Thank you for considering a translation contribution! Translations make the Apache HTTP Server documentation accessible to millions of non-English-speaking administrators worldwide.
Before you begin, please:
Check out the documentation source:
svn checkout https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/httpd/httpd/trunk/docs httpd-trunk-docs
Start your translations in trunk. Changes can be backported to the 2.4.x branch afterward.
Check the translation status to see what's already been translated and what's needed.
Pick an untranslated file — for example, suppose you want to translate
configuring.xml into Spanish.
Copy the English source file, adding your two-letter language code as a file extension:
cp configuring.xml configuring.xml.es
Open the new file in your editor and:
Set encoding to UTF-8. Ensure the first line reads:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
Mark the English revision. Replace $LastChangedRevision: with
English Revision: followed by the current revision number. This
helps future maintainers know when your translation was last synced.
Add translator credits at the top of the file:
<!-- Spanish translation: Your Name -->
<!-- Reviewed by: Reviewer Name -->
Translate the text content. Translate text within: <p>,
<title>, <description>, <name>, <compatibility>, <note>,
<li>, <dd>, and similar elements.
Leave code unchanged. Directives, configuration examples, and other literal code stay in English.
Keep lines within 80 characters where practical, so reviewers can read the files easily. (Exceptions for complex XML tags and languages without word spacing, like Chinese and Japanese.)
Send your completed file (or a patch) to docs@httpd.apache.org. A
committer will review it and add it to the repository. Over time, you
may gain commit access yourself.
Because the development team can't easily verify non-English content, we require that all translations be reviewed by another fluent speaker of the language before acceptance. Each commit message should name both the translator and the reviewer.
We encourage you to place credits in a comment at the top of the file:
<!-- =============================================
Translated by: Your Name <email>
Reviewed by: Reviewer Name <email>
============================================= -->
The build system tracks the SVN revision of the equivalent English version, so future translators know where to start updating.
Once your initial translation is committed, the ongoing work is keeping it up to date as the English source evolves. Here's a practical workflow for tracking changes and updating your translated files.
The English documentation changes over time — bugs get fixed, features get documented, examples get improved. As a translator, you need to:
Check out both active branches:
svn checkout https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/httpd/httpd/trunk/docs httpd-trunk
svn checkout https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/httpd/httpd/branches/2.4.x/docs httpd-2.4
The simplest way to see what's changed since a known revision is
svn diff between revisions. If you noted that you last synchronized
your translation at revision 1900000, you can see all changes since then:
svn log -r 1900000:HEAD docs/manual/mod/mod_rewrite.xml
svn diff -r 1900000:HEAD docs/manual/mod/mod_rewrite.xml
Tip: Note the current revision number each time you finish updating a translation. Add it as a comment at the top of your translated file:
<!-- English Revision: 1912345 -->
This makes it easy to check what's changed next time:
svn diff -r 1912345:HEAD docs/manual/mod/mod_rewrite.xml
With the diff output showing what changed in the English source, apply the equivalent changes to your translated file. Focus on:
Build the docs to confirm your XML is valid and the output looks right:
cd docs/manual/build
./build.sh validate-xml
./build.sh <your-language-code>
Open the generated HTML in a browser to review the final result.
Send your updated files as a patch:
svn diff > translation-update.patch
Email the patch to docs@httpd.apache.org, or attach it to a
Bugzilla ticket.
A few habits that make maintenance easier:
If you get stuck or have questions about translating or maintaining
translations, reach out to docs@httpd.apache.org. We're happy to help.