PHPBB2: A Tapestry of World Languages

By:Matthew C. Keegan

Several of my related articles about PHPBB2, the open source program that helps webmasters create and maintain internet forums, touched on many of the technical aspects of the program. What you may not know is that PHPBB2 has a worldwide audience with the potential to reach more than half of the world’s population in their native language. Chalk it up to a combination of expert programmers and wonderful translators who have made this feat a reality. Without their hard work, the software’s reach would be quite limited. Let’s take a look at how translators have expanded PHPBB2 to the far corners of our world.

As with any software program, expanding it beyond one’s native language presents its own special challenges. Not only must you write the code correctly, but you must translate it into various world languages, many of which are distinctly different from others.

I am impressed by PHPBB2 as it has expanded the reach of forums well beyond English and Western speaking countries to Asia, Africa, and South America. Indeed, not a continent is not represented save for Antarctica. Then again, if penguins knew how to communicate on our level I am sure a program would be made up especially for them!

So, exactly who is represented? I am glad that you asked! The following is a complete list of 60…count ‘em 60 languages:

Afrikaans; Albanian; Arabic; Asturina; Azerbaijani; Basque; Bosnian; Breton; Bulgarian; Catalan; Chinese [simplified and traditional]; Croatian; Czech; Danish; Dutch; Esperanto; Estonian; Farsi; Finnish; French; Galician; German [simplified and formal]; Greek, Hebrew; Hungarian; Icelandic; Indonesian; Italian; Japanese; Korean; Kurdish; Lithuanian; Macedonian; Mongolian; Norwegian [2 dialects]; Polish; Portuguese [2 dialects]; Romanian; Russian [2 dialects]; Sakha; Serbian [2 dialects]; Slovakian; Slovenian; Spanish [2 dialects]; Swedish; Tatarish; Thai; Uighur; Ukrainian; Vietnamese; and Welsh. Yes, English is also one of the programs!

If you are one who favors international goodwill than you can appreciate as much as I do the many and varied languages as well as cultures represented because of PHPBB2. To further the software’s reach, PHPBB encourages the creation of additional translations. A knowledge base to help translators out in their quest is listed right online.

As I mentioned elsewhere, PHPBB2 is a free program one that virtually anyone around our wonderful planet can access and translate into their own language provided they have a computer and internet access. One has to think that this bit of goodwill can go very far. Let’s hope so…our world needs every bit of it!

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: PHPBB, MySQL, vBulletin, EZBoard, Invision Board, IkonBoard, message boards, forums, online chatrooms

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Copyright 2005 -- Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics including: advocacy, automobiles, aviation, business, Christian themes, family, news, product reviews, travel, writing, and more. Samples from his portfolio are available right online.

Top Forums Articles
1). PHPBB: You Can Simplify the Set Up Process! By : Matthew C. Keegan In several previous articles I mentioned my having downloaded and installed the fantastic PHPBB open source forum. I shared with readers the lengthy and tedious process of selecting the right mirror, downloading the files to my computer, and following all the long, drawn out, and complicated set up steps. Fortunately, what was once a procedure that took the better part of a day can now take 30 minutes or less to complete! Let’s take a look how you can shorten the entire set up process and start benefiting from this free, popular program.
2). You Can Double Your Website Traffic And Sales Using Relationalship Forum Marketing By : Peter Lim Do you need more traffic to your web site, and more sales? If you do, then you need to consider an often neglected side of web site promotion which is called forum marketing. Most web sites make use of forums to provide the element of response from user to owner and vice versa. These forums take many forms, and include the standard forums, discussion boards, bulletin boards and currently blogs where the visitors to the web site can leave their comments on the site.
3). Forum Posters for Hire By : Robert Palmer There will be a day when forum posting is not only just fun for people, but also profitable. Profitable for both the forum posters and the forum owners who hire them. Paid forum posting is nothing new, but it just hasn't really caught on in a way that I think it will someday. Many forum posters are loyal to their own forums and simply post there because they enjoy the community and the level of quality that the forum draws.
4). Web 2.0 tag based forum By : SOL Web 2.0 generally refers to a second generation of services available on the World Wide Web that lets people collaborate and share information online. Web 2.0 application often use a combination of techniques devised in the late 1990s, including public web service APIs, Ajax and web syndication. They often allow for mass publishing (web-based social software).
5). How can I monetize my forum and start making money with it? By : Robert Palmer New forums are popping up around the net all the time, adding to the thousands of forums on out there already. Many of them will never make it past a few months; some of them become pillars of the ever growing internet community. What makes the difference you ask? The following concepts will explore why some forums become successful and how to turn the success into cash.
6). Why Do Some Websites Have Message Boards? By : Lorraine Weston Remember when email seemed so quick and convenient? You could share your thoughts with a friend or group of friends within a period of a few minutes. Then the technology of instant messaging was developed, and with it, message boards. Website builders quickly picked up on the use of message boards, seeing how these boards allowed instant communication between everyone viewing their website.
7). The Power of Online Discussion Board Advertising By : brian Posting messages on online discussion boards is a great way to get free advertising. When you post a message include your signature file at the end. Your signature file should be no more than 5 to 6 lines. Include an attention-getting sentence why they should visit your web site or e-mail your auto responder.
8). Web Site Promotion Secret Revealed By : Art Luff You've finished building your web site. Now there's all that invaluable traffic, just waiting to beat a path to your site. You've dotted all your i's, crossed all your t's and followed the standard to get the word out. You wear a path out in your carpet pacing back and forth, In between your pacing you check your server logs, hoping for a sudden increase in visitors.
9). Give Me a One,Two,Three, and a Forum - Online Forum Etiquette By : Stephen Wright It seems that every other article or guru tip you read extolls the benefit of one program or another as the absolute best way to enhance your internet marketing business. In reality, there are many ways to boost your business online - writing articles, search engine optimization, acquiring incoming links - the list goes on and on. But what about online.
10). Online US & Canada Shopping Forum By : Julia Udovenko I believe I won’t be alone when I say that shopping take time, especially when making major purchases or trying to buy rare items. Shoppers like me do as much research as they can on the item of interest, to buy the best one available at the lowest possible price. I usually do my research on the item first, reading customer reviews, and then I look for the stores that offer the best price, after that comes the time to do my research on those stores and that’s where it gets complicated.

New Forums Articles
1). Forum Posters for Hire By : Robert Palmer There will be a day when forum posting is not only just fun for people, but also profitable. Profitable for both the forum posters and the forum owners who hire them. Paid forum posting is nothing new, but it just hasn't really caught on in a way that I think it will someday. Many forum posters are loyal to their own forums and simply post there because they enjoy the community and the level of quality that the forum draws.
2). Selling Yourself on Forums By : Weblaunch Because of the anonymous nature of the internet people are generally more skeptical when it comes to doing business online. Owing partly to famous internet scams sensationalized by the media and to bad personal experiences online, people are less likely to trust a party whom they've never met in person. As an online marketer, you face the challenge of building trust and loyalty without the benefit of a physical handshake, a face-to-face meeting, or even a smile.
3). Online US & Canada Shopping Forum By : Julia Udovenko I believe I won’t be alone when I say that shopping take time, especially when making major purchases or trying to buy rare items. Shoppers like me do as much research as they can on the item of interest, to buy the best one available at the lowest possible price. I usually do my research on the item first, reading customer reviews, and then I look for the stores that offer the best price, after that comes the time to do my research on those stores and that’s where it gets complicated.
4). Web 2.0 tag based forum By : SOL Web 2.0 generally refers to a second generation of services available on the World Wide Web that lets people collaborate and share information online. Web 2.0 application often use a combination of techniques devised in the late 1990s, including public web service APIs, Ajax and web syndication. They often allow for mass publishing (web-based social software).
5). Using forum posting to drive traffic By : Bright Johnson Post relevant information to forums and genuinely contribute to discussions. And have your signature along so that your link will be there. When you visit sites with guestbook, forums, or blogs make posting leaving your link behind. And people will click it and find your site and shop. Go to http://www.big-boards.com for a list of forums. But all the forums are yelling, “Don’t abuse forum rules!” What are forum rules? They don’t want you to post a link, even if it offers help.
6). How to Become a Successful Freelancer Designer on the Contest Forums! By : Kevin M. Sugrue Do you want to know the best method to become successful as a Freelance Web, Logo & Template Designer? This article will help you save hours hunting around for the best forums and techniques to succeed! There is no better way of improving your skills, getting recognised and building up ideas than to compete in the Graphic Design Forums. With so many different contest forums on the web it is difficult to pick out the ones that are best suited to for you.
7). 7 Reasons Why You Should Join A Forum Today By : Deanna Mascle Human beings are social by nature, and online communities or forums are the latest in a long progression of social organizations created by humankind. While many people join forums specifically for the social benefits, there are several good reasons for Internet entrepreneurs to join an online forum. Here are the top seven benefits you and your online business can reap.
8). How can I monetize my forum and start making money with it? By : Robert Palmer New forums are popping up around the net all the time, adding to the thousands of forums on out there already. Many of them will never make it past a few months; some of them become pillars of the ever growing internet community. What makes the difference you ask? The following concepts will explore why some forums become successful and how to turn the success into cash.
9). Why Do Some Websites Have Message Boards? By : Lorraine Weston Remember when email seemed so quick and convenient? You could share your thoughts with a friend or group of friends within a period of a few minutes. Then the technology of instant messaging was developed, and with it, message boards. Website builders quickly picked up on the use of message boards, seeing how these boards allowed instant communication between everyone viewing their website.
10). Secrets of Free Forums on the Web Exposed By : Geoff Morris Copyright 2006 Geoff Morris To many of us, web forums are a bit of a facility only to be used by experienced technical whiz-kids. OK, some of them may well be run by computer 'geeks' in their spare time, but I tell you, these guys are so clever, they can actually make the operation of a free forum quite simple for the likes of you and me to operate.