Live data from Hacker News

Localization Failure: Temperature Is Hard

randomascii.wordpress.com

31–40 of 157 posts

Re: Localization Failure: Temperature Is Hard

#31
post #14

If you want "twice as hot" to be meaningful, you have to use an absolute scale, either Kelvin or Rankine. (1 K = 1.8 °R) Doubling absolute temperature doubles the pressure (at constant volume) or volume (at constant pressure) of an ideal gas. This gets really important when it comes to compressing and expanding air and other gasses. Room temperature is approximately 293 K, twice that is 586 K / 595 °F / 313 °C. Hotte…

You don't need an absolute scale, you just need a sensible origin. I suggest taking human perception into account. When talking about the weather or everyday objects, one could argue that the border between "hot" and "cold" is somewhere at room temperature, so around 21°C. At that temperature, it's neither hot or cold. If it's 30°C, it's 9°C of "hotness", so 39°C would be twice as hot. I don't know if it feels twice…

36.6C?

Re: Localization Failure: Temperature Is Hard

#34
post #23
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except for the degrees that measure an angle.

No - An angle can be measured from an arbitrary point, and thus "0°" is not a true zero. "0° on a circle" (for example) doesn't make sense. It has to be 0° _from somewhere._

A length can be measured from an arbitrary point too, no? And in some cases must be.

The perimeter of a circle for example.

- - -

Further, Radians is another measurement of angle, but it is not "degrees radian"

Re: Localization Failure: Temperature Is Hard

#35

A bit related, but I hate how many errors I get because I want my system language to be English instead of my native language (Norwegian) on my laptop, phone etc. Because I don't want a badly translated experience. However, I still want units in meters, Celsius, dates written sensibly, time in 24h format etc. But not all apps understand this, which is quite annoying. It's like they only look at the language and make…

It really is incredible how many translated apps/websites talk like a drunken finn, when i set language to finnish. Only the things made by native finns seem to have good Finnish on them.

Re: Localization Failure: Temperature Is Hard

#36

A bit related, but I hate how many errors I get because I want my system language to be English instead of my native language (Norwegian) on my laptop, phone etc. Because I don't want a badly translated experience. However, I still want units in meters, Celsius, dates written sensibly, time in 24h format etc. But not all apps understand this, which is quite annoying. It's like they only look at the language and make…

IMO the worst is that cal starts weeks on Sundays for some weird reason.

Re: Localization Failure: Temperature Is Hard

#37

A bit related, but I hate how many errors I get because I want my system language to be English instead of my native language (Norwegian) on my laptop, phone etc. Because I don't want a badly translated experience. However, I still want units in meters, Celsius, dates written sensibly, time in 24h format etc. But not all apps understand this, which is quite annoying. It's like they only look at the language and make…

I'm Italian and I have the same problem. You just have to set the system to English (UK) and all your problems will be fixed :)

Re: Localization Failure: Temperature Is Hard

#38
post #18

Looks like the Guardian have already amended the temperature differences in the article in question according to the footnote: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/17/malawi-swelter...

It says 20C for me and I’m in the US/have everything set to US English. Is my browser telling it I prefer Celsius somehow (I do have the weather app on my phone set to Celsius) or did they change it to Celsius for everyone?

Re: Localization Failure: Temperature Is Hard

#39

It's not hard at all, the localization team just made a mistake. The solution is to not localize for Americans.

Yes just ignore the vast majority of native English speakers. I wonder why an English-language newspaper (which heavily markets itself outside the UK) didn’t think of that.

Re: Localization Failure: Temperature Is Hard

#40

If you want "twice as hot" to be meaningful, you have to use an absolute scale, either Kelvin or Rankine. (1 K = 1.8 °R) Doubling absolute temperature doubles the pressure (at constant volume) or volume (at constant pressure) of an ideal gas. This gets really important when it comes to compressing and expanding air and other gasses. Room temperature is approximately 293 K, twice that is 586 K / 595 °F / 313 °C. Hotte…

Twice as hot is also useful in Celsius. For every increase of 10C chemical reactions happen twice as fast, it will literally, thermodynamically be twice as hot.

Which will probably even match your subjective feeling.

Celsius scales thermodynamically logarithmically. You can’t just double the numbers. (The same with sound etc.)

Post reply on HN