[wp-hackers] A method for overriding _e() messages?

[Manuel Schmalstieg]

Hello WP-hackers,

I have a pretty fundamental question:

Is there any official method for changing a specific term in the WP
Admin interface, site-wide?

Let's say I'm building a site in German, and would like to use a
different translation for the _e('Caption') message - a different word
than the translation that already exists in the regular German PO
file.

A primitive way would be to edit myself the PO file. This would work,
but I would have to re-edit this file with every update. And this
method wouldn't work if the interface is in English.

Is there a more sustainable way, such as overriding the translation
string in functions.php, telling WP to use another word for
_e('Caption') ?

And by extension, could such a method also work for English? Is there
a global method for overriding a given _e() message string?

Thanks in advance for your input!

--
Manuel