The translation of InnerSource Patterns in Galicia

Many of you will be aware of the great volunteer-led efforts to translate InnerSource Patterns. Thanks to local community members, the patterns have been translated into Japanese, Mandarin (Simplified Chinese) and Brazilian Portuguese.

In late 2023, the patterns also became available in Galician. However, the process for this translation was very different. We talked to Pablo Sanxiao of the AMTEGA OSPO to find out more about how a public sector agency used European funding to resource its translation.

AMTEGA is an agency of the regional government of Galicia (Xunta de Galicia). Its mission is the technical modernization of Galicia in the fields of innovation, information and communication technologies, and technological development.

The project was originally conceived as an initiative to promote Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs) to local businesses.

“We started to design a project promoting open source software to Galician companies to enhance their development processes and competitiveness. However, we quickly realized that the OSPO model wouldn’t work in our region.”

AMTEGA needed a solution that would have a better ‘fit’ for the high proportion of small-scale technology enterprises (less than 10 staff) throughout Galicia. InnerSource stood out as a promising framework that would be easier to adopt – regardless of a company’s size.

“The patterns also fit well because they are small pieces that solve specific problems. They can be adopted separately based on your needs and the problems you want to solve.”

The Xunta de Galicia was able to leverage its status as a public sector organization to access European Commission funding earmarked for enhancing digital skills within the community.

According to Sanxiao, “The translation project aligned perfectly … It aimed to support individuals to enhance their employability by learning about InnerSource and it also promoted innovation by encouraging the application of InnerSource within companies”.

So, how did they do it?

AMTEGA hired professional translators to work on the translation and within the agency itself, some key departments collaborated to deliver the project. The Innovation Department (which hosts the AMTEGA OSPO) acted as the lead unit and reviewed everything published in Galician. They also liaised with the Systems Department, who were responsible for the infrastructure where all InnerSource resources will be published with an open license.

Sanxiao and his colleagues were also keen that the translations would contribute to the wider body of InnerSource knowledge. “From the beginning, we wanted this project to be aligned with the principles of the InnerSource community.”

Daniel Izquierdo Cortázar, PhD facilitated introductions to the #innersource-patterns working group.

“The integration for translating the models into the InnerSource Commons repository and website was a very positive experience thanks to the support of the working group and in particular, Sebastian Spier . We felt very welcomed by the InnerSource community. We received a lot of assistance, and the contribution process was straightforward.”

Phase one of the project is coming to a close. In addition to the pattern translations, AMTEGA has also translated Managing Innersource Projects and designed two online training courses.

The next phase will focus disseminating the learning materials through a printed edition of the books; a public presentation of the project; and the launch of the training courses. (All published translations will be released under an open license to facilitate sharing and reuse.) AMTEGA also hopes to encourage the establishment of a local InnerSource community in Galicia.

From Sanxiao’s perspective, there are only benefits to translating the patterns.

“Localizing technical documentation into your own language is incredibly important. People who work in the technology field are accustomed to seeing and using English as the default language. However, translating that documentation into local languages makes everything a little easier. It breaks down entry barriers and allows for better understanding and assimilation of concepts.”

Sanxiao also noted the cultural benefits of localization. “When complete localization is done, we will be able to provide examples or success stories that are more relevant or typical to the region. Moreover, in regions like Galicia, where multiple official languages coexist, it helps to keep the native culture and minority languages alive.”

The Galician translation of InnerSource patterns is an inspiring example of the wider application of InnerSource patterns, the potential for funding opportunities for localization and the power of community. We’re sure that this won’t be the last that we hear of the Galician InnerSource journey.

👉To find out more about translating patterns into your language, get in touch with the #local-community and #innersource-patterns groups on our Slack workspace.