[Foundation-l] A simple question on languages.

Thu Jan 24 23:50:17 UTC 2008

Hoi,
Translating is only prohibitively expensive if you do not understand the
cost and the benefit. When a professional translator specialised in
marketing does a translation, you get more then a translation. You get a
messages that is selly and targeted. When the text is for instance to get a
grant, or to entice people to donate to the Foundation. A great text makes a
lot of difference. A text that is not getting the message out is more
expensive then the cost of a professional translation.

A really well phrased professional text targeted for the fund raising
targetting the top 12 economic countries of the world, I would not be
surprised if the cost of a translation is pennies to the pound. I would not
be surprised if targeted text the next 50 economic countries of the world
would be a great investment. Translations are a tool that is available to
the organisation and the marketing of the WMF. As with all tools it works
best for people who know how to handle them.
Thanks,
     GerardM

On Jan 24, 2008 11:16 PM, Thomas Dalton <thomas.dalton at gmail.com> wrote:

> On 24/01/2008, cohesion <cohesion at sleepyhead.org> wrote:
> > On Jan 24, 2008 2:46 PM, Nathan <nawrich at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > I don't think its useful to look at limiting languages in terms of
> > > 'resources' available for providing Wikimedia projects. As Aphaia and
> > > Gerard point out, what we're dealing with is volunteer resources -
> > > which cost the Foundation nothing and can't be required or redirected
> > > in any case.
> >
> >
> > I don't know if that's entirely true. I mean, it's nice if volunteers
> > can translate everything. But it's certainly conceivable that the
> > Foundation might want to issue press releases or statements or
> > something in these N languages regardless of volunteer support, even
> > if that means paying for an occasional translation.
> >
> > The answer to this question would conceivably be very useful, I don't
> > see any reason to discourage people from finding it.
>
> If the WMF wants to translate things, the number of languages would be
> much smaller than the numbers we're talking about. I can see the WMF
> paying for translations into major languages, or languages used by
> people directly affected by what the press release is about, but
> translating into even just dozens of languages would be prohibitively
> expensive.
>
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