Implementing a solution to WikiTree's language problem. Any multilingual volunteers?

Question

I previously drew attention to WikiTree's language problem here, and summarized potential solutions here.

To briefly recap, WikiTree does not have a multilingual user interface, and this presents a significant barrier to ~80% of potential global WikiTree users. The value of fostering a diverse community cannot be overstated. If we really are building One Global Tree, this problem will need to be dealt with at some point. The sooner this problem is addressed, the faster this site will grow.

The current software WikiTree is built on does not support multiple languages, and rewriting the software from scratch to add this functionality is a project which would be beyond the scope of the current software development team.

However, third-party translation tools have shown significant improvement in recent years, and are now built into many modern internet browsers (e.g. Google Chrome). These tools can dynamically translate web pages such that all buttons in the user interface remain functional.

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Proposal: A feasible solution to WikiTree's language problem is to add brief instructions for using these tools to the existing WikiTree Language Portals. Links to translation tool help pages could also be added in the corresponding languages (French, Spanish, Japanese, etc.).

Example:

Welcome to WikiTree!

With the exception of a few pages (such as this one), the majority of the WikiTree website is available only in English. However, tools to dynamically translate the English pages into [French] exist in a few popular browsers.

The current best tool is the "translate webpages" feature in the Google Chrome browser. Google Chrome can be obtained here, and instructions for using the "translate webpages" feature can be found here.

As a unilingual WikiTreer, I must confess that I have little to personally contribute to this project. I am putting the call out in the hopes that multilingual WikiTreers might offer their translation skills.

Questions:

• Are there any multilingual WikiTreers who would be willing to add these instructions to existing Language Portal pages?
• Is there a way these instructions could be featured prominently during the sign-up process for new users, perhaps on the Welcome New Guest page?

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To maximize initial utility, I think it would be best to focus on the most common languages after English. It looks like the top five are Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, French, and Arabic, which seem like a reasonably broad and diverse starting point. For reasons related to my personal tree, I would also love for Japanese to be prioritized, but I understand if there is less interest given the lower number of speakers.

Of the top five, it seems that only French currently has a Language Portal.

Questions:

• Are there any multilingual WikiTreers who would be willing to create new Language Portal pages?
• Who approves the creation of new Language Portals, and how does one contact them? 

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Additional questions:

• Do browsers like Safari and Firefox have suitable translation tools with help pages in multiple languages? There were concerns in another thread regarding Safari translating the input fields, which is undesirable.
• Are there any other browsers or translation tools that should be more widely known?
• Are there any browsers that are relatively unknown to the English-speaking world, but popular elsewhere? Do they have any built-in translation tools?

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Thank you for reading this post, and thanks to all who contributed ideas in previous discussions! Please don't hesitate to reach out if this project is of interest to you! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. I hope this can be the first step towards fostering a larger and more diverse multilingual WikiTree community!

Edit: Added example instruction template.

Comments

Firefox has a translation extension, but it currently only works with selected European languages https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/firefox-translations/

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Thank you for taking this important idea further, David.

You propose that brief instructions be added to each Language Portal. Would you be willing to offer a draft of these instructions in English? The draft could then be discussed and refined so as to be ready for translation if volunteers for that task come forward.

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I wonder if Wikitree as a non-profit would benefit from a large grant or preferably several international grants to employ software coders to do a complete rewrite of the site. With the right 'marketing' and awareness, it could attract some serious attention and grants.

I use Obsidian.md for my local genealogy stuff so I see the merits in basing any software on an open source standard (in this case, Markdown) that's so simple in modular in it's function that it is future proofed and still works regardless of the software that renders it.

I know this doesn't directly answer the question, more agreeing with your older call for rewriting the software. I say this as a new user who's comfortable with technology but whom has Cognitive and Memory Impairment making learning new things much more difficult than it otherwise would be - I understand the reasoning for why Wikitree is the way it is and I can *use* it. But it has been very difficult to learn; it's Amerocentric which defeats it's purpose to be a world tree; it's currently exclusionary in it's interface while the organisation (and hopefully most of the community) behind it are inclusive; it's suffering from Feature Creep; and the interface feels cluttered, confusing, and at times outright in complete opposition to the many varied ways familial relationships are.

Automatic translation tools are certainly a band-aid solution. But without actually fixing the problem, it will always have an undercurrent of being exclusionary, like non-English speakers are second rate and expected to use work arounds for something that is supposed to be all-inclusive.

Sorry I can't offer more direct solutions outside of recognising the issues and offering generalised ideas for longer term solutions.

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Re: Sam

I definitely agree that automatic translation tools are not a long-term solution. WikiTree would greatly benefit from a complete code rewrite, but from the previous discussions I've read, it seems like this is a long way off given the current resources of this site.

I do think Jim's comment in my initial thread that "perfect should not be the enemy of good" is worth keeping in mind. My hope is that any improvements (however small) to increase global accessibility of the site might also increase the awareness of WikiTree's language problem, and potentially lead to prioritization of more long-term solutions.

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Re: Andrew

Have you been able to get Firefox Translate to work on the edit tab of a WikiTree profile? I just did a quick test, and while it seemed to handle a profile page quite well, it translated only the bottom footer of the page when I tried it on the edit tab.

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Re: Jim

Thanks, that's an excellent idea.

My thinking was something along these lines:

Welcome to WikiTree!

With the exception of a few pages (such as this one), the majority of the WikiTree website is available only in English. However, tools to dynamically translate the English pages into [French] exist in a few popular browsers.

The current best tool is the "translate webpages" feature in the Google Chrome browser. Google Chrome can be obtained here, and instructions for using the "translate webpages" feature can be found here.

How does this sound? Feedback and suggestions are welcome.

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Thanks very much, David. This sounds fine! As an experiment I used Google Translate on it for Portuguese (reinserting the links), because Portuguese has also been recognised as the world's fifth language.

Bem-vindo ao WikiTree!

Com exceção de algumas páginas (como esta), a maior parte do site WikiTree está disponível apenas em inglês. No entanto, existem ferramentas para traduzir dinamicamente as páginas em inglês para o português em alguns navegadores populares.

A melhor ferramenta atual é o recurso "traduzir páginas da web" no navegador Google Chrome. O Google Chrome pode ser obtido aqui, e as instruções para usar o recurso "traduzir páginas da web" podem ser encontradas aqui.

This looks ok to me; perhaps a native speaker could check it.

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I hadn't tried Firefox translate on an edit page. It seems to get stuck. There's a brief message about errors and then it says there are still 25 elements to translate but stops there.

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@Sam, WikiTree is not a non-profit (otherwise it would be a .org website). It is a for-profit company and therefore wouldn't qualify for non profit grants.

Answer 1

google translate while not perfect is what most people Y correspond with in other countries usw...  you can translate specific text or a website

Answer 2

Hi. I am a Mexican polyglot man, speaking and writing Spanish, English and French, I have seen some examples of translated versions of web applications content and I am almost sure that eventually there will be the need to have a physical area in the media where software is hosted and maybe that will be an issue. I think we first have to ask a software developer with expertise in multilingual versions, then think if the project is sustainable,.

Answer 3

Would translatewiki be of any help? Or is WikiTree's underlying software different from other wikis' open source programming?

Comments

What version of MediaWiki does translatewiki require? WikiTree runs on an old version of MediaWiki, 1.11 from memory.

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I couldn't find an explicit statement on translatewiki.net but it sounded like 1.11 would still be supported even though some bits would be obsolete since 1.20.