README for gElemental translators
=================================

gElemental is a periodic table viewer with detailed information on elements.
Due to its technical content, some special considerations are required for
translation.

Argument references
-------------------

gElemental uses references such as "%1" and "%2" instead of the usual "%s",
"%d", etc. A sequential number represents each argument. No conversion
specifiers are needed.

Non-ASCII characters
--------------------

Some have been replaced with XML entities, such as "&#233;" for "é". Others have
been replaced with words, such as " deg. " for "°". Both types should be
replaced with their Unicode equivalents in translations.

Name
----

An official English name recommended by IUPAC. Should be translated to the name
most commonly used in scientific contexts in your locale. If different, the
official name will be presented untranslated in a second entry.

Alternate name
--------------

A second English name recognised by IUPAC. Not available for translation. Will
not be presented if equal to the translated primary name.

Discovery, Discovered by
------------------------

Forward slashes indicate simultaneous, unrelated discoveries. Commas indicate
multiple people and/or places in collaboration. Discoverers' names are only
available for translation where they include words or where XML entities in the
original might be replaced with local characters.

Etymology
---------

Provided for both the official name and the alternate name, if any. The general
format in English is "Language: word (meaning)". Unrelated etymologies are
separated by semicolons, and related ones by commas. Origin words should be
transliterated, if needed, but not translated. The following arrangement is
recommended:

	* If the translated and official names share the same origin, the
		translated message should be in the same order.

	* If the translated and alternate names share the same origin, the order
		of the two etymologies should be reversed.

	* If the translated name has a different etymology, its information may
		be prepended to the existing etymologies.
