Public Kiosk Translations
In the Public Kiosk, translations are created and edited in several different ways depending on which part of the kiosk is being localized.
Translations made on the Kiosk machine
Permalink to Translations made on the Kiosk machinePublic UI text translations are created and edited using the Language tab in the Admin UI on the Windows kiosk machine.
Administration UI text translations are made using a set of utilities run on the Windows kiosk machine. This is a more advanced localization activity that may require assistance from the SOS team. Steps to perform a translation of the Admin UI are described in the Admin UI Translations section.
Translations made on the SOS machine
Permalink to Translations made on the SOS machineKiosk dataset names and descriptions are translated using the SOS Data Catalog and playlists as described in the Kiosk Dataset Translations section.
Group names are translated using playlists as described in the Group Name Translations section.
After finishing your dataset and group translation changes, run media2kiosk, then transfer the resulting files to the kiosk machine using the FTP tab in the Admin UI.
Kiosk Dataset Translations
Permalink to Kiosk Dataset TranslationsThe names and descriptions for datasets in the Public Kiosk are generated by the media2kiosk utility and are written to directories under /shared/sos/kiosk/datasets, where they are used by the kiosk after being transferred there.
Here is a summary of where the dataset informational text displayed in the kiosk comes from:
- The default locale (en_US) names and descriptions are read from the SOS Data Catalog. The descriptions are stripped of any HTML formatting that may have been used
- If there are any translations previously imported into the SOS Data Catalog, those are automatically extracted as well for each of their locales. More information on dataset name and description translations in the Data Catalog is in the Dataset Translations section
- Playlists may also be used to define translations for dataset names and descriptions. These are very similar to the localization playlists used more generally in SOS, which are described in the Dataset Translation Playlists section. How to use these translation playlists is explained next
Translation playlists for datasets reside on the SOS machine under the
/shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/locale/datasets directory. This
directory holds a set of playlists following the naming convention xx_YY.sos
,
where “xx_YY” is the locale code, as described earlier. All the dataset
translations for a given locale are placed together in the same playlist. You
may notice that there is an en_US.sos playlist under the datasets
sub directory. This does not contain translations per se, but the file
contains entries for all the datasets in the default kiosk configuration with
shortened dataset names and descriptions. This was done to work better for
viewing by the general public and can be thought of as a way to override the
Data Catalog text.
English Sample
Permalink to English SampleFor reference, here is a portion of the en_US.sos playlist for datasets, which includes two datasets:
# ID 3: Hurricane Season - 2005
include = /shared/sos/media/atmosphere/2005_hurricane/grayir/playlist.sos
rename = Hurricane Season - 2005
description = {{The 2005 hurricane season shattered records that have stood for decades - most named storms, most hurricanes and most category five storms. With 28 named storms, 15 hurricanes, seven major hurricanes, and four category 5 hurricanes, the 2005 hurricane season certainly blew the records away. It was also the first season in which four major hurricanes hit the U.S.. Even with all these records, the 2005 hurricane season will arguably be most remembered for Hurricane Katrina, which devastated parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and in particular, New Orleans.
This dataset is a gray-scale infrared satellite image available from June 1, 2005 through January 3, 2006.}}
# ID 82: Blue Marble
include = /shared/sos/media/land/blue_marble/blue_marble/playlist.sos
rename = Blue Marble
description = {{The Blue Marble is an incredibly detailed, true-color depiction of the Earth. NASA is responsible for this dataset made from a compilation of satellite images throughout 2001. The background image of the land and oceans was created using data from June through September of 2001. This could not be done in a single day or even a week because on any given day clouds are blocking a significant portion of the surface. The cloud image is a composite of three days worth of data. The shading is true color with the oceans shades of blue, the clouds white and the lands varying from green to brown. The brown areas are the sands of the deserts.}}
A snippet of en_US.sos.
Each of the two datasets shown uses three playlist keywords that are applicable to translations:
include =
path to the dataset playlistrename =
kiosk name for the datasetdescription =
kiosk description for the dataset. Description is a dataset playlist property first introduced in SOS 5.0. The description may have multiple lines, but must always be enclosed between{{
and}}
characters
Translations to other languages work exactly the same way, except that the values for rename and description will not be in English.
Traditional Chinese Sample
Permalink to Traditional Chinese SampleFor example, here are the same two datasets in Traditional Chinese from the translation playlist /shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/locale/datasets/zh_TW.sos:
include = /shared/sos/media/atmosphere/2005_hurricane/grayir/playlist.sos
rename = 2005年颶風季節
description = {{2005年的颶風季節打破了多項記錄,例如颶風最高等級5。總共有28個被命名的風暴,15個颶風,7個極大的颶風,和4個5級颶風。其中最強的是是卡催娜颶風,這個颶風摧毀了密西西比州,路易斯安那州,其中新奧爾良地區超過1600人在風暴中喪生,估計全部損失超過750億美元。}}
include = /shared/sos/media/land/blue_marble/blue_marble/playlist.sos
rename = 地球-藍色星球
description = {{這顆藍色星球非常詳盡而真實地描繪地球的面貌,這個資料集是由美國太空總署編輯2001年一整年的人造衛星影像所建立起來的。 大部分的訊息來自美國太空總署的輻射光譜影像分析器 MODIS(the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer),它架設在地球上方 435 英里的特拉這顆人造衛星上。陸地與海洋的背景影像是採用從 2001年 6 月至 9 月的所有資料所建立起來的,而不是採用某一天或一個禮拜的資料,因為任何一天,都會有雲層擋住地表某些特定的區域。雲的影像是由資料值所合成的,前二天收集的是可見光波的資料,第三天為了得到極地地區雲層的景觀所採用的是紅外線熱能影像。
海洋的藍色是原本真實的顏色,雲是白色,陸地從綠色到棕色有不同顏色的變化。棕色的部分是沙漠的沙地,編輯陸地影像的資料來自美國地球資源調查地質測量報告和科學資料中心。
其它有關藍色星球的數據,則用來強化地球變化的一些特徵。標準的藍色星球是地球全年平均數據所呈現的景觀。也可根據每個月的資料合成全年的數據圖像,而沒有雲層覆蓋。每個月的變化呈現具有季節性的藍色星球。每個月的演變讓觀眾到地貌的季節性變化。最讓人驚豔的是白雪在冬季逐漸漫天蓋地及在夏季消融的景像。藍色星球也因為沒有雲層的遮蔽,才能清楚看到地表的植被。}}
Traditional Chinese translation of the two datasets from the previous example.
How to Edit Translations
Permalink to How to Edit TranslationsEditing a translation (or English override text) is done by simply modifying
the values to the right of the equals sign of either rename
or description
keywords for any datasets in a translation playlist with your favorite text
editor. Be sure the description
text is enclosed between {{
and
}}
characters. Should you wish to remove a particular translation entirely,
just delete the lines containing include
, rename
, and description
for any
datasets you no longer want.
How to create translations for a new language:
Permalink to How to create translations for a new language:The easiest way to add another language for dataset translations is to start by
making a copy of the en_US.sos file, then renaming the copied file
to use the locale code to your new language. For example, if you wanted to add
Turkish, you would use a file named tr_TR.sos copied from
en_US.sos. In the new file, replace the English text values with
your new language translations to the right of equals sign for the rename
or
description
keywords. Be sure the description
text is enclosed between {{
and }}
characters.
How to add additional datasets to translations:
Permalink to How to add additional datasets to translations:If you have modified your kiosk configuration by including datasets not found
in the NOAA-defined default configuration, the include
paths for those
datasets will be set in your group playlists (see the section Group and
Dataset Configuration in the Public Kiosk Manual).
To add these to your translation playlists, just copy the include
lines and
add rename
and description
keywords for each one. Be sure the description
text is enclosed between {{
and }}
characters.
Deploying Your Translations
Permalink to Deploying Your TranslationsAfter finishing your translation changes, run media2kiosk, as
the sos
user, then transfer the resulting files to the kiosk machine using
the FTP tab in the Admin UI.
Group Name Translations
Permalink to Group Name TranslationsThe names for groups in the Public Kiosk are generated by the media2kiosk utility and are written to directories under /shared/sos/kiosk/groups, where they are used by the kiosk after being transferred there.
Here is a summary of where the group text display in the kiosk comes from:
- The default locale (en_US) names are the filename stems extracted from group playlist filenames. For example, the playlist /shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/groups/air.sos would have the group name “air”
- Playlists may also be used to define translations for group names. How to use these translation playlists is explained next
Translation playlists for groups reside on the SOS machine under the
/shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/locale/groups directory. This directory holds a
set of SOS playlists following the naming convention xx_YY.sos
, where “xx_YY”
is the locale code, as described earlier. All the group translations for a
given locale are placed together in the same playlist. You may notice that
there is an en_US.sos
playlist under the groups
sub directory. This does
not contain translations per se, but the file contains entries for all
the groups in the default kiosk configuration with slightly different text. For
example, the name for the group defined in air.sos
is “Air”. This was done to
make more attractive looking group labels for the general public and can be
thought of a way to override the filename stem text.
Groups are translated similarly to datasets, except that there is no description. Here is an example of a Traditional Chinese translation for the kiosk groups in /shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/locale/groups/zh_TW.sos:
# popular group
include = /shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/groups/popular.sos
rename = 最受歡迎
# air group
include = /shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/groups/air.sos
rename = 大氣
# water group
include = /shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/groups/water.sos
rename = 水文
# land group
include = /shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/groups/land.sos
rename = 地表
# snow_and_ice group
include = /shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/groups/snow_and_ice.sos
rename = 冰雪
# space group
include = /shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/groups/space.sos
rename = 太空
# people group
include = /shared/sos/kiosk/playlists/groups/people.sos
rename = 人文
An example group translation to Traditional Chinese.
After finishing your translation changes, run media2kiosk, then transfer the resulting files to the kiosk machine using the FTP tab in the Admin UI.

An example of the Public Kiosk UI translated to Traditional Chinese, along with the kiosk datasets and groups.
Admin UI Translations
Permalink to Admin UI TranslationsThe Administration User Interface (Admin UI) in the Public Kiosk may be localized to other languages. Translating the Admin UI is distinctly different than translating the Public UI, group names, and dataset names and descriptions. This activity is non-trivial, so please feel free to contact SOS Support for assistance if you need help beyond what is laid out here.
The Admin UI uses a third-party application called Qt Linguist to
assist you in translating from English to another language. You can also use
Linguist to modify any existing translations. As shown in Appendix A in the
Public Kiosk Manual, there are two translation
files for each locale under C:\shared\sos\kiosk\config\admin:
xx_YY.ts
and xx_YY.qm
, where “xx” = language, “YY” = country or region,
.ts = raw (ASCII) translation format, and .qm =
compiled (binary) translation format. You do not need to know details about
these formats to perform your translations.
Translating the Kiosk Admin UI for a New Language
Permalink to Translating the Kiosk Admin UI for a New Language- If it is running, close the kiosk application on the Windows machine
- Open Windows Explorer from the Start Menu, navigate to C:\shared\bin, and double click on linguist.exe. The Qt Linguist user interface will be displayed
-
From the menu bar, select FileOpen.... In the file browser that pops up, navigate to C:\shared\sos\kiosk\config\admin. Double click on en_US.ts to open the English language raw translations file and display the contents
- From the menu bar, select FileSave As.... In the file browser that pops up, enter the raw translation filename for locale you want. For example, for French in France, type fr_FR.ts. Click the Save button to create the new file
-
From the menu bar, select EditTranslation File Settings.... In the popup window, change the “Target Language” settings to match the language and country for your translation. For fr_FR, the settings will be “Language: French, Country/Region: France”
- Using the Linguist controls, go through each English text element by selecting first the “Context” item and then the first “Source text” item. Replace the English text in the French translation box with your translation. Then click the green Checkmark icon next to the item or in the toolbar to accept the translation. Note that you may also fill in the “French translator comments” box if you wish, but that text will not appear in the kiosk
-
After translating all the “Source text” elements for the first “Context” item, select the next “Context” item and translate all its “Source text” elements. Continue in this fashion through the last “Context” item
- From the menu bar, select FileSave to save your translations to the raw translations file
- From the menu bar, select FileRelease to write your translations to the compiled (binary) translations file
-
Test your translations in the kiosk. You will need to be sure your new locale
is included in the
locale_options
property list (see Properties Tab section of the Public Kiosk Manual) so you can select its button on the right side of the “Title Area”

An example of the Admin UI translated to Traditional Chinese with the Viewpoint tab selected.