To create and install a new message catalog for the GNU fileutils you will
need to do the following:

* First find a techinically minded multilinguist to help you with the
  translations.

* Starting from this directory, make a copy of the `English' directory
  to a named language of your choice - Lets say `German' for example

        % cp -r English German

* Edit the files under the directory `German' to suit your language.

  A message file has the following structure:
---
	$set 1 #chgrp

	$ #1 Original Message:(group of %s changed to %s\n)
	# group of %s changed to %s\n

	$ #2 Original Message:(group of %s retained as %s\n)
	# group of %s retained as %s\n
---

  The first line, establishes the details of the particular message file.
  Do not modify any of these details.

  The line "$ #1 Original Message...."
  is the descriptor for the first message.  Do not modify any of these
  details either (or any other lines like them).  The line following
  these descriptors are the actual messages that are displayed (minus
  the # sign of course).  Simply change the text after this hash sign
  and move on to the next message.  That's all there is to these
  message files.

* Now you will need to make a few modifications to the Makefile.

  First, add an entry for the German catalog sets.  Use the English-UK
  entry as a template.

  Second, change the default "install" catalog from English to German.
   ie, change "install: english" in the makefile to "install: german"

* Finally compile the message (.m) files to a binary format.

        % make german

   If you only want to test (from the current directory) then you can say

        In csh: (tcsh)
        % setenv NLSPATH `pwd`/%N.cat

        In sh: (bash)
        % export NLSPATH=`pwd`/%N.cat

* When you're satisfied and ready to install the catalog in the defult
  location, (You may need to be root to do this.)

   To install the catalog

        % make install

Thats it.  If anyone has any troubles compiling the messages into a catalog,
email me and I'll either compile them myself or provide you with the correct
Makefile for your needs.

If you have do manage to translate a message catalog into another language,
please email me so that I can include this in the next release and
make it available to all.

Patrick D'Cruze
pdcruze@orac.iinet.com.au

