In these messages; #: ../rc.d/init.d/functions:270 msgid "Usage: status {program}\n" #: ../rc.d/init.d/rawdevices:77 msgid "Usage: rawdevice {start|stop|status|restart}\n" #: ../rc.d/init.d/random:56 msgid "Usage: %s {start|stop|status|restart|reload}\n" #: ../rc.d/init.d/netfs:108 msgid "Usage: %s {start|stop|restart|reload|status}\n" #: ../rc.d/init.d/network:200 msgid "Usage: %s {start|stop|restart|reload|status|probe}\n" #: squid.init:130 msgid "Usage: %s {start|stop|status|reload|restart|condrestart}\n" #: am-utils.init:92 msgid "Usage: %s {start|stop|restart|reload|condrestart|status}\n" #: syslog.init:82 msgid "Usage: syslog {start|stop|status|restart|condrestart}" the name of the script to run should of course not be translated. i think it is safe to replace the name of the scripts here with %s, like is done in some of these. Also, the program options in these messages should not be altered in translations, so they could get replaced with %s too: "Usage: %s %s" Please also note that the ordering of the options is inconsistent, and also the use of \n. Sorry if I'm nit-picky. However, when there is a parameter with a symbolic name, it really should be left for translation: #: ../rc.d/init.d/functions:172 msgid "Usage: killproc {program} [signal]\n" could be "Usage: %s %s [signal]\n" Everything is of course IMHO, and I can of course be wrong about my proposed scheme fitting other languages. But I think it will work and help whenever initscripts is updated and a new option "foo" is added to the syntax to a script, for example.
Um, you can't translate a function name (well, you *can*, it would just be nonsensical.) As for the various messages, please see resolution to previous bug report. *** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 24068 ***
> Um, you can't translate a function name (well, you *can*, it would just be nonsensical.) That's exactly what I meant. Including a function name in a message marked for translation is unnecessary, it can be made more elegant with %s. Function names and file names are two of the rare exceptions to the rule "never use substitution in messages". I will split up this bug.
See bug 24085, bug 24086, bug 24087, and bug 24088.