Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:47:31 +0200 From: Manolis Kiagias <sonic2000gr@gmail.com> To: Tom Rhodes <trhodes@FreeBSD.org> Cc: pgj@FreeBSD.org, doc@FreeBSD.org, gabor@kovesdan.org, keramida@FreeBSD.org, remko@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: A patch for the 'geom' chapter Message-ID: <492B12E3.3000109@gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <20081124153358.7a539e67.trhodes@FreeBSD.org> References: <492AE607.4020208@gmail.com> <20081124135107.06a8af26.trhodes@FreeBSD.org> <87abbp3q5o.fsf@kobe.laptop> <492B01C4.6090707@gmail.com> <e890cae60811241157p520238a2k4403f13cf340e403@mail.gmail.com> <20081124153358.7a539e67.trhodes@FreeBSD.org>
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Tom Rhodes wrote: > While true, it does have a few flaws, including it can make > incorrect assumptions about the reader's sex This will not happen in Greek, when the reader is addressed in 'courtesy' plural (or whatever this may be called in English, which simply does not have this 'feature' ;) ) On the other hand I've seen Greek translations (in fact I just saw a few in some Linux project today) addressing the reader in *first* person, which is absolutely horrible. > , environment, > etc. and adds a little less professionalism. > > So I try to write all my documentation carefully to avoid > addressing the reader. Sometimes it would be easier, but that > doesn't really make it right. > True, the English version of the Handbook is mostly using passive voice, and for the most part it is not a problem > In translations, though, I think it should be up to the initial > teams. It could be very different for languages which I > do not speak, whether passive voice is incorrect. :) > > As Giorgos just said, passive voice in Greek can sound 'slightly bad'. Some verbs are simply not meant to be used passively and often whole sentences sound weird when attempting to keep the original's passive voice. I've come to recognize these and switch them. And yes, it is not difficult after so many thousand lines of translations ;)
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