Hi Yoseph,
sorry, I'm out of my depths then, please ask devs in the development chat channel.
Maren
Am 02.07.26 um 19:54 schrieb ዮሴፍ ፈለቀ:
Thank you for the link to the master branch pipeline.
I downloaded the inkscape:windows:7z build from that pipeline and extracted it. I verified that the file structure is correct: inside the extracted folder under share/locale/am/LC_MESSAGES/, the compiled inkscape.mo file is present.
However, when launching the software using Run Inkscape!.bat and navigating to Edit > Preferences > Interface, Amharic (am) is still completely missing from the language dropdown list.
Yoseph
On Thu, Jul 2, 2026, 7:59 PM Maren Hachmann maren@goos-habermann.de wrote:
Hi Yoseph,
you don't need to go through the inkscape.org website to download current development builds. They are created on Gitlab anyway.
You can find the last successful builds off the master branch (as of now) linked from here:
https://gitlab.com/inkscape/inkscape/-/pipelines/2646960039
Maren
Am 02.07.26 um 18:53 schrieb ዮሴፍ ፈለቀ:
Hi Maren,
I saw that the repository updated a day ago—thank you for pushing the
fix
through!
I'm ready to download the new build and test out the Amharic translation files locally, but it looks like the main Inkscape website is currently down or not working for me, so I haven't been able to grab the installer yet.
Once the site is back up and I can get the latest daily build
downloaded,
I'll drop the files in and let you know if everything loads correctly.
Yoseph
On Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 8:16 PM Maren Hachmann maren@goos-habermann.de wrote:
Hi Yoseph,
nice, thanks!
I've updated the LINGUAS file. It will take a bit until it arrives in the main repository, though. Theoretically, the translation files are updated once per week by an automated script, however, the last time the 'translations-weekly' job has run must have been a month ago, so the automation seems to have failed multiple times in a row.
You need to wait until the line at https://gitlab.com/inkscape/inkscape/-/tree/master that you can see in the attached screenshot shows a more current date.
Maren(I know you're reading this, Marc, can you have a look, please? Perhaps the job is tied to other jobs and those failed so it never proceeded to pulling in new translations?)
Am 28.06.26 um 20:40 schrieb ዮሴፍ ፈለቀ:
Hi Maren,
Thank you! I checked Weblate again, and the GUI component is fully unlocked now.
I have already jumped in and started translating and saving the core interface elements, specifically focusing on the primary menus, tools,
and
main menu bars as suggested.
Since the initial batch of high-traffic interface strings is being
updated
on the master branch, could you update the LINGUAS file when you have a moment? I would love to start testing the live layout directly within
the
application as I continue translating the remaining sections.
Yoseph
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On Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 5:17 PM Maren Hachmann maren@goos-habermann.de wrote:
Hi Yoseph,
eh, you're right, that's so weird. Even when you think you explicitly choose the GUI part, you get documentation... I've clicked on another plus sign, please test if it works now!
MarenAm 25.06.26 um 18:47 schrieb ዮሴፍ ፈለቀ: > Hi Maren, > > Thanks for the screenshot! I see what happened there. > > The pencil icon shows up on the main project dashboard because to me
it
> seems like it defaults to generally showing active languages across
all
> components (as shown in Slide 1). > > However, when clicking through that pencil icon from the main
project
> dashboard, it only grants access to translate the documentation
files.
> While the interface breadcrumbs doesn't explicitly show this at first > glance (Slides 2), selecting any of the individual strings below > immediately reveals that it has loaded the documentation catalog
(side
3). > > To me, the issue seems to be with the actual application GUI
component.
If > you go to the "Components" tab and select "Inkscape (dev)"
specifically,
> Amharic is still completely grayed out with a plus sign (the
screenshot I
> sent in my previous email). > > Could you please check the "Inkscape (dev)" component on your end? > > Thank you! > Yoseph > > On Thu, Jun 25, 2026, 6:01 PM Maren Hachmann <
maren@goos-habermann.de>
> wrote: > >> Hi Yoseph, >> >> Amharic seems to be available for the master branch at the moment. >> >> If someone else added it (Marc?), please, someone-else, don't just
fix
>> things but tell us about it, so we don't have to check and wonder
what
>> happened. >> >> Maren >> >> >> >> Am 25.06.26 um 05:30 schrieb ዮሴፍ ፈለቀ: >>> I just logged onto the Inkscape Weblate server to get started on
the
>>> master branch, but it looks like the Amharic translation component
is
>>> currently locked or uninitialized. >>> >>> As seen in the translation dashboard, Amharic is grayed out with a plus >>> sign rather than an edit pencil. I clicked the plus sign to start
the
>>> language component, which triggered a notification stating that a request >>> for a new translation has been sent to the project's maintainers. >>> >>> Could you please approve that request on your end whenever you
have
a
>>> moment? Once it's initialized, I'll be able to jump right in and
start
>>> translating the core menus. >>> Thank you! >>> >>> Yoseph >>> >>> >>> >>> On Thu, Jun 25, 2026, 5:27 AM Maren Hachmann <
maren@goos-habermann.de>
>>> wrote: >>> >>>> Am 25.06.26 um 03:27 schrieb ዮሴፍ ፈለቀ: >>>>> Thank you both for the insights and for explaining how the
LINGUAS
>> file >>>>> works! >>>>> >>>>> Duarte, I gave your suggestions a thorough try—including the >> environment >>>>> variable method and attempting to swap out the .mo file in an existing >>>>> language directory—but unfortunately, I still couldn't get the >>>> translation >>>>> to register or display locally on my version of Inkscape. >>>>> >>>>> Since the local testing workarounds didn't pan out, I want to
pivot
my >>>>> focus entirely to working directly on the Weblate server as you
both
>>>>> recommended. I will prioritize the high-traffic areas Maren mentioned, >>>> like >>>>> the main menus, the Export dialog, and the Fill and Stroke
panels.
>>>>> >>>>> Before I dive in, could you let me know if there are any
specific
>>>>> documentation links, guides, or resources you recommend for
learning
>> how >>>> to >>>>> navigate and use Weblate effectively? >>>> I've never needed any documentation for doing translations in
weblate,
>>>> it was pretty self-explanatory, so I can't give any
recommendations.
>>>> >>>> For administration, yes, but nothing beyond what is linked from
the
>>>> weblate page itself. The three-dots menu at the top has the link
to
the >>>> documentation. >>>> >>>> Maren >>>> >>>>> Yoseph >>>>> >>>>> On Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 7:49 PM Maren Hachmann < maren@goos-habermann.de> >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Hi Yoseph, >>>>>> >>>>>> for documentation, there is a threshold of '80% translated' per
po
>> file. >>>>>> >>>>>> For the GUI translations, such a threshold does not exist,
however
we >>>>>> may manually disable languages that have a very low percentage /
no
>>>>>> translations, as has happened with Amharic in the past. >>>>>> >>>>>> For a translation to be valuable to users, also the location of
the
>>>>>> translated strings in the interface is important. You can have
lots
of >>>>>> rarely seen strings translated, but the Fill and Stroke and
Export
>>>>>> dialog and menu items are not, for example. When starting out,
I'd
not >>>>>> focus on completion, but on the most important locations. >>>>>> >>>>>> Let me know when you've uploaded your po file for the master
branch
>> for >>>>>> the first time! >>>>>> Maren >>>>>> >>>>>> Am 23.06.26 um 23:11 schrieb ዮሴፍ ፈለቀ: >>>>>>> Thanks for the clarification! >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Regarding updating the LINGUAS file once the translation is >> available >>>> in >>>>>>> the repository from Weblate: does the Amharic translation need
to
be >>>> 100% >>>>>>> complete for you to add it to the file, or is there a minimum >>>> completion >>>>>>> percentage required before it can be included so I can start testing >> it >>>>>>> normally? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Best regards, >>>>>>> Yoseph >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Fri, Jun 19, 2026, 7:32 PM Maren Hachmann < >> maren@goos-habermann.de> >>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Hi all, >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> yes, Duarte is right. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> When a new translation language is added, I need to update the >> LINGUAS >>>>>>>> file. I'll do that once the translation is available in the >>>> repository, >>>>>>>> coming from Weblate. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> When I do that, I'll also check whether any other languages
might
be >>>>>>>> missing. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Please get your po file from the Weblate server, because that
one
is >>>>>>>> updated from the Inkscape codebase automatically. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> If Inkscape is not available in the PATH, other programs on
your
>>>>>>>> computer will not find it, and you will not be able to launch >> Inkscape >>>>>>>> from the command line. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Thanks! >>>>>>>> Maren >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Am 19.06.26 um 11:26 schrieb Duarte Farrajota Ramos: >>>>>>>>> Yeah, you are right, I could not get it to work either. I
mostly
>> use >>>>>>>> Weblate >>>>>>>>> these days, so I might be giving you outdated or incorrect >>>> information. >>>>>>>>> Looking at the source tree, there seems to be a hardcoded
list
of
>>>>>>>> available >>>>>>>>> languages for Inkscape at >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>> >>
https://gitlab.com/inkscape/translations/-/blob/4c5583adc297cd4a2e2d68b0e3c3...
>>>>>>>>> Which probably means you have to ask the developers to add
that
new >>>>>>>> language >>>>>>>>> to the list, and will only be available in either future
versions
>> or >>>>>>>> alpha >>>>>>>>> builds. >>>>>>>>> Either way since this is likely to be a process that will
take
some >>>>>>>> time, in >>>>>>>>> the meantime so you are not waiting around, you could try something >>>>>> else. >>>>>>>>> Try translating your new po file normally with the correct >> language, >>>>>> but >>>>>>>> when >>>>>>>>> you create the .mo file place it in the folder of some other >> existing >>>>>>>> language >>>>>>>>> you don't plan on using, and replace the inkscape.mo file
there
>>>> (maybe >>>>>>>> rename >>>>>>>>> the original for safe keeping), then from the UI pick that
one
>>>> language >>>>>>>>> instead, and it should show you your translation in progress >> instead >>>> of >>>>>>>> the >>>>>>>>> actual language you picked. >>>>>>>>> Once it gets sorted out and your language does exist, you can then >>>>>> place >>>>>>>> it in >>>>>>>>> the correct folder. >>>>>>>>> On 19/06/2026 at 01:18, ዮሴፍ ፈለቀ yosephfeleke22@gmail.com wrote: >>>>>>>>> Thanks for the detailed steps! >>>>>>>>> I actually tried that exact setup before your email—compiling
my
>>>>>>>> progress into >>>>>>>>> an inkscape.mo file and placing it under >>>>>>>>> Inkscape\share\locale\am\LC_MESSAGES\inkscape.mo. However,
when I
>>>> open >>>>>>>>> Inkscape, Amharic doesn't show up as an option in the
language
>>>> dropdown >>>>>>>>> settings at all. >>>>>>>>> To help me figure out what I might be doing wrong, could you >> clarify >>>> a >>>>>>>> couple >>>>>>>>> of things? >>>>>>>>> 1) The Source Files: I want to make sure I didn't download
the
>> wrong >>>>>>>> files >>>>>>>>> from the server. Could you point me to the exact URL or
directory
>>>>>> where I >>>>>>>>> should pull the correct .po files for the master branch? >>>>>>>>> 2) System PATH: When installing Inkscape, there is an option
that
>>>> says >>>>>>>> "By >>>>>>>>> default Inkscape does not add its directory to the system
PATH."
>> Does >>>>>>>> leaving >>>>>>>>> this unchecked impact how Inkscape detects custom local translation >>>>>>>> folders? >>>>>>>>> If these two things are not the source of the issue, do you
have
>> any >>>>>>>> idea what >>>>>>>>> else might be causing it not to appear? >>>>>>>>> Yoseph >>>>>>>>> On Fri, Jun 19, 2026, 1:20 AM Duarte Ramos < >> duarte.framos@gmail.com> >>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>>> You can edit it by hand with any (programmer) plain text
editor,
>> like >>>>>>>> Notepad >>>>>>>>> or Kate, but that is error prone and easy to mess up. >>>>>>>>> For a more user friendly GUI approach, you can use any pot
file
>>>> editor >>>>>>>> like >>>>>>>>> PoEdit or Lokalize, or any other that you find that you may
like.
>>>>>>>>> I only used to use PoEdit, but they all probably have an
option
to >>>>>>>> compile and >>>>>>>>> export an .mo file. >>>>>>>>> You can then navigate to your Inkcape installation folder,
under
>>>>>>>>> Inkscape\share\locale\ >>>>>>>>> You will find a list of languages. If your translation target isn't >>>>>>>> there, >>>>>>>>> create one with the corresponding language ISO code. In it
place
a >>>>>> folder >>>>>>>>> called LC_MESSAGES, such that it ends up being something like >>>>>>>>> Inkscape\share\locale##\LC_MESSAGES\ where ## is your
language
ISO >>>>>> code. >>>>>>>>> In it place your .mo file named inkscape.mo you should then
be
able >>>> to >>>>>>>> run >>>>>>>>> Inkcape normally, and see your language as an option in the
UI
>>>>>> language. >>>>>>>>> You should end up with something like >>>>>>>>> Inkscape\share\locale\am\LC_MESSAGES\inkscape.mo >>>>>>>>> On 18/06/2026 at 22:28, ዮሴፍ ፈለቀ yosephfeleke22@gmail.com wrote: >>>>>>>>> I have a quick question regarding the workflow. >>>>>>>>> I prefer not to do the translations directly inside the
Weblate
web >>>>>>>> interface, >>>>>>>>> so I went to the server and downloaded a ZIP file containing
the
>> .po >>>>>>>> files to >>>>>>>>> work on them locally. However, looking at the files has left
me a
>> bit >>>>>>>>> confused. >>>>>>>>> Could you please guide me on: >>>>>>>>> What the best practice is for working on these .po files
locally?
>>>>>>>>> How I can properly test the translations to see how they look >> inside >>>>>>>> Inkscape >>>>>>>>> on my machine? >>>>>>>>> Yoseph >>>>>>>>> On Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 12:50 PM ዮሴፍ ፈለቀ <
yosephfeleke22@gmail.com
> >>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>>> Hi Maren and Duarte, >>>>>>>>> Thanks so much for the warm welcome and for pointing me in
the
>> right >>>>>>>>> direction! >>>>>>>>> I will look through the documentation links you shared and
log
into >>>> the >>>>>>>>> translation server to check out the master branch. I'll let
you
>> know >>>> if >>>>>>>> I run >>>>>>>>> into any questions as I get started. >>>>>>>>> Yoseph >>>>>>>>> On Tue, Jun 16, 2026, 1:50 AM Duarte Ramos < >> duarte.framos@gmail.com> >>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>>> Hi Yoseph. >>>>>>>>> UI translation these days is mostly done through >>>>>>>>> https://translate.inkscape.org/ >>>>>>>>> Otherwise have you gone through >>>>>>>>> https://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/Translation_information ? >>>>>>>>> Let us know if you have any further difficulties. >>>>>>>>> On 15/06/2026 at 00:06, ዮሴፍ ፈለቀ yosephfeleke22@gmail.com wrote: >>>>>>>>> I want to work on translating Inkscape into Amharic. Can you please >>>>>> tell >>>>>>>> me >>>>>>>>> what I need to do? >>>>>>>>> Yoseph >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>> Inkscape Translators mailing list -- >>>>>>>> inkscape-translator@lists.inkscape.org >>>>>>>>> To unsubscribe send an email to >>>>>>>> inkscape-translator-leave@lists.inkscape.org >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >> >> >