Re: Divergences between ubuntu-l10n and gnome-i18n regarding en_GB

[Alex Hudson <home alexhudson com>]

On Wed, 2006-09-13 at 20:45 +0100, Thomas Wood wrote:
> Personally I think "Deleted Items" is a bad translation of "Trash". As 
> pointed out, "Trash" is used to refer to a container, where as "Deleted 
> Items" refers to contents. If the developers had wanted it to be called 
> it "Deleted Items", then they would have done. The en_GB translation 
> should not be changing the meanings of words, but simply replacing 
> Americanisms with more English equivalents.

To play Devil's Advocate slightly, a translation should be more than
just "the equivalent word": if the alternatives aren't as good, a much
less similar term could be used if it was spiritually closer.

While I don't like "Trash"; "Dustbin", "Rubbish", "Waste" etc. I think
are actually worse - they're kinda "dirty" words. Microsoft used
"Recycle bin" which doesn't have the muck connotation, but isn't quite
so clear a term (presumably for both all English OSes?).

It may be that "Trash" isn't so great a term to begin with - "Empty
Trash" is kinda stretching the metaphor. If you delete the wrong file
you have to go dumpster diving? Meh, as they say over there. I think
there could be better names given to it.

Cheers,

Alex.