[I18n-sig] Python Translation

[Paul Prescod]

Dinesh Nadarajah wrote:
> 
> Is there any working/ target towards translating
> Python to other languages. i.e. Some sort of structure
> like the *.po files in KDE such that native languages
> can be substituted for the standards keywords. 

It's debatable whether that is a good idea. Even if it was, it surely
could not be done until Python's documentation could be translated into
multiple languages so that people could know what the keywords mean. It
isn't helpful to say "si" is like "if" go read the Python documentation.

> Are
> there any plans to port Python to other (human)
> languages.

Not that I know of. Porting error messages might be more doable.

> PS: Are there any tools to compile Python scripts to
> native code? (I know it would defeat the purpose of a
> scripting and cross platform capability - just curious).

You can compile Python to native code but you need a large "runtime
library" which is basically the Python interpreter. Most code still ends
up depending heavily on that library. So, e.g. Python function calls do
not equate to machine language calls. Rather, they equate to something
like PythonLibraryCallFunction("foo"). You don't get a huge speedup.
-- 
 Paul Prescod - Not encumbered by corporate consensus
Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it. 
	- http://www.cs.yale.edu/~perlis-alan/quotes.html