A Linux For Translators: Linguas OS

There are so many new flavors of Linux coming out that it is hard to keep track of them - there are many choices, but every now and then one of them stands out.

LinguasOs stood out to me for a very simple reason - it is a Linux adaptation for translators. I'm not a translator, but I've paid a lot of attention to language issues - particularly in South America and the Caribbean. This is a result of my participation in CARDICIS and some of my own personal embarrassments in other languages.

I caught wind of it on the NOSI site, which states:

...Linguas OS doesn't claim to be the flame that will cleanse the translation industry of the proprietary software disease. Essentially, Linguas OS: a) attempts to give translators a platform for experimenting with the tools that are available in FOSS for the trade, in a quick and light Live CD distribution, as well as, b) provide an easily maintained, preconfigured OS for translators that are already using, or wish to begin using Linux for their work. There are some potential drawbacks for those coming from a Windows background, which would include the vast majority of professionals working in the translation industry. In order to include the software most needed by translators, and still keep the distro on a live-cd, Linguas OS uses fluxbox as its default window manager, which is not exactly an intuitive environment for a first-time Linux user. KDE or Gnome would seem to be much more viable options for a system aimed at introducing Linux to professionals in an industry already dominated by other, proprietary operating systems. The Linguas OS community, however, is in the process of creating documentation, even for included packages that already have documentation, to make the use of the included software, wm, package management system, etc., as easy as possible for those new to Linux. This documentation is progressively becoming available on the Linguas OS wiki, and will be incuded in the next release. Additionally, of course, the user can easily add KDE, Gnome, or XFCE with only a few clicks, which is explained in the Linguas OS documentation. Also, although the industry is hungry for alternatives to the costly proprietary tools that have until now dominated it, there is resistance within the industry to change, as is the case in many other industries...

The trick, of course, will be translating all of that into something translators can understand. Tossed at the CARDICIS email list to see what the translators think.