I have to deal in the multi-lingual arena often, and we have tried all of the translators, and generally speaking it is more work for someone to correct the automated translation than it is for them to just do their own translation. I am, of course, talking about technical discussions. Google does offer the option of "improve this translation" and supposedly "learns" from those corrections, but that would be more of a long term solution. Also, we do not all tend to focus on grammar, spelling, and syntax when we are posting in these discussion rooms, making the task harder. I will conceed that someone could get the gist, but we all know that that could lead to as many issues as solutions if something crucial was lost in translation. <br>
<br>Regarding our specific project, we have some funding to start with, and having someone who is multi-lingual do translation is a lot less expensive then having an external translation firm do the work. So, we are planning on doing a hand full of months poaching contents from relevant archives, seeking out relevant discussion (we are more focused on small scale approaches), summarizing those threads, and posting them in Spanish. Moving forward, we would consider repeating that exercise on a monthly basis, not trying to translate everything, but get the highlights, and pertinent resources identified. Often, it is the resources that are offered to those with questions that are of value, not necessarily the banter back and forth. In short, we are looking for quality, not quantity. <br>
<br>With that said, our number one candidate for this position is already active on this list (I will let him come forward if he chooses), and therefore he would also be able to select the best questions raised on the Spanish side, present them here, and then translate the best responses. So there would be a filter, but hopefully an objective one. Also, there are plenty of posts here that would just not be of that much interest in our context, and maybe visa versa. This may become a good model moving forward in how we integrate other languages, here still thinking about what types of discussion they many be having in the middle kingdom. I continue to envision this list as a central meeting point. <br>
<br>If our money runs out, then we will then be forced to see how to automate the resource. But hopefully this position will be one that has a lot of value, and this task would be one among many. I look forward to other comments so that we are part of a larger movement to connect the islands of thought and discussion surrounding AD, which is the main goal of REDBIOLAC. <br>
<br>SAludos,<br><br>A<br><br> <br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:32 PM, David <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:david@h4c.org">david@h4c.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
<font face="Georgia"><br>
Paul,<br>
</font><br>
On 11/30/2010 3:14 PM, Paul Harris wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">I guess one approach is for individuals to use website
translators to look at the archives to get an idea of what is
going on...</span></div>
</blockquote>
<br>
Google provides a translation tool for web pages (<a href="http://translate.google.com/about/intl/en_ALL/tour.html#professional" target="_blank">here</a>),
which I've embedded on my consulting site (<a href="http://vahidbiogas.com/" target="_blank">here</a>), in the sidebar to the
right. It's the work of a few minutes (if you have access to the
source HTML for any web page) to do the same.<div class="im"><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
d.<br>
<div>-- <br>
<div><span style="font-size: 110%;">David William
House<br>
</span>
<div style="padding-left: 3em; font-size: 80%;">"The Complete
Biogas Handbook" <code><a href="http://www.completebiogas.com" target="_blank">www.completebiogas.com</a></code><br>
<i>Vahid Biogas</i>, an alternative energy consultancy <code><a href="http://www.vahidbiogas.com" target="_blank">www.vahidbiogas.com</a><br>
<br>
</code></div>
<div style="padding-left: 2em;">"Make no search for water.
But find thirst,<br>
And water from the very ground will burst."
<div style="padding-left: 2em; font-size: 80%;">(Rumi, a
Persian mystic poet, quoted in <i>Delight of Hearts</i>,
p. 77) <br>
<br>
<a href="http://bahai.us/" target="_blank">http://bahai.us/</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div></div>
<br>_______________________________________________<br>
Digestion mailing list<br>
<br>
to Send a Message to the list, use the email address<br>
<a href="mailto:Digestion@bioenergylists.org">Digestion@bioenergylists.org</a><br>
<br>
to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page<br>
<a href="http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/digestion_lists.bioenergylists.org" target="_blank">http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/digestion_lists.bioenergylists.org</a><br>
<br>
for more information about digestion, see<br>
Beginner's Guide to Biogas<br>
<a href="http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/" target="_blank">http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/</a><br>
and the Biogas Wiki <a href="http://biogas.wikispaces.com/" target="_blank">http://biogas.wikispaces.com/</a><br>
<br>
<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Alexander Eaton<br>Sistema Biobolsa<br>IRRI-Mexico<br>RedBioLAC<br><br>Mex cel: (55) 11522786<br>US cel: 970 275 4505<br><br><a href="mailto:alex@irrimexico.org" target="_blank">alex@irrimexico.org</a><br>
<a href="mailto:alex@sistemabiobolsa.com" target="_blank">alex@sistemabiobolsa.com</a><br><br><a href="http://sistemabiobolsa.com" target="_blank">sistemabiobolsa.com</a><br><a href="http://www.irrimexico.org" target="_blank">www.irrimexico.org</a><br>
<a href="http://www.redbiolac.org" target="_blank">www.redbiolac.org</a><br><br>