<nowiki>{{PLURAL:</nowiki> in languages that do not have plural syntax

I found that in languages like Chinese and Japanese that do not have plural syntax, if English adopts {{PLURAL:, Chinese and Japanese must also adopt {{PLURAL: to pass the check. I wonder if it is permissible to not use {{PLURAL: for languages that do not have plural syntax?

Kanashimi (talk)‎

You may still use a dummy . What is needed is not the PLURAL itself but the reference to the given variable somewhere in the string. This occurs as well in languages using plurals, because the translation may not even use distinct forms for some names or on conjugated verbs which actually do not vary with the numeric value of that variable.

The same is true with GENDER with the given variable specifying a user name, if it does not influence a translation.

But I agree that TWN should not warn on missing variables if they are used only in the first parameter of PLURAL or GENDER, and the target language is not defined with distinguished forms for plural or gender forms. Ideally there should be a way to expliclty state that these varaibles or not used (TWN would place them in a special "unused varaibles" comment attached to the translated unit, rather than in the text of the translated message itself (this would allow proper review and validation.

The alternative is for the target project to use a validator when processing the exported translations, to "cleanup" the unneeded plural or gender marks, or when the syntax {{PLURAL:varaible|forms...}} only lists a single form (it could drop this syntax, keeping only the single default form.

Ideally as well, translation projects should be allowed to list variables whose usage is optional (not required in the message itself). But for now the Tranlate UI assumes that if a varaible is used in the English source, it is also needed as well in all translations, and it should also allow listing variables not used in English, but needed in translations and supported by the target application that will provide a suitable value for them.

But for now a dummy use of PLURAL or GENDER is still needed for the listed varaibles whose usage is not necessary

Verdy p (talk)‎