Htmlform-no and Htmlform-yes
I am translating these with a heavy heart. In order to successfully translate yes and no to Welsh you have to know what the question is (as there are very many different forms of yes and no in Welsh). In the messages Htmlform-no ("No") and Htmlform-yes ("Yes") we do not know what the question is. Is it possible to split these messages into separate messages for each instance of the yes/no?
In Swahili, there is no direct equivalent to yes/no. In Swahili questions are answered with 'ndiyo' and 'siyo', which mean 'I agree' and 'I disagree'. Usually using 'ndiyo' for 'yes' produces the correct result. Very occasionally, using 'ndiyo' for 'yes' produces unexpected results, depending on the question. Unfortunately, I can't think of an example to illustrate this. Again, if we knew what the question was we would be certain that the translation was correct.
Indeed; as Nike said:
Not really fan of this.
In Finnish:
Is the sky blue? Kyllä/Ei
Are you over 18 years old? Kyllä/En
There doesn't seem to be such thing as generic yes-no question.
We have some such samples in Rhinelandic and Ripuarian languages, too: Negative expressions or denying formulation of a question => Answer "no" signals consent. Two question and answers having identical meanings, translated literally:
- Q: Are you surely in good health? A: Yes, I am healthy.
- Q: You are not in a bad health condition, are you? A: No. I am healthy.
Not a real problem though, I think, since we can always make sure to use positive (denial-free) formulated questions, or unambiguous imperatives directed towards the computer, e.g. "Do include thumbnails: Yes/No"
I am not certain about the fine grain, but also many Slavic languages as far as I know "suffer" from uncertainties arising from formulations with negations in questions.