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As a result of some good feedback I received earlier this week from Mandrake Linux founder Gaël Duval, I have implemented some internationalization features into LXer. Click to read more.
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I know all too well that the majority of Linux users out there do not use English as their first language, and as a result the major Linux news sites do not cater primarily to them.
I've already wanted to solve this problem, but how? I certainly am not able to publish stories in every language out there - my linguistic skills make that an impossibility.
In an email communication this past Wednesday, Gaël Duval of Mandrake suggested to me the best idea I've heard in a long time: harness the power of the community by making a feature that allows other people the ability to translate the stories on this site.
So, for the past 2 days, that's exactly what I did: I coded internationalization (to a certain extent) into the site. Anyone (logged in or not) can now translate a story into their own tongue, and then everyone else that comes along will benefit from the work of the original translator.
Additionally, readers can correct each other's work. As a result, if you are reading a previously translated piece, and you find errors, you can click "Translate", select their version, and revise it. You will have then created "Version 2" which is then shown in place of the first version.
Lastly, users who are logged in can now go to the member page, click on "Language preferences", and select their preferred language. Then, as they then go from page to page, the server will issue the content to them in their preferred language (if a translation of that page is available).
Fun fun! Now all we need is some bilingual members who are willing to translate some stories into their own language. |
