Introduction
Hello, as you may have noticed, I’m Sebastián Méndez, a Computer Systems Engineering student at Fidélitas University in Costa Rica. I’m happy to share my final report for the WPCredits course. This report summarizes my contributions to the Polyglots team and my experience working on my first open-source projects.
Teams and Projects I Contributed To
I contributed to the Polyglots team, specifically working on the Costa Rican Spanish locale, es_CR. My job was to translate the Astra theme, one of the most installed themes in the WordPress repository.
Learning Resources
I started by reading the section of the Polyglots Manual on how to translate, which explains the rules for variables, HTML tags, and tonal consistency. I also relied on the WPCredits course guides provided by Fidélitas University and the translate.wordpress.org interface itself, which includes references and discussion threads for each string.
Challenges and Solutions
One of the main challenges was managing strings with variables and HTML tags, such as “Updated transparent header settings: %s.” or strings between tags. I solved this by carefully comparing the structure of the original string with my translation before submitting it, ensuring that no variables or tags were modified.
My Contributions
You can check my contributions directly on my public profile: profiles.wordpress.org/smendez09.
By the end of this course, I had submitted over 100 text strings, including suggestions and translations, exceeding my initial goal, and I earned the Translation Contributor badge on the Polyglots team.
Key Takeaways from WPCredits
WPCredits taught me that contributing to open source comes in many forms, beyond just writing code. I learned to:
- Use translate.wordpress.org and follow the Polyglots translation workflow, from suggestion to approval.
Managing technical limitations in translation, such as variables and HTML tags.
Clearly documenting a technical process through written reflections.
I also connected with the global WordPress community through the #wpcredits and #polyglots channels on the Make WordPress Slack, which allowed me to observe how volunteers from around the world coordinate to keep WordPress available in all languages.
New Skills Gained
Interpersonal skills: written communication in a global and asynchronous community, attention to detail, and consistency in long-term documentation through my journal entries.
Personal Reflections and Next Steps
Seeing my username associated with real translations that will be used by people in my country gave this project a sense of purpose and meaning to my contributions. I felt like I was contributing to something positive, being part of a huge community. In the future, I plan to continue contributing.
Leave a Reply