• Katana314@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Where this really sucks is in programming when you write things like “The {{objectType}}” in your translations file.

    Your program will replace objectType with the actual thing, so “The Ball”. All good, right? But then every other language has the weird conjugation, so “El Bola” doesn’t make sense anymore…

      • tiredofsametab@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Some languages also consider different numbers in different way. I have one ball, two balls, and zero balls. Zero might not be plural like in English. Also, some language have a dual distinction that changes thing when there are two of something (not just singular and plural, but singular, dual, and plural).

        • ArbitraryValue
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          1 year ago

          In Russian, numbers ending in one are singular, except for eleven which is plural.

          • drathvedro@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            It’s even more complicated with two plural declensions except for all numbers in 10-20 range having second form

            0 мячей

            1 мяч

            2 мяча, 3 мяча, 4 мяча

            5 мячей, 6 мячей, 7 мячей, 8 мячей, 9 мячей, 10 мячей,

            11 мячей, 12 мячей, 13 мячей, 14 мячей, 15 мячей, 16 мячей, 17 мячей, 18 мячей, 19 мячей, 20 мячей

            21 мяч

            22 мяча, 23 мяча, 24 мяча,

            25 мячей, 26 мячей, 27 мячей, 28 мячей, 29 мячей, 30 мячей,

            … the rest goes the same as 0-10/20-30…

        • zaphod@feddit.de
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          1 year ago

          English has inconsistent plurals too, one sheep, two sheep, zero sheep, one goose, two geese,…

    • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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      1 year ago

      El Bola sounds like a very racist super villain too! Probably not what most customers are looking for in a translation…

    • nodiet@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      although a bit clunky, writing “the {{objectType}} object” would get around this particular issue.

    • BigNote@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      If by “every other language” you mean "a handful of Indo-European languages, then sure.