Newby need program to manage php files
Thread poster: Laura Portolés
Laura Portolés
Laura Portolés
Spain
Italian to Spanish
+ ...
Dec 25, 2018

Good morning,
I am working on the translation of a website. My client has send me a .php file. He wants the resulting work back in another .php file.

I understand HTML language and can open the file and copy it in a Word in order to work on it with easily.

However, I wonder if there is a better application or program to work with .PHP files. I mean, some software (preferably free) which enables me to write over the text without seeing the code all the time.
... See more
Good morning,
I am working on the translation of a website. My client has send me a .php file. He wants the resulting work back in another .php file.

I understand HTML language and can open the file and copy it in a Word in order to work on it with easily.

However, I wonder if there is a better application or program to work with .PHP files. I mean, some software (preferably free) which enables me to write over the text without seeing the code all the time.

Happy season and thanks in advance for your help.

Laura
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Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 17:46
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Laura Dec 26, 2018

Laura Portolés wrote:
However, I wonder if there is a better application or program to work with .PHP files.


Unfortunately PHP is a very dexterous language and there isn't one single way of writing translatable content in a PHP file. This makes it almost impossible for CAT tools to come up with globally useful PHP filters. Some CAT tools do have PHP filters that can be used for PHP files from certain very specific projects, but using PHP filters for generic PHP files is always quite a gamble.


 
John Fossey
John Fossey  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 12:46
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
Notepad++ Dec 26, 2018

Notepad++ would be much better than Word. It is a text editor which will not introduce extraneous characters like Word will and it will display the php code with proper coloration, which will help you identify the strings to be translated.

Of course, you can't translate php in a CAT tool, as Samuel discussed above. You will have to have an understanding of what the php code is doing.


Hedwig Spitzer (X)
Luximar Arenas Petty
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 17:46
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Translators cannot be expected to have a wide range of specialist software Dec 28, 2018

I personally would ask the client to send me a file in a format I could work with, in Word, possibly a PDF.

I would simply explain that I am not a software expert, and I don't mess with that kind of file format. I work with agencies, who have their own IT and DTP departments, and they take care of the codes and whatever.

As a one-person business, you cannot always stretch over the required expertise in languages, specialist subject area(s) and whatever else it takes.... See more
I personally would ask the client to send me a file in a format I could work with, in Word, possibly a PDF.

I would simply explain that I am not a software expert, and I don't mess with that kind of file format. I work with agencies, who have their own IT and DTP departments, and they take care of the codes and whatever.

As a one-person business, you cannot always stretch over the required expertise in languages, specialist subject area(s) and whatever else it takes.

Some translators are interested in software, and can offer some services, and that is fine. In many cases, if you work with video, voice-over and subtitling, you will need to have special software, and of course, I have my CAT tool, which deals with a lot of formats when the client has prepared them for me.

But if you are working with codes and so on, you should charge for it! Special formats etc. are not covered in the ordinary rates per word or per thousand words or however you work them out!

It is not reasonable to expect to find free software to handle everything - just as it is not reasonable to find free translations everywhere. What are software developers supposed to live on, if they provide free software for every need? But on the other hand, you obviously cannot afford to buy new software for every project.
This is where clients have to cover the costs realistically, either by having the software themselves, or by paying for a software specialist who can help you.

Best of luck.

[Edited at 2018-12-28 12:45 GMT]
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Trevino Translations (X)
Laura Portolés
Jorge Payan
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 17:46
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@John Dec 28, 2018

John Fossey wrote:
Notepad++ would be much better than Word. It is a text editor which will not introduce extraneous characters like Word will, and it will display the php code with proper coloration, which will help you identify the strings to be translated.


1. MS Word does not introduce extraneous characters into an XML or HTML file if it is opened in MS Word as plain or encoded text. I always use MS Word when translating or editing XML or XML-like files. The secret lies in opening it as encoded text, not as XML. Although the advantage of opening an XML file (e.g. PHP) in a text editor that colourises the code is that it colourises the code, one thing such text editors lack is the ability to colourise text yourself and save the file with colourisation intact. For example, you can't highlight text in Notepad++, and even if you could, the highlight would disappear when you save the file.

2. I agree that using a text editor that colourises text can be an advantage to you if you choose to edit the XML text directly. Such text editors are sometimes called "programmer text editors" when you Google for them. Notepad++ is just one of them. However, they're not always useful. I took 5 different PHP files off of my computer and opened them in Notepad++ to show how Notepad++ colourises them. The colourisation mostly isn't useful.

php file in notepad++1



php file in notepad++2



php file in notepad++3



php file in notepad++4



php file in notepad++5



[Edited at 2018-12-28 12:02 GMT]


 
Laura Portolés
Laura Portolés
Spain
Italian to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Dec 28, 2018

Thank you all for your comments. It definitely comes that what I was looking for doesn't exist...

Christine, I have taken into account that issue when offering my budget, and I am able to manage the file -even if it isn't as comfortable as a simple Word document. I agree with your point that we can't be asked to handle everything. In this case, my first option was just using the basic Windows Notepad combined with Word.

Finally, I am using a free software: Araneae. I gu
... See more
Thank you all for your comments. It definitely comes that what I was looking for doesn't exist...

Christine, I have taken into account that issue when offering my budget, and I am able to manage the file -even if it isn't as comfortable as a simple Word document. I agree with your point that we can't be asked to handle everything. In this case, my first option was just using the basic Windows Notepad combined with Word.

Finally, I am using a free software: Araneae. I guess it's quite similar to Notepad++. It colours the code and separates code/wording in two columns, so it is easier to work on it. It is not was I was looking for, but I can manage it quite well.

Thanks!
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Newby need program to manage php files







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