The Scriptures 1.0.4 for iPhone / iPod Touch is now available for download. This release contains a couple of bug fixes and new features.

What’s New

One feature that has been consistently requested is the ability to navigate between chapters. There are now buttons on the title bar that allow you to do just that. These buttons also allow you to quickly navigate between search results.

I’ve also added the ability to change font styles. Though I personally think The Scriptures look better in a serif font, a few people have asked for the ability to change to a sans-serif view. You can now make that change in the application settings.

Finally, I also added the really nice icon that Gaige Redd has contributed. I really wanted to keep the Angel Moroni theme and Gaige did a great job with it.

There were also a few bug fixes, which you can read about in detail in the changelog.

What’s Next

There are three things that I’m currently working on and hope to be done with soon:

1. More Content - Everyone wants more content. I’m not sure what will be added when, but I can tell you that the first things I want to include are chapter headings, footnotes, and study helps.
2. Bookmarks and Annotations - Coming very very soon. The tricky part with this isn’t the coding. It is trivial to mark spots in the scriptures, or to create a list of saved locations to navigate to. The tricky part (as with any new feature) is the UI Design. On a device like the iPhone especially it is critical to get the UI right. I’ve been working at this and I think that you will like the UI design that I’ve settled on.
3. Localizations (aka Translations) - I have gotten so many requests for translations as well as offers for help, and this is a priority item that I want to get done soon. (More on this below)

Calling all Localizers

In the software development world implementing an application in a new language is commonly called localization rather than translation for a couple of reasons.

First of all you aren’t just translating the content, you are also converting the UI to work as expected in the locale where the new language is spoken. That means things like dates and currency should be appropriately converted.

Also, localization (especially of the UI) doesn’t just mean translating the commands word for word with a dictionary. Just as in English, every language has certain idioms and conventions that are used in technology that go beyond a simple translation. For example look at this screenshot of iTunes in its Brazilian Portugûese localization:

Notice how the “View” menu is localized as “Visualizar” which is literally “To Visualize” rather than “Vista” which is the noun for view. Also notice how the “Store” heading is localized as “Loja” which is a direct translation for store, but that “iTunes Store” is left alone. Also, “Ringtones” is localized as “toques” which literally means the plural noun “touches”.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I need your help. While I am fluent in English and Brazilian Portûguese because of the time I spent in Brazil, there are many other languages that I would like to do localizations for. (And even for Portûguese I don’t know all of the necessary technical conventions needed for the UI localization).

Desired Qualifications

If you would like to help, here are the qualifications:

1. You must be a native speaker or have near native fluency in the language you want to help localize.
2. You must have experience using software in the language you want to help with. (So you’ll know those conventions I mentioned above).
3. You must be willing to install buggy beta software on your iPhone or iPod Touch.
4. You must know how to find your iPhone’s Unique Device Identifier. (I need this in order to make the beta software run on your device)
5. Previous experience as a beta tester/localizer is preferred, but not necessary.
6. You should know how to write a good bug report.
7. You must be willing to do this for absolutely no compensation.

The Localization Process

The localization process will basically work like this:

• You will email me with your name, the language(s) you would like to assist with and the UDID of your iPhone or iPod Touch.
• I will email you a list of terms from the user interface that need to be localized.
• You will email me back a list of localizations for each of those terms in the form: “English Term: Localized Term”
• I will make the necessary updates in the application to incorporate the localization.
• I will send you a beta version of the software containing the localization along with instructions on how to install it.
• You will install the beta software and test it, paying special attention to the localizations.
• You will send me reports for any bugs that you find.
• I will fix the bugs that are reported, create a new version of the beta software, and email it to you.
• You will install the new beta software and test it, paying special attention to the localizations.

Once everyone is satisfied that there are no problems with the localization, the update will be submitted to the App Store for distribution.

If after reading this you are interested in helping out, you may send me an email with your name, device UDID, and the language(s) you would like to assist with. I can’t guarantee that every language will be done, nor the order that I will go in, but I will do as many as I can that the Scriptures are available for in digital form.

You may email me at: lee <dot> falin <at>gmail <dot> com