Help translate Soundscape

Soundscape is translated into 45 languages, but most of those translations have never been checked by someone who speaks the language natively. For an app that blind and partially sighted people listen to while they walk, a word that sounds “translated”, or a phrase that doesn’t quite make sense, really matters.

For each language there’s a short questionnaire, written in that language, about the words and phrases that come up most often. It takes about ten minutes. You don’t need to answer every question, and “that’s fine” is a genuinely useful answer.

Send your answers by email to soundscapeAndroid@scottishtecharmy.support, with the language in the subject line.

Before you start, we suggest reading the translation terminology page. It explains what each Soundscape term (beacon, callout, marker, route…) means, which makes the questions much easier to answer.

Each language also has a zip file of screenshots of the app’s screens in that language, linked beside its questionnaire. They let you see the words in place, which often makes it clear whether a phrase works.

If you’d like to try the app itself in your language, get in touch at the same address and we’ll help you get set up.

Questionnaires

Spotted something else?

If a phrase sounds wrong when you hear it, email it to soundscapeAndroid@scottishtecharmy.support. Tell us what Soundscape said, what you’d expect it to say, and where you heard it. Nothing more formal is needed.

You can also browse every translation on Weblate and leave suggestions there if you have an account, though email reaches us sooner.

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