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Adding a translation to a new language

Files you need to change

  • libretro-common/include/libretro.h
  • msg_hash.h
  • msg_hash.c
  • Makefile.common
  • intl/msg_hash_xx.c (new file)
  • intl/msg_hash_xx.h (new file)
  • intl/msg_hash_us.h
  • menu/menu_setting.c
  • griffin/griffin.c
  • retroarch.c

Instructions

  1. Open libretro-common/include/libretro.h
  2. Add a RETRO_LANGUAGE_XXXXX item to the retro_language enum just above RETRO_LANGUAGE_LAST, using the next available integer value
  3. Open msg_hash.h
  4. Add a MENU_ENUM_LABEL_VALUE_LANG_XXXXX item to the msg_hash_enums enum
  5. Add declaration of a const char *msg_hash_to_str_xx(enum msg_hash_enums msg) function
  6. Add declaration of a int menu_hash_get_help_xx_enum(enum msg_hash_enums msg, char *s, size_t len) function
  7. Open msg_hash.c
  8. Add a
    case RETRO_LANGUAGE_XXXXX:
    ret = menu_hash_get_help_xx_enum(msg, s, len);
    break;

    block inside the menu_hash_get_help_enum() function
  9. Add a
    case RETRO_LANGUAGE_XXXXX:
    ret = msg_hash_to_str_xx(msg);
    break;

    block inside the msg_hash_to_str() function
  10. Open Makefile.common
  11. Add intl/msg_hash_xx.o to OBJS
  12. Copy intl/msg_hash_us.c to intl/msg_hash_xx.c
  13. Decide if intl/msg_hash_xx.c should use UTF-8 + BOM encoding. See the section below
  14. Open intl/msg_hash_xx.c
  15. Rename the menu_hash_get_help_us_enum() function to menu_hash_get_help_xx_enum()
  16. Rename the menu_hash_to_str_us_label_enum() function to menu_hash_to_str_xx_label_enum()
  17. Rename the menu_hash_to_str_us() function to msg_hash_to_str_xx() and, inside that same function:
    • Replace the call to menu_hash_to_str_us_label_enum() with a call to menu_hash_to_str_xx_label_enum()
    • Replace the #include "msg_hash_us.h" line with #include "msg_hash_xx.h"
  18. Open intl/msg_hash_us.h
  19. Add a
    MSG_HASH(MENU_ENUM_LABEL_VALUE_LANG_XXXXX, "Xxxxx")

    block with the name of the new language written in English
  20. Copy intl/msg_hash_us.h to intl/msg_hash_xx.h
  21. Decide if intl/msg_hash_xx.h should use UTF-8 + BOM encoding. See the section below
  22. Open intl/msg_hash_xx.h
  23. Make sure to modify the
    MSG_HASH(MENU_ENUM_LABEL_VALUE_LANG_XXXXX, "Xxxxx")

    block to show the name of the new language written in the target language
  24. Open menu/menu_setting.c
  25. Add a
    modes[RETRO_LANGUAGE_XXXXX] = msg_hash_to_str(MENU_ENUM_LABEL_VALUE_LANG_XXXXX);

    assignment to the setting_get_string_representation_uint_user_language() function
  26. Open griffin/griffin.c
  27. Add a #include "../intl/msg_hash_xx.c" line below the existing, similar
    ones for other languages.
  28. Open retroarch.c
  29. Add you language for the first startup in enum retro_language rarch_get_language_from_iso(const char *iso639)
    {"XX", RETRO_LANGUAGE_XXXXX},

Encoding of translation files

  • Translation files (intl/msg_hash_xx.{c,h}) in general must be UTF-8 encoded

  • For some languages, these files need to have a "UTF-8 Unicode (with BOM)"
    encoding, this is, UTF-8 and a
    BOM. AFAIK this is so
    because a requirement of the MSVC compilers (Windows platform). Examples of
    this as of now are:

    • msg_hash_ar.{c,h}
    • msg_hash_chs.{c,h}
    • msg_hash_cht.{c,h}
    • msg_hash_ja.{c,h}
    • msg_hash_ko.{c,h}
    • msg_hash_pl.{c,h}
    • msg_hash_ru.{c,h}
    • msg_hash_vn.h

  • Be careful when creating and editing your new translation files as some text
    editors do strip the BOM without warning.

Translation

If you speak the target language xx then you could start translating literals in

  • intl/msg_hash_xx.c
  • intl/msg_hash_xx.h

by replacing the English original ones with its translations.

Example: Addition of Arabic language:

See also

Last update: 2021-08-07
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