The translation of the term "File" was discussed in the Committe of the Terms of
Information Technologies (http://ims.mii.lt/terminai). Before that, three words
were used as translation for "File": "Byla", "Failas" and "Rinkmena".

"Byla" was rejected in the first place, because it's meaning does not represent
the meaning of the english word "file": a complete, named collection of
information. "Byla", as a translation for "File", is an error of Lithuanian
language, in spite of the fact that it was *misused* for quite a long time.

"Failas" was also rejected for obvious reasons: it's not a lithuanian word at
all. It is an english word "File" with lithuanian ending added to it.

"Rinkmena" was declared as the only suitable translation for "File". It has the
same meaning as "File" and is already used in dictionaries, magazines and by
some people.

The translation of "OpenOffice.org 1.1.3" (with "Rinkmena" as translation for
"File") was approved by the National Lithuanian Language Committee. It would
have been much harder to get such an approval (if possible at all) if any of the
other two terms were used.

So far "Byla" and "Failas" are not declared as "unused", though...

Mano manymu, žodis „rinkmena“ gali būti panaudotas žodžio „file“ vertimui tik
tada, kai turime omeny failą, o ne meniu punktą.

Čia „rinkmena“ iš bėdos tiktų, nes faile, atskiru atveju, gali būti surinkti
duomenys.

Tačiau meniu punktas „file“ negali būti verčiamas „rinkmena“ dėl to, kad meniu
su duomenų rinkiniu neturi nieko bendro. Tame meniu yra išvardinti veiksmai,
kokius galima atlikti su dokumentu. Dokumentas ir rinkmena čia yra visiškai
skirtingi dalykai.

Čia labai gerai tiko senasis vertimas „byla“ - jis atspindėjo veiksmų su
dokumentu esmę.

Taip pat, apie „bylos“ tinkamuma rašoma ir komp_lt@ konferencijoje vykusioje
diskusijoje: http://ieva.mif.vu.lt/archyvai/komp_lt/2979.html

I would like to express a general consensus of K Desktop Environment (KDE)
translators into Lithuanian, that "rinkmena" is a counterintuitive and strange
translation for the english term "file".

Throughout the KDE desktop applications we use the word "byla" to translate
"file", which we consider to be an easy to grasp and intuitive term to transfer
the meaning of the english word "file". 

We would like to ask the OpenOffice.org Lithuanian translators not to break the
continuity of translating the English term "file" as "byla", and to revert the
changes already performed in order to keep the compatibility of OOO translation
with other open source translations.

Donatas Glodenis
On behalf of KDE Lithuanian translation team
http://lt.i18n.kde.org/

I wanna ask to revert translation changes of important word 'File' in such a
minor version of OpenOffice.org (it was changed before 1.1.4) ASAP. I can repeat
the reasons why you should change back File translation to Byla in *official*
OpenOffice.org 1.1.x translations (you can use any word you like in your own
translation at ftp://ims.mii.lt/):

1. There are no free software product, which uses artifical word Rinkmena for
File translation, *all* products, which I know - in *all* GNOME (32631 strings -
100% translated), *all* KDE (31171 strings), *all* Debian, Mandrake, etc.
programs word Byla is used, also Byla is used even in Mozilla, Firefox and
Thunderbird translations, which are translated by the same Institute of
Mathematics and Informatics. If you have problems with reaching agreement inside
your organization, then please don't make these problems public.

2. Because of this big change a lot of mess appeared in various OpenOffice.org
distributions, for example:
 - in *all* OpenOffice.org translations since 2001 (start of 1.0 lithuanian
translation) until the end of 2004 File is translated as Byla
 - in the latest version (1.1.3) of OOo Lithuanian translators distribution
(ftp://ims.mii.lt/pub/OpenOffice/ ) File is translated as Rinkmena, while few
months ago File was translated as Byla in the same 1.1.3 version from the same
place.
 - in the semi-official OpenOffice.org Lithuanian distribution 1.1.3 version
(from ftp://ftp.linux.cz/pub/localization/OpenOffice.org/ ) File is translated
as Byla, while in 1.1.4 from the same place is translated as Rinkmena
 - in the Debian GNU/Linux OOo Lithuanian translation 1.1.3 ir 1.1.4 versions
(http://packages.debian.org/openoffice.org-l10n-lt ) File is translated as Byla
 - In the latest stable Fedora Linux Core 3 OOo Lithuanian translation File is
translated as Byla
 - in the latest devel version of semi-official OpenOffice.org Lithuanian
distribution (ftp://ftp.linux.cz/pub/localization/OpenOffice.org/devel/645/ )
File is translated as Rinkmena, but Byla still appeares in some places, for
example in Save Dialog "File Name" is translated as "Rinkmenos vardas", but
"File Type" as "Bylos tipas" (I'm attaching screenshot of this for fun ;)

3. *all* printed documentation and articles about Lithuanian version of
OpenOffice.org uses Byla, for example full Lithuanian documentation of
OpenOffice.org and Mozilla, 2000 copies of which was distributed in Lithuanian
schools and 50 copies to Lithuanian Information Society Development Committee -
look at http://www.ivpk.lt/main.php?id=opensource/d5.html 

If OpenOffice.org Lithuanian translators don't have time for rollbacking File
translation I can provide fixed GSI file, I have a signed JCA agreement.

btw, modis, you are not right - meaning of lithuanian word "Byla" *exactly*
represents the meaning of the English word "File", why do you think english
people have chosen natural word "File" for this object, not some artifical word
like "Collectionage" ?

Lets see how english speaking people are explaining the meaning of file in
teaching process, various computer guides, etc, for example in Goldsmiths
College, University of London:

What is a file?
A computer file is in principle just like an everyday paper file: it's a
collection of information (data) kept together in a single place (a disk).
Like a paper file, a computer file contains not random information but
information that belongs together, a graphical image, a database of
addresses, a word-processing document.
(look at http://www.gold.ac.uk/infos/cs/guides/a203.pdf )

I think the most important in this explanation is "A computer file is in
principle just *like* an *everyday* *paper* *file*", that's why english speaking
people have chosen file, not another word.

In Lithuanian language translation of "everyday paper file", which peole are
using in offices is "Byla", for example in big (about 1100 pages) old (published
by Alfonsas Laučka, Bronius Piesarskas and Elena Stasiulevičiūtė in 1975)
English-Lithuanian dictionary File translation is Byla, in online LED dictionary
- also Byla, look at http://led.ot.lt/cgi-bin/webled/trl?tp=HTM&wrd=WRD0071618

File is closely related to other object - Folder (directory). Lets see how
meaning of Folder is explained in the same collage guide:

What is a folder?
Like the idea of the file, the idea of the folder is taken from the
traditional office, where it corresponds to the filing cabinet full of folders.

It seems all translators in Lithuania agree, that Folder should be translated as
natural (not artifical) word "Aplankas" (in the same old English-Lithuanian
dictionary there is the same translation of Folder). Folder (Aplankas) in
natural life means a thing, where people can put various documents, photos,
drawings or paper files (which translation in Lithuanian language is Byla).

So, why all translators use natural, clear and intuitive word Aplankas for
Folder translation, but now some translators don't want to use analogical word
Byla for File translation ?

Translation of File has to be orientated to real life- to real office in this
case, then computer and free software won't be such a misterious and frightening
for many people.

If National Lithuanian Language Committee doesn't want to understand simple
people, who are working in office, then it's not a free software problem, you
can compile special branch of OpenOffice.org for National Lithuanian Language
Committee, but please don't follow his opinion in free software without
consultation with free software users and translators.

--
Mantas Kriaučiūnas,
Developer of OpenOffice.org Lithuanian Native Language project
http://lt.openoffice.org

Created attachment 26119 [details]
Screenshot of mess in save dialog in latest devel version (1.1.5pre) of OpenOffice.org Lithuanian distribution from Pavel Janik repozitory

Usage of the term "byla" does not show that "byla" actually is a good term. I
guess you're reffering to the second meaning of the word "byla" in Modern
Lithuanian Language Dictionary. You did look it up in the dictionary, didn't
you? ;) It sais: "a collection of office documents". Sorry, I didn't find a
single file on my hard disk to be a collection of documents. There might be some
on your hard disk, though.

"Rinkmena" is not an artificial word. The meaning of the word "byla" you're
trying to apply is. Yes, "rinkmena" is a new word, as is the object it
describes. But it is made according to Lithuanian word-making rules to represent
the true meaning of "file" best.

There's been lots of discussion and arguments about this, you probably have
heard most of them, but it's very doubtful that even more of them will change
your attitude.

I doubt that changing back to "byla" in OOo1.1.5 will cause less confusion
later, as "byla" will not be used in future versions of OOo and some other
applications. But... so be it. "File" will be translated as "byla" in OOo1.1.5.

Is this issue already fixed? Can we close it, please?

It is reverted to "byla" for OOo1.1.5.

.