Re: [docbook-apps] Multiple Languages in one DocBook Document

[Bob Stayton <bobs@sagehill.net>]

Hi Thomas,
While there is code in the HTML stylesheets to handle @lang down the 
element level, no such code was ever added to the fo stylesheets.  The 
lang attribute and writing-mode are only used at the document level in fo.

At this point I would consider this to be a bug, so please go ahead and 
file a bug report on the DocBook SourceForge site.  I don't see an easy 
fix for it, though, because a lot of templates for elements will have to 
be modified.

Bob Stayton
Sagehill Enterprises
bobs@sagehill.net

On 10/14/2014 5:11 AM, Thomas Schraitle wrote:
> Hi,
>
> ok, lets assume, we have an article. Its main language is in English.
> Furthermore, our document needs some paragraphs in a different language.
> The natural way would be to use the lang attribute like in the
> following excerpt (DocBook 4.5):
>
> ---------
>   <article lang="en">
>      <title>Language Test</title>
>      <para lang="de">Dies ist ein deutscher Absatz.</para>
>      <para lang="ar">هذه هي الفقرة العربية.</para>
>   </article>
> ---------
>
> Transforming* the above document into XSL-FO leads to the following
> fo:block structures:
>
>    <fo:block space-before.optimum="1em" space-before.minimum="0.8em"
>          space-before.maximum="1.2em">Dies ist ein deutsches
>    Zitat</fo:block>
>
>    <fo:block space-before.optimum="1em" space-before.minimum="0.8em"
>          space-before.maximum="1.2em"> هذه هي الفقرة العربية.</fo:block>
>
> I would have expected to see a language attribute (and perhaps a
> writing-mode as well). Unfortunately, it's not there. As such, in the
> German and Arabic paragraph English hyphenation rules are applied. This
> is obviously not correct. :)
>
> I tried a sect1 element with a lang attribute with the same result.
>
> Looking into the FO stylesheets, I identified some spots which I would
> consider it as "fishy":
>
> 1. fo/param.xsl, parameter writing.mode
>     Its default value is taken from the language file by using the
>     gentext template.
>     However, the lang argument is set to "/*[1]" which is valid for a
>     document with one main language. Unfortunately, this value does not
>     help when using multiple languages.
>
> 2. fo/block.xsl, template match="para"
>     The para template does not contain any code which would add the
>     missing language or writing-mode attributes.
>
> I tried it also with the latest snapshot release (28-Sep-2014 17:02,
> r9945) but the results are the same.
>
>
> Could someone confirm or extend my analysis? Does someone know what goes
> wrong here? :)
>
>
> * Used 1.78.1 of the DocBook XSL stylesheets
>    libxml2: 2.9.1
>    libxslt: 1.1.28