Arduino
I was looking into contributing to open-source projects that I use and am familiar with.
I started by exploring ways to contribute to the Arduino ecosystem, specifically by translating the Arduino documentation and IDE into French. Given the popularity of Arduino in education and prototyping, I figured improving accessibility through language would be a valuable contribution.
My first step was to find existing translation efforts. I came across the repository for the French documentation of the Arduino syntax. However, I realised that the last modification was made six years ago. This suggested that the project was no longer actively maintained, and there didn’t seem to be a strong demand for further development in this specific area. Given the lack of engagement and updates, I decided not to contribute to this repository, as my efforts might not reach or benefit the community effectively.
Instead, I started looking for other areas where I could contribute. I found a Blog on the Arduino website about contributing to the open source development and translation of the IDE 2.0. Through Transifex, contributors can actively participate in improving and expanding the IDE 2.0 translations, ensuring broader accessibility for non-English-speaking users.
I joined Transifex, a cloud-based localisation and translation management platform, and started suggesting translations for different words and sentences. However, I realised that there was no one reviewing the translations people were suggesting (385 unreviewed). Therefore, I felt that my contributions might not be implemented or refined in a meaningful way, which made me reconsider whether this was the best area to focus my efforts on.
Finding another Open-source project: P5JS
As I was exploring the p5js GitHub page, I found that back in 2021, a user was interested in translating the p5js website to French. However, the issue was closed.
It was brought to my attention that recent translation efforts were taking place, and they needed help. So I reached out to the contributors involved in the translation to see how I could assist. I wanted to understand the current progress, the workflow they were using, and how I could contribute effectively to the project.
Kit Kuksenok, a lead member of the core p5.js committee, advised the initial contributor on the steps to take and where to start. They said that p5.js is interested in integrating a French translation into their newer version of their website. Therefore, this contribution is valuable to the p5.js community as it’s part of a shared effort to make p5.js more accessible to people around the world. By helping with translations, I’m supporting others in learning and creating with the tool.
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