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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 1997 19:38:56 +0100
From: Martin Schroeder <ms@DREAM.HB.NORTH.DE>
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To: Multiple recipients of list LATEX-L <LATEX-L@RELAY.URZ.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE>
Subject: Re: NLS for (La)TeX
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In <199702172248.WAA10364@vummath.ma.man.ac.uk> David Carlisle <carlisle@MA.MAN.AC.UK> writes:
>  Zu volle \hbox (0.7029mm zu breit) im Absatz in den Zeilen 140--140
>            ^^^^^

>Does it really help to translate the error messages if command names
>are still based on english as in horizontal box here?

If the goal is to broaden the audience of (La)TeX, then it will surely
help. What would also help is to translate the measurements output by
TeX; but this task has already been adressed to the NTS Team.

>This is a straight question, I do not mean to imply that it should
>not help, it is rather hard to tell if your first language is english
>anyway.

Thanks :-) -- my first language is german.

>It probably does not make sense to start translating command names
>from pseudo-english to pseudo-german as where would it end, every
>contributed package needing to be customised for every language?

Command names should not be translated. But a program should be as
user-friendly as feasible. And not all people who use computers speak
english well...

I propose something like
        \interactivelanguage{<language>}
with which the user could at least _request_ a language to be spoken with.
If a package honors this request -- that is the concern of the author of
the package. :-)

Best regards
        Martin

--
               Martin Schr"oder, MS@Dream.HB.North.DE
The juvenile sea squirt wanders through the sea searching for a
suitable rock or hunk of coral to cling to and make its home for
life.  For this task, it has a rudimentary nervous system.  When it
finds its spot and takes root, it doesn't need its brain anymore,
so it eats it!  (It's rather like getting tenure.)
        - Daniel C Dennett, "Consciousness Explained", p177