Appropedia seeks to develop conventions for the translation of articles that already exist in one language. This page will be used to outline and develop those conventions.

Steps in translation

  1. Identify a page for translation
  2. Determine the page name for the translated article (see the Tools for Translation section )
  3. Do some checks to be sure that there is not already a translation
    • In theory, a template at the top of the original should mention if the page is available in other languages
  4. Copy/paste the wikitext contents of the original article to a new article.
    • Copy/pasting the original wikitext makes it easy to maintain the original structure, plus images and tables, etc.
    • You may find this process is simplified if you have two active browser windows or tabs
    1. Open the first page for editing
    2. Click in the edit window
    3. Select all (usually Control-A)
    4. Copy to clipboard (usually Control-C)
    5. Type the new page name in the search box
    6. Click Go
      • This will take you out of the edit window of the original page
      • Assuming the page did not previously exist, you will land at the Search page
    7. Click on the red create this page link to begin editing the new page
    8. Click in the edit window to be sure the cursor is located there
    9. Paste the clipboard into the edit window (usually Control-V)
    10. Enter an edit summary ("created new page to begin translation", or similar)
    11. Click Save page
  5. Copy the name of the new page so you can insert it in the next step
  6. Insert a "this page is also available in language X" template at the top of the original article
    • This template should provide the link to the new page
    • We will need to develop this scheme a bit down the road when the number of languages grows
  7. If you were working from a list such as Appropedia:Articles to translate, update that page
  8. Insert a "translation in process" template at the top of the article
    • The template should include a link to the original article
  9. Place the appropriate language category at the bottom of the article
  10. Begin translation, section by section
    1. As each section is translated, insert the translated version and remove the original language version
    2. This process allows for translations that require extended time, and for translators to operate independently on a given article.
  11. Once translation is complete, all the original language will be gone
  12. Change the "translation in process" template appropriately
    • Replace/modify the template to indicate that the translation needs validation
    • If you are able to self-validate the translation, then skip the above step and go directly to the next step
  13. When the translation is validated, change the template to the "this article available in other languages" template, pointing to the original (and others, if available)

Templates for use in translation

  • Template:Trans avail requires a parameter that consisting of one or more page references, each followed by a language code in parentheses.
  • Template:Trans underway requires a parameter for a wikilink to the original page.
  • Template:Trans validate, like "Trans underway", requires a parameter that is a wikilink to the original page.

Tools for translation - Herramientas para la traducción

Various free web-based tools may be useful for providing bulk translation of content. Such tools provide fair but not 100% reliable translations. We recommend that you use these tools if you are literate in both languages and can verify or correct the resulting translations.

Utilizing Service Learning to Expand Appropedia to Other Languages

Key Resources for Students and Instructors

First pages to translate from English to Other Languages

For German

Kategorien und Artikel auf Deutsch Appropedia German Language Article Index
Online German-English dictionary, with many technical terms

External links

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.