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+===========================
+Translating SemanticScuttle
+===========================
+
+SemanticScuttle uses gnu gettext for translation. It does not
+rely on the php extension but ships with a pure php implementation,
+php-gettext_.
+
+Using gettext from within the code is really easy:
+Enclose the string you want to translate in a "``T_``" function call.
+
+For example, to translate::
+
+  echo "Vote for";
+
+just write ::
+
+  echo T_("Vote for");
+
+.. _php-gettext: https://launchpad.net/php-gettext/
+
+Translation basics
+==================
+
+We keep one base translation file, ``data/locales/messages.po``.
+This file is auto-generated via ``xgettext`` from all our php source files.
+In case you added a new string to the code that needs translation,
+update the base translation file by running ::
+
+  $ php scripts/update-translation-base.php
+
+After that has been done, the changes to the base ``messages.po`` file
+need to be merged into the single language translation files,
+for example ``data/locales/de_DE/LC_MESSAGES/messages.po``.
+
+Updating them from the master file is as easy as running::
+
+  $ php scripts/update-translation.php de_DE
+
+When the translation is ready, the ``.po`` file needs to be compiled
+in a machine-readable ``.mo`` file. Use ::
+
+  $ php scripts/compile-translation.php de_DE
+
+to achieve that.
+
+