One of the best things about hive is the ability to travel the world at the click of a button; There's users from every corner of the world and I love meeting and engaging with them!
I like learning things, understanding people's perspective or simply seeing places I haven't yet been in the real world all through other people's eyes. Hive brings that ability in a way that means far more than other social medias. It connects us and promotes community.
Along with virtual-world-travel comes language differences and challenges though; I only speak one language proficiently; A little Italian and French also but English is my first and only proficient language. I write in English, respond to posts in English and mostly do not look at posts in other languages because I simply cannot read them.
I don't often use translators as I struggle to find the time and most translators mess up the translation anyway making posts less enjoyable. I have translated comments left on my posts occasionally - I guess to be polite. But I find it time-consuming and have been doing it less and less. It probably means I'm missing out on some nice commenting and engagement although I have to fit everything in and so I am translating fewer comments.
I was thinking that my posts are all written in English and if a reader has translated it to their own language to read it makes sense that they could translate their return-comment to English before posting it right? It would mean their comment has a better chance of gaining traction and I see it as a matter of courtesy, language courtesy.
Yes, I could translate the comment text myself but wouldn't it be nice not to have to? If I were to engage and connect with non-English posts I guess I'd feel it's important to return-comment in that language also. It just seems polite and respectful and may make it easier for that person to engage back with me.
There may be an easy solution
I welcome engagement on my posts and don't mind where it comes from; I also really value bilingual posts where an English translation is included. It's helpful and allows me more scope to curate it as I cannot curate words I can't read.
But a lot of the time comments to my posts in languages other than English don't get much of my time because I have a lack of time, just in the same way posts in other languages don't, because I can't read them. It's a shame as I'm always happy to engage and build connections.
I think it could work out better for everyone if the person attempting engagement was to translate their comment into the language of the post they are commenting upon, especially if they have translated that post to read in the first place!
By doing so they help the post-author to respond more easily and it gives everyone a chance to engage and connect a little more efficiently - It's a win-win situation in my opinion, a nicer scenario.
Commenting on people's posts is a good way to get on their radar; It runs a flag up your profile-flagpole signalling your willingness to engage and build relationships; I applaud people who do outbound communication and encourage it but feel a little more effort could be made to translate that comment into the right language as a sign of respect and to pave the way a little more smoothly. Showing language courtesy will go a long way towards opening doors - Many do this well already but many do not.
I'm not suggesting that posting outside of a person's own language is required, or even bilingual posting for that matter...Just that it may be more beneficial to open up relationships with others in their own language. It could be a great ice-breaker and go a long way towards opening the relationship more effectively...It's no different to what we would probably do if travelling in a foreign country I think - Open conversations in the relevant language.
So tell me, what are your thoughts on the matter? Are you happy to translate incoming comments and if so do you reply in your own language or translate into theirs? Do you take the time to translate posts into your own language or simply move on? Let me know your ideas on it...Maybe we need a translator built into the blockchain? Maybe we all need to learn more languages, or just some language courtesy. What do you think and how can we make cross-language engagement more effective?
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
Discord: galenkp#9209
Track: Because "a vous J'avoue..." - Vous
The image is me working.
What you are saying is all very true.
#hive connects many countries and even the world.
we can communicate with each other here, although far away we can see the situation and beauty that is there.
Regarding the translation, I am very sorry.
perhaps when our impolite words are read there.
even though we write in our own language it is very polite.
But the translation can be reversed.
But I always try to translate all posts made in English here.
Sometimes I find it very difficult to understand.
But I tried to think what was in the words.
We apologize once again with our imperfect translation @galenkp.
You do a good job.
Thank you.
Each post should be its own ecosystem. I lean toward author control in pretty much everything. That includes the ability to hide comments (at the condenser level).
Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, I'm not stressed about non-english commenting but fail to see why people don't go that extra step and make it a little easier for the post-author by translating the comment. Just makes sense right?
Still, it's the blockchain and people can do as they please. I hope you're well.
If I got non-English comments in a language I was learning I'd probably at least attempt to answer in the same language, good practice XD Otherwise I'd translate and then reply in English and let them work it out on their end.
Hell if I had time I'd read more of the posts that weren't in English that otherwise looked interesting (mostly art-related because hey it's me, I actually added Spanish to Duolingo because I have so much time x_x specifically because there seem to be a lot of Spanish-speaking artists). I seem to remember trying in the past and trying both commenting in English and apologising for not translating and simplifying what I wanted to say into concepts that would probably not get mangled to badly (but lost a lot of nuance), running that through GoogTranslate and apologising for the dodgy translation.
It may also be possible that the people answering in their own languages aren't translating it to begin with; they might have some translation add-on or be using Chrome and everything is automatically being translated into their language and they're so used to it they're forgetting it might be in a different one.
It would be pretty cool to have translation capabilities built in but that's a pretty big undertaking, translation is hard.
Translators are pretty dodgy at best and I'm fairly reluctant to use them to translate my comments, especially if they are long ones as it could lead to misunderstandings. Having said that, I think it's nice to make that little effort and show the person I'm responding to that I'm open to meeting them half way.
I get that some people may be a bit reluctant to translate back to English, same as I am into other languages but it wold be nice ice-breaker right?
I'm a dumb-ass so have no clue of how difficult it might be but...
Grazie per il tuo commento, je vous en suis reconnaissant und hoffe, Sie werden wieder kommentieren.
Lol.
Was that in three languages? o_O
I don't know the last fragment XD
Trust me it's hard XD
Three different ones, yep.
Ajoin tekstisi kuusisataa kertaa kääntäjän läpi ja vastaukseni on että hävytöntä! Kuinka voit kysyä sellaista?!
I drove your text sprucerains times turners through and my answer is that vulviless! How butters ask such?!
😁
I am sorry. I just couldn't help myself. I'm blaming it on Friday. Although all days nowadays are so similar that I'm surprised how my brain can even comprehend that it's Friday. Word for word translations are always fun. And choosing the wrong option.
Of course google translator translates the Finnish text correct but still, my translation summarizes one huge problem that, depending on language and how difficult the text is, the translation can sometimes be a little bit or sometimes so much off that the original message is lost. And then there's the double lost in translation problem. Translating the text and then the comment. And because of that I wouldn't dare to write a comment to a text that is written with a language that I do not, for the most part, understand.
And what it comes to being polite, yes, I totally agree. Answering with the language the post is written would be polite. You can always also add that you translated it with google so that if the text seems to be incomprehensible, people know why. Although google translator is pretty amazing noways. Simple and most common sentences are usually translated really well.
So the correct translation goes: I drove your text six hundred times through the translator and my answer is that shameless! How can you ask that ?!
P.S.
Kuinka voit? = How butters?
Kuinka voit? = How are you?
I butters well Insane, thanks for asking! 🤣
Translators can be a terrible thing and garbled messages aren't fun to read.
I haven't seen you around much but thanks for dropping in. I hope you butters well. 🙂
My butter feels well too thanks!
I'd love to spend more time in Hive and especially here in your blog but although I'm working more at home and in front of my computer I've noticed that It's been really difficult to do anything else than just the things that I absolutely have to. But I'm trying hard to stay here. Again. Or is it a comeback? No, it's just a tiny noise after a little bit of silence.
Lol, well you're welcome anytime, I've missed having you around but I understand that work takes priority. I'll take a break from hive one day...Not sure when. Been four years now...So...Sometime soon I'll stop for a break. A day or so. Lol.
And I missed our chit-chats! And awesome and weird and stupid humor. And Hive. It's just that even normally the things that I do, when I find something new to do I get involved with it so much, for a week or a month or more, that everything else is almost forgotten. (This time it's plants and black and white photography...) And the fact that my but and back can only handle so much sitting in front of the computer. But I promise to come back again and again here because I absolutely love this place and the people in it. :)
I just have one question. It's not about you taking a holiday from hive because why be apart from something you love doing. It's this: don't you ever sleep? I mean what time is it there? Well I could ask google but it's more a rhetorical question and I'm not sure if google understands that.
That actually was more than one question so why not throw in one more: Do you know if there is a sarcastic google also? Or sarcastic Alexa or Siri or what's the third one... That would be fun.
It'll be good to see you drop in now and then when you can so please do so.
Questsh 1: It's 2020 (8:20pm) here, Friday night. We're 6.5 hours ahead of you.
Questch 2: Yes I sleep, upside down like a vampire.
Only 6,5 hours! That's not far far far far far away.
You must be one of those 2.0 editions. A daylight vampire. Or I'm calling all your travel photos a hoax. At least the daytime photos that you are in. Or... does Faith have a waxgalenkp that she poses with in the daylight photos?