Google translating for the wiki

Hi,

I am brand new to Contao and am finding my way around the software and community. Both are very impressive. I'm coming over from Expression Engine and the only thing lacking with respect to that is the documentation. I've been spending the last few days on Google clicking the "Translate This Page' button many times and have also read the discussions here about how the split between German and English documentation is an issue. Creating high quality colloquial translations is very time consuming, but to learn the tips and tricks of the software doesn't require perfection. I think that a larger quantity of technically correct though grammatically imprecise articles are more helpful than a handful of grammatically perfect articles.

I am collecting a selection of Google translated articles from the German wiki and forum that I need to figure out how to use Contao (e.g. Nina's forum post on CSS classes and ID's) and I'm sure others must be doing the same. Is it ok to post these translations directly to the English wiki, with links to the original articles and forum postings?

As time allows each of us could edit these articles to polish up the English and maybe even make English language screenshots. Perhaps there could be a little icon that says "Make Me Colloquial", beta quality documentation is better than no documentation.

Sure, you can translate it that way if you give reference to the german original in the Wiki. Don't see any problem there because the Wiki runs on Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.

But maybe you should also add the information "Translated by Google Translate. Please correct grammar/other errors
if you are a native speaker" at the beginning of each article you translate from the German to the english Wiki ;)

Hi Nina,

thanks, and yes, the "Translated by Google ..." sentence at the top is a good idea.

For the forum posts that would make helpful wiki articles, such as yours on CSS Classes and IDs, I would expect that it is best to get explicit permission from the post author to post the translation? Of course there should be a link back to the original forum thread too.

Yes, always ask the author if you take stuff from other sources.

Hi, great idea mgr88 ... this really needs doing.
I disagree re the forum posts. I would say if you want to use them, then just use them ... they're public.

I think if we all f* around with asking permission, it makes the job harder and nothing gets produced.
I only speak for me, but if I've written it just use it, and i'd hope everyone else would agree.

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Originally Posted by ramjet

I would say if you want to use them, then just use them ... they're public.

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It is not as easy as that. Just because you write something in public, it doesn't mean that it would be legal to use it without asking for permission. Copyright is very strong in many countries.

This is especially important, because the Wiki statest that it uses a Creative Commons license. If you take informations from other sources and simply put them into the Wiki, people could think these informations are also Creative Commons licensed. So you should always ask the author if it is ok for him, that we take his article and publish it with that license in the Wiki. It is also just simply fair and shows respect for the work of the original author. :)

I see your point Nina, but I still think it adds an almost impossible additional layer if someone wants to collect info from various forum posts to assemble a tutorial or gather all that info in one place. Do you attribute everyone?

Its not like we're all authors publishing works, we're more like like-minded people trying to establish much needed documentation to spread Contao.

If mgr88 has the nous, drive and ability to do this then why make it much more difficult and time-consuming than it could be.
I really don't see anyone running to their lawyer over assembled unattributed information collected from the forum.
If someone did object the offending passage could be removed, and if someone insisted on accreditation it could be added after the fact.

As I say, if its mine just use it. I'd hope everyone else felt this way too.
There is also a wealth of info available in the old forum (http://contao.org/forum)if anyone wants to mine it.

There is of course a difference between a real "article" about something or a short notice in a forum. If someone posts three lines of text (e.g. common knowledge), I am quite sure - though I am no lawyer - that it is no problem to use that. But if someone creates a 500 words+ information piece that shows a pretty cool solution for a problem, we should credit and ask that person.

My experience with wiki articles shows, that it makes hardly sense to just copy&paste from the forums. Usually you gather a line of DCA configuration or a general description and forge it into your own words. And if you really want to take bigger parts, it is also usually no hassle to ask the author. Just my 2 cents :)

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But if someone creates a 500 words+ information piece that shows a pretty cool solution for a problem, we should credit and ask that person.

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Agreed ;)