edit war

What do we do if there's an edit war going on? Like, if there's one person with too much time on their hands, undoing every change every other person makes.

Also, if that person is from a country where they speak the same language, but in a very different way, we have a problem.

As an example, "Zeitgeist" gets translated as "heart rate", which is ridiculous. What if four different people have suggested ten different translations, but one person keeps changing it back to "pulse".

I think a first impression of a website determines if a person will stay, or click away. You have two or three seconds before they click away. Nonsensical translations won't even give you two seconds.

For now, I'm not talking about Francophobia, where words get translated that really should be in French or in English.

What if someone keeps changing a perfectly good word into a word that nobody knows? You don't want users to have to use a dictionary in order to read the tabs at the top of the page.

Hi. A couple members have complained. I'm considering the matter. Also, I'm asking for some language help from the Abe European office. Certainly we can't have edit wars, and no single individual should dominate translation work.

That said, I do want to query one topic—"Also, if that person is from a country where they speak the same language, but in a very different way, we have a problem."

Fundamentally, LibraryThing isn't going to support one version of a language over another. The numbers here are, I think about 1/5 Belgium/Netherlands. That's lopsided, but not lopsided enough to dismiss the 1 entirely. The translation should aim to exlude neither.

Or do you think the differences are severe enough to justify a separate language instance?

No, definitely not separate LT versions. It's not difficult to create a translation that satisfies both groups. Unless you put in sentences or words that are used in Belgium/Netherlands but not in Netherlands/Belgium.

3> lopsided: 1/5 Belgium/Netherlands

The number of inhabitants is about 2/3
but I don't know the ratio of Dutch/French within Belgium
The Belgians/Flemish are famous to conquer the Dutch on the yearly great national spelling contest.

Let the Flemish (plural) speak out whether they can live with a Dutch domination on a case by case basis.

> 5

I think Tim was referring, not to inhabitants, but to LT members.

I thought so too, I intended to say that Flemish might be under present, or how should I say that in good English?

Under the radar?
Under fire?
Underrated?

At any rate, they're under represented, and your English is good :-)

No, I meant speakers. I found that number 4mil. to 12mil. somewhere.

>8 xtien:
under represented was indeed what I was looking for

>9 timspalding:
From http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/België about 6 milj. Flemish in 2004,
From CBS I guess at least 15 milj. Dutch speaking inhabitants (out of 16) in the Netherlands in 2006.

But even we have our differences. I was grown up to put an ash tray (asbak) on the table, to discover another part of the country puts it on the street.

>5 kantelier:
My last phrase there looks unlucky: I'd like more Flemish to speak out to find out what is acceptable for both parties. Not all profiles tell the origin but I'm afraid we have just one Flemish on board, that should really be more.

I'm now getting sick and tired of it. A user "Boekerij" keeps changing Dutch translations into his own unique personal preference that nobody else understands. He changes "Zeitgeist" into "Polsslag", while six or seven other users change it back to a more appropriate translation. Also, he changes "Tools" to "Alaam". We all don't know what "Alaam" means. It's not Dutch, that's for sure.
We need to find a solution to keep vandalists from ruining the site. I'm not putting my energy in translating LT if one imbecile keeps putting in gibberish.

>11 xtien:

Sad but true.
I could not agree more with Xtien in this.

There really should be a definity solution to stop pityful characters -who think they are General Supervisor of LT and who believe to have Superior Knowledge
Of Everything In The Universe And Beyond (because they own a couple of outdated dictionaries) - from constantly destroying all the work all other people do on the Dutch/Flemish translation of LT.

This has already has gone much, much too far and should stop now....

People, please stay polite. You might disagree with boekerij, but don't go insulting each others (honestly, he DID do more translation work than any other LT user).

God. And I thought we got such petty fights only at Wikipedia! *is a Wikipedia admin*

> 14

Find a neutral translator for this and how she felt bullied. I didn't receive a much better welcome, but I'm afraid I removed it.

Quantity and quality are completely different things. I won't invite Dutch-only speakers unless the quality improves.

People, please stay polite.

I couldn't agree more. But it's difficult to stay polite to somone who bullies everyone who contributes to translating the site. And I agree with Kantelier that quantity doesn't help if the quality is poor.

Translators aren't encouraged by a single person undoing every attempt to improve a translation.

The German word "Zeitgeist" is represented on the English LT by the word "Zeitgeist". It would seem to me that the appropriate word on other LTs is surely "Zeitgeist".

that the appropriate word on other LTs is surely "Zeitgeist".

Not necessarily. Zeitgeist is used in English sometimes, like in zeitgeist by Bruce Sterling. In Dutch or French it is not. A literal translation into Dutch would be "tijdgeest", but that doesn't seem appropriate. I would prefer "tijdgeest" over "polsslag", though. There is no apparent relationship between "zeitgeist" and "polsslag". "tijdbeeld" seems to have more fans than "tijdgeest".

he DID do more translation work than any other LT user

One does get credit for making a lot of translations if they make the same change 34 times, while everybody else keeps disagreeing and changing the thing back.

What do you do if six people agree on a translation and a seventh keeps changing it back into something that's not even in a dictionary?

Honestly, I have no idea. I'd try to help in the discussion, but I don't actually speak dutch