Submissions/Supporting translation of Wikipedia content

From Wikimania 2013 • Hong Kong

This submission is on the wait list for Wikimania 2013.

Submission no.
5005
Subject no.
T1
Title of the submission
Supporting translation of Wikipedia content
Type of submission
Presentation
Author of the submission
Siebrand Mazeland
Country of origin
The Netherlands
Affiliation
Wikimedia Foundation
E-mail address
smazeland@wikimedia.org
Username
siebrand
Personal homepage or blog
mw:User:Siebrand
Abstract

The Wikimedia Foundation Language Engineering team was formed two years ago. Many steps forward have been made in providing input tools, a solid internationalisation foundation for the MediaWiki software, support for text output using web fonts and the facilitation of translation for the software and structured, fairly static content within the same wiki. Having completed these foundations so that everyone can technically contribute, the time is right for the next step: Make it easy for users to translate large pieces of content from one language wiki to another without technical hurdles.

Detailed proposal

In the past, both Google (Google Translator Toolkit) and Microsoft (WikiBhasha) have tried to facilitate translation of Wikimedia content using tools. Neither of these tools have managed to gain much traction within our Wikimedia communities, for various reasons. Such a tool developed based on comprehensive user testing allows users to reuse content easily from Wikimedia projects in non English languages as well as allow them to expand multilingual free knowledge that the Wikimedia projects have to offer. We will create a tool which allows translating content for a Wikipedia page from any language Wikipedia to any other Wikipedia that does not yet have a page on the topic. We think that Wikimedia developing it, will increase acceptance within the community, and guarantee it will be maintained.

One of the workflows could be envisioned as follows: The UI will have a link "Translate this page for another Wikipedia" for logged in users. When clicked, the user would be asked to select the Wikipedia version they would like to translate in. Language versions that do not yet have an interlanguage link can be chosen. The logged in user would now be on the target wiki, where a version basic wiki markup elements of the source page would be made available for translation in parts. This version could be now edited using the Translate translation editor with aids including machine translation suggestions from 3rd party translation services from Google, Microsoft and Yandex, as well as a Wikimedia Foundation facilitated translation memory. This workflow will play out in the personal namespace of the user that initiated the translation, and multiple users will be able to work on the translation of a page at the same time. Once a user chooses to publish the translation, they will be asked for a name of the target page, and the translated pieces can be published.

Additional product features may be mapping references, preserving wiki links, after having resolved the network to ensure there is an existing target page and more, depending on time and priority.

Track
  • Technology and Infrastructure
Length of presentation/talk
25 Minutes
Language of presentation/talk
English
Will you attend Wikimania if your submission is not accepted?
Possibly.
Slides or further information (optional)
N/A
Special requests
Need video projector for visual support.


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  1. Danny B.
  2. Ата (talk) 19:26, 21 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  3. Malkum
  4. There should be a guide or process for doing this. This kind of tool has to be developed. Blue Rasberry (talk) 20:35, 1 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  5. Waldir (talk) 22:50, 11 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  6. Daniel Mietchen (talk) 16:41, 20 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  7. Howief (talk) 20:04, 29 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  8. Siebrand (talk) 13:45, 1 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  9. អមីរ ឯ. អហរោណិ 13:53, 1 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  10. --Nikerabbit (talk) 17:44, 1 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  11. Micru (talk) 04:14, 4 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  12. Simon Shek/石 (talk) 04:31, 4 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  13. Multichill (talk) 14:45, 4 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  14. Pginer (talk) 11:45, 6 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  15. Bellayet (talk) 17:15, 13 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  16. Add your username here.