participants from 13 Asian countries were asked to provide information about the status of localization tasks in their countries. The survey revealed the status of standardization, localization and national policy for local language computing of the participants' countries. Please note that the informal survey technique employed gives only a rough picture of the actual situation.
一项关于本地化计划现状的调查 (24) 由 PAN 本地化计划 (25) 于2004年一月在巴基斯坦的 Lahore 进行的“本地语言计算基础”培训中完成。他们要求来自13个亚洲国家的学员提供自己国家本地化工作的状况信息。调查显示了学员所在国家本地语言计算的标准化、本地化以及国家政策情况。需要注意这种不正式的调查方式只能给出较粗略的图景。
Table 1 summarizes the survey on standardization for character set, keyboard layout, key-pad layout (e.g., for mobile phones), collation sequence, terminology translation and locale definition.
表1概括了关于字符集标准化，键盘布局，小键盘布局（例如手机使用的键盘），码表序列，术语翻译和区域设置定义的调查结果。
| Table 1: PAN Survey: Local Standards | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Language | Char Set | KBD | Keypad | Coll. Seq. | Interface Term. | Locale |
| Myanmar | Burmese | o | * | * | |||
| Cambodia | Khmer | o | o | ||||
| Mongolia | Mongolian | o | o | ? | * | * | o |
| Lao PDR | Lao | o | o | ||||
| Nepal | Nepali | * | * | * | * | * | |
| Sri Lanka | Sinhalese | o | o | * | * | * | |
| Thailand | Thai | o | o | * | * | * | o |
| Bhutan | Dzongkha | o | o | * | * | ||
| China | Tibetan | o | o | ? | |||
| Japan | Japanese | o | o | o | o | o | o |
| Bangladesh | Bangla | o | ? | * | * | o | |
| Afghanistan | Pashto | o | o | ? | * | ||
| Iran | Farsi | o | o | * | * | * | |
| Parkistan | Urdu | o | * | * | * | * |
o: complete; *: partially done; ?: don't know; blank: no work done.
| 表1 PAN 调查：本地化标准 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 国家 | 语言 | 字符集 | 键盘 | 小键盘 | 码表 | 界面术语 | 区域设置 |
| 缅甸 | 缅甸语 | o | * | * | |||
| 柬埔寨 | 库美尔语 | o | o | ||||
| 蒙古 | 蒙古语 | o | o | ? | * | * | o |
| 老挝人民民主共和国 | 老挝语 | o | o | ||||
| 尼泊尔 | 尼泊尔语 | * | * | * | * | * | |
| 斯里兰卡 | 僧伽罗语 | o | o | * | * | * | |
| 泰国 | 泰国语 | o | o | * | * | * | o |
| 不丹 | Dzongkha | o | o | * | * | ||
| 中国 | 藏语 | o | o | ? | |||
| 日本 | 日语 | o | o | o | o | o | o |
| 孟加拉 | 孟加拉语 | o | ? | * | * | o | |
| 阿富汗 | 普什图语 | o | o | ? | * | ||
| 伊朗 | 波斯语 | o | o | * | * | * | |
| 巴基斯坦 | 乌尔都语 | o | * | * | * | * |
o：完成 *：部分完成 ?：情况不明 空白：工作未进行。
From the table, character set and keyboard layout seems to be well defined for most countries, while other issues need more work.
从表中可以看出，大多数国家的字符集和键盘布局都有完善的定义，而其他的部分需要进一步的工作。
Table 2 summarizes the current status of localization of applications on the GNU/Linux platform, namely, keyboard input, fonts, sorting and find/replace utilities, natural language processing, spell checker, and thesaurus. It also shows whether any GNU/Linux distribution has been released in the country.
表2概括了 GNU/Linux 平台上应用程序本地化的现状，包括键盘输入，字体，排序和查找/替换程序，自然语言处理，拼写检查，以及词汇库。这张表也显示了该国是否发行了 GNU/Linux 的版本。
| Table 2 PAN survey: Basic Localized Applications on GNU/Linux | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Language | KBD Driver | Font | Coll. | Find/Replace | NLP | Spell Check | Thes. | Linux Distr. | |
| Myanmar | Burmese | * | ||||||||
| Cambodia | Khmer | |||||||||
| Mongolia | Mongolian | o | o | * | * | * | ? | o | ||
| Lao PDR | Lao | |||||||||
| Nepal | Nepali | o | * | * | ||||||
| Sri Lanka | Sinhalese | * | o | * | * | |||||
| Thailand | Thai | o | * | o | o | * | * | o | ||
| Bhutan | Dzongkha | |||||||||
| China | Tibetan | * | * | ? | ||||||
| Japan | Japanese | o | o | o | o | ? | ? | ? | o | |
| Bangladesh | Bangla | o | * | * | ? | * | ||||
| Afghanistan | Pashto | * | ? | o | ||||||
| Iran | Paisi | o | * | o | * | o | * | * | * | |
| Pakistan | Urdu | * | * | o | * |
o: complete; *: partially done; ?: don't know; blank: no work done
| 表2 PAN 调查：GNU/Linux 上基本本地化的程序 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 国家 | 语言 | 键盘驱动 | 字体 | 码表 | 查找/替换 | 自然语言处理 | 拼写检查 | 词汇库 | Linux发行版 | |
| 缅甸 | 缅甸语 | * | ||||||||
| 柬埔寨 | 库美尔语 | |||||||||
| 蒙古 | 蒙古语 | o | o | * | * | * | ? | o | ||
| 老挝人民民主共和国 | 老挝语 | |||||||||
| 尼泊尔 | 尼泊尔语 | o | * | * | ||||||
| 斯里兰卡 | 僧伽罗语 | * | o | * | * | |||||
| 泰国 | 泰国语 | o | * | o | o | * | * | o | ||
| 不丹 | Dzongkha | |||||||||
| 中国 | 藏语 | * | * | ? | ||||||
| 日本 | 日语 | o | o | o | o | ? | ? | ? | o | |
| 孟加拉 | 孟加拉语 | o | * | * | ? | * | ||||
| 阿富汗 | 普什图语 | * | ? | o | ||||||
| 伊朗 | 波斯语 | o | * | o | * | o | * | * | * | |
| 巴基斯坦 | 乌尔都语 | * | * | o | * |
o: 完成；*：部分完成；?：不明；空白：工作未进行。
The survey shows that FOSS localization activities are taking place in many countries. Sharing expertise and resources among countries can boost progress in this area.
调查表明自由／开源软件本地化活动正在许多国家开展。在国家间分享技术和资源能加速这一地区的工作进程。
For message translation, a number of Asian language localization projects are underway. All of these projects are tracked in real time on the Internet. The following links provide the current status of some of these projects.
在信息翻译方面，许多亚洲语言本地化计划正在进行。所有这些计划都在因特网上被实时追踪。以下的链接提供了其中一些项目的当前情况。
As of June 2004, Japanese and Korean translators have already completed most of their initial work in FOSS localization. China is close behind, followed by India and the South-East Asian nations. The situation is highly fluid, however, and the above sites should be checked for detailed and updated information on the current status.
到2004年六月，日本和韩国的翻译人员已经完成了自由／开源软件本地化的大部分初始工作。中国紧随其后，后面则是印度和东南亚国家。但是本地化情况非常多变，需要访问上述网站获取关于现状的详细的更新信息。