When you make use of any of the projects of the Wikimedia Foundation, you are expected to abide by its terms of use. These terms of use provide you with practical and legal terms of reference. The original version is in English but we do know that for many in our communities English is not a language that will convey any message.
For this reason the translation of the terms of use is essential. There is a recurring need for the translation of texts and this translation work is done by volunteers. This work is really important to get our message out, making it as easy and efficient as possible is one way of showing our appreciation for the work that these volunteers do.
Translation is made easy because the user interface will just work in the language set in the preferences.
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| Details like the languages that have a translation are all shown in the language set in the preferences. |
Even with the best preparation, a text may change over time. As the text is broken into separate fragments that need translation, it is possible not only to indicate what needs to be revisited by a translator, it is also possible to indicate the changed text in pink in the readable text.
Volunteers are masters of their own time. They choose how much they want to do in one go. Making the translated text immediately available is one way in which we show appreciation for the work that is done and, at the same time it is an invitation to other volunteers to complete the work that still needs doing.
With all the Translate functionality in place, we expect that it is easier to translate, we hope that more people will be involved and that important texts like the “terms of use” will become available in as many languages as we can find translators for.
Gerard Meijssen
Internationalization / Localization outreach consultant
Can you help us translate this article?
In order for this article to reach as many people as possible we would like your help. Can you translate this article to get the message out?
Start translation