docs: improve translation visibility and lower barrier to entry #7034

Abhi-d-gr8 · 2026-02-03T22:54:02Z

This PR addresses #7006 by improving documentation to encourage translation contributions.

Changes

README.md: Added Weblate translation status badge and highlighted translations in Contributing section
CONTRIBUTING.md: Added dedicated Translations section with step-by-step guide for beginners
locale/README.md: Completely rewritten to be welcoming and beginner-friendly, with technical details separated for developers

Motivation

Translation activity has been minimal except for French and Swedish. These changes aim to:

Make translations more visible to potential contributors
Lower the barrier to entry by emphasizing "no coding required"
Provide clear, friendly onboarding instructions
Highlight contributor recognition

Add Weblate badge, dedicated Translations section in CONTRIBUTING.md, and rewrite locale/README.md to be beginner-friendly. Addresses OSGeo#7006

Abhi-d-gr8 · 2026-02-03T23:51:53Z

Apologies for the inconvenience @echoix . I accidentally included commits from another branch (I guess during the compare and pull request). I have force-pushed to clean it up, and the PR now only contains the relevant documentation changes.

echoix · 2026-02-04T00:48:53Z

I didn't post any review comments yet, so it really doesn't matter. I didn't have time to read either

echoix

Overall I like the tone, it is positive and convincing, almost like an advertisement ;)

The readme in locale/ folder still contains the needed older info, and updated, except for some few points which were not true anymore before this change, and needs to be true now

If someone else wants to read after that to see how it fits with our other guidelines, the greater picture, I'd appreciate, but once the little points addressed, I plan on having this merged anyways, it's really close

echoix · 2026-02-04T01:05:05Z

locale/README.md

@@ -1,24 +1,36 @@
-# HOWTO translate GRASS GIS messages
+# Contributing to GRASS GIS Translations


Suggested change

# Contributing to GRASS GIS Translations

# Contributing to GRASS Translations

In 8.5, and since somewhere in spring, GRASS GIS was renamed, or rebranded as GRASS; it isn't only a GIS

echoix · 2026-02-04T01:05:25Z

locale/README.md

+# Contributing to GRASS GIS Translations

-## Where to translate user message
+**Welcome!** Thank you for your interest in helping translate GRASS GIS.


Suggested change

**Welcome!** Thank you for your interest in helping translate GRASS GIS.

**Welcome!** Thank you for your interest in helping translate GRASS.

echoix · 2026-02-04T01:10:32Z

locale/README.md

+- Email the development mailing list at `grass-dev@lists.osgeo.org`
+  ([subscribe here](https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/grass-dev))


The discourse subsection grass developers replaced the grass-dev mailing list. All the content was migrated to there.

echoix · 2026-02-04T01:13:14Z

locale/README.md

+### Quick start

-**Please help us translate all the GRASS messages!!**
+1. **Create an account** at [OSGeo Weblate](https://weblate.osgeo.org/)


Validate with your experience on if it is enough or the correct steps. When going in private navigation, I don't see a way to create the account on the Weblate sign in page, on my phone anyways.

Adding the additional one step of making OSGeo User ID first

echoix · 2026-02-04T01:16:28Z

CONTRIBUTING.md

+
+Translations are automatically submitted to the GRASS repository as pull requests.
+For help or questions, join the
+[GRASS development community on Discourse](https://discourse.osgeo.org/c/grass/developer/61)


@petrasovaa wasn't there an old translation mailing list? Should we migrate it too? Just thinking about it, as we're linking to the grass-dev list equivalent on discourse.

Oh, good catch, it even has posts from 2025!

https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/grass-translations/

The trend was to replace these with user or dev discussions, but I one can make an argument for a separate list.

Hm, I need to checks with PSC again, but I think we are moving away from it, so I wouldn't add it here.

CONTRIBUTING.md

Abhi-d-gr8 · 2026-02-04T01:51:09Z

I'm glad you liked the tone @echoix , so should I commit the suggestions you made , or should I wait for others to give their opinions or anything you want me to do ...

echoix · 2026-02-04T01:54:31Z

The ones you know, make them, but maybe there will be nothing to change after that

…ing list

petrasovaa · 2026-02-06T04:18:35Z

CONTRIBUTING.md

 You can also report issues, plan new features,
 or explore <https://grass.osgeo.org/get-involved/>.

+## Translations


I would move this after AI policy. And I would shorten it, it should mainly point to the locale/README. So e.g. you don't need here getting started and the "why translate" seems excessive (and too obviously AI-generated).

Sure, I had asked for suggestions for the same but I do get it from your perspective , doing the changes ...

README.md

locale/README.md

Abhi-d-gr8 mentioned this pull request Feb 3, 2026

[Feat] Incite collaborators to participate translations in their languages #7006

Open

github-actions bot added vector Related to vector data processing Python Related code is in Python C Related code is in C translation Message translation related module docs markdown Related to markdown, markdown files tests Related to Test Suite CMake labels Feb 3, 2026

docs: improve translation visibility and lower barrier to entry

e11fc32

Add Weblate badge, dedicated Translations section in CONTRIBUTING.md, and rewrite locale/README.md to be beginner-friendly. Addresses OSGeo#7006

Abhi-d-gr8 force-pushed the feat/7006-translations-visibility branch from 0a95f6b to e11fc32 Compare February 3, 2026 23:48

echoix reviewed Feb 4, 2026

View reviewed changes

Apply review suggestions: rebrand to GRASS and remove deprecated mail…

98ca4af

…ing list

petrasovaa reviewed Feb 6, 2026

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petrasovaa reviewed Feb 6, 2026

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Abhi-d-gr8 and others added 2 commits February 11, 2026 03:10

docs: address review feedback on translation docs

b361e3a

Merge branch 'main' into feat/7006-translations-visibility

589ed90

		@@ -1,24 +1,36 @@
		# HOWTO translate GRASS GIS messages
		# Contributing to GRASS GIS Translations

	# Contributing to GRASS GIS Translations
	# Contributing to GRASS Translations

	Welcome! Thank you for your interest in helping translate GRASS GIS.
	Welcome! Thank you for your interest in helping translate GRASS.

		- Email the development mailing list at `grass-dev@lists.osgeo.org`
		([subscribe here](https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/grass-dev))

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docs: improve translation visibility and lower barrier to entry #7034

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Abhi-d-gr8 commented Feb 3, 2026

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echoix commented Feb 4, 2026

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Abhi-d-gr8 commented Feb 4, 2026

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