The actual initial creation of a new language pack is just the first step in the process of building a language pack (see How to Create a Language Pack). Once it has been created, there are various tasks that need to be done, to make it function properly and well. However, Family Historian will make the job simpler by creating a skeleton version of the translation tables and other items you will need in your language pack, to get you started. As part of this process, Family Historian will create language variants of all the standard text schemes for diagrams. That does not mean that diagrams are automatically translated. Dates, for example, are displayed in text schemes, but are translated as part of a separate process. So creating language variants for text schemes does not, on its own, mean that dates will be translated when displayed in diagrams using your new language pack. Nevertheless, creating language variants of text schemes is a process that can be automated, and is consequently worth doing at this stage, as it significantly reduces the amount of work that needs to be done. Bear in mind that you will be able to modify these language variants, at a later stage, if you want to and need to - in exactly the same way you can modify ordinary text schemes now (in the Text tab of Diagram Options).
In order for Family Historian to be able to create the language variants of text schemes, it needs you to do a little translating first. The tasks are described in the section below.
When you have finished translating all the items in the list (and have decided what to do about Place Prepositions), click the button to finish. You have now created a skeleton, initial version of a language pack. There is much more that needs to be done, however, before your language pack will be complete. See How to Create a Language Pack for details.
In various text schemes, in English, Text will be output that describes each person's birth, marriage, death, and other details. Frequently these descriptions specify both the date and place of the event. In English, the place is usually preceded by a preposition, like this:
Born: 12 June 1980 in Manchester, England
The preposition is the word 'in', which separates the date from the place information (it doesn't appear at all if there is only a place and no date).
If you were creating a German language pack, you might decide to specify the same word 'in' as the place preposition. This is because it just so happens that the same word is used in German, in much the same way that it is used in English.
In French it is more problematic. Depending on the place, you might want to use 'à', 'en', 'au', or even 'aux'. French uses different prepositions for different places. For this reason, we would recommend that you don't use a preposition at all for French. If you leave it blank, Family Historian will simply use a comma to separate a date from a place in diagrams (more complex solutions are possible, and may be needed, in reports - but that is handled separately).
So, depending on the language of your language pack, you may wish to provide a place preposition or not. If in doubt, we recommend that you leave it blank.
As well as the place preposition, you are encouraged to provide translations for the listed text items. Some of these items of text will be used as labels. Do not assume that you necessarily need to interpret them literally. For example, how should you translate the word 'Born'? This will be used as a label in diagram text schemes. We have already seen an example that uses it:
Born: 12 June 1980 in Manchester, England
If you were translating this into French, you might think that the word to use would be 'Né'. And that is a possibility. But is it the most appropriate word to use in equivalent circumstances in French? For one thing, 'Né' is the masculine form. For women, the equivalent would be ''Née'. Perhaps a better solution would be to use 'Naissance', even though strictly-speaking, that is the translation of the noun 'Birth' rather than the past-participle 'Born'. Whatever strategy you adopt, try to be consistent.
To translate the items in the list, select each item in turn and fill in the appropriate value in the Translation field at the bottom. To make life easier, you can use the button to step quickly forwards through the list (or press the button to move back). Easier still is to press F3 after each translation, to move on to the next.