Localizer spotlight: Bogo

About you

My name is Bogomil but people call me Bogo, and I am a translator for the Bulgarian locale. I think I got involved with the Mozilla project back in 2005 when I wrote a small search add-on/script. I became more active around 2008-2009 and with just a few gaps until this day.

I am European. I was born in Bulgaria, but I have been living for a long time in the Czech Republic. Bulgarian is my main language, but sometimes I contribute to localization projects in Turkish, Romanian, Macedonian and Czech.

Q&A

Q: What inspired you to join the Mozilla localization community?

A: As I mentioned here I decided to start localizing software because I knew some people had trouble using it in other languages. I believe everyone deserves the right to use software in a language they understand which helps them to get the maximum value out of it. As for Mozilla in particular I believe in the mission and this is the most efficient way for me to contribute.

Q: How do you solve challenges like bugs or workflow hiccups, especially when collaborating virtually?

A: Since we are a small team for the Bulgarian localizations we are almost always in sync on how to translate the strings. We are following some basic rules, such as using a common dictionary and instructions on how to localize software in Bulgarian (shared across multiple FOSS projects), set 15+ years ago and that are still relevant. When we have a conflict, I usually count on the team managers to share their wisdom, because they have a bit more knowledge than the rest of us.

Q: Which projects or new product features were you most excited about this year, and why?

A: In the last year I contributed mainly to the Thunderbird project. The items that are most exciting to me are:

• That finally we decided to remove the word “Junk” and replace it with “Spam”, I think this is self-explanatory 🙂
• The new Account Hub which improves significantly the consumer’s experience and their onboarding into the beautiful world of the free email. Free as in Freedom.
• I am also excited about all the things in the roadmap to come.

Q: What tips, tools, or habits help you succeed as a localizer?

A: If you look at my Pontoon profile, you will see that for the last 2 months I contributed every day. I find this habit very useful for me, because it keeps me focused on my goal for consistently improving the localized experience.

Another item is that I like to provide a better experience to the mobile users. I often test and fix labels in Thunderbird for Android which, even translated correctly, are too long for a mobile phone UI.

And lastly, I love to engage with the community and ask them for help when we finish a section or a product. Last year we asked the Bulgarian community to help us validate a localization available in the beta version and we got some very helpful feedback.

Something fun

Q: Could you share a few fun or unexpected facts about yourself that people might not know?

• I ran for the European Parliament in 2009 with the intention to fight for our digital rights.
• I was on almost every media in the world in 2012 when I bought the data of millions of users for $5! This is the Forbes article.
• I am a heavy metal fan and you can find me in underground clubs, enjoying bands you have never heard of.
• Apart from technology I am an artist – I produced and performed my own theater play and shot a movie in Prague.
• I realized my dream to have an opening talk at FOSDEM. I was opening the Sunday session… but still!