I think this is a top question!

This is cute - the fckdeditor is open source with automatic language detection including right to left languages. http://www.fckeditor.net .

I think what it does is automatically detect what language the person entering the text is using.

Rising Voices http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org, another offshoot is much better!
really timely with recent news at top, recent photos; left side profiling projects from various countries, note when you click access to content in other languages.

and this landing page provides high visiblity to delicious and flickr.... really like their work here.

Great insights, ideas and comments. I have emailed Avaaz to see if WE can learn more about how they internationalized their site. It looks like they have a very international team which has no doubt been instrumental in their ability to have a global appeal.

Hey, all:

Could there be a mechanism for the member to set the preferred language in their profile, which would then signal the translation for each page that is opened? Seems this would be most automatic, i.e., less hands-on by the member. Or does the member need to have control for each page? In either case, it seems the process to institute such changes is not easy.

I do agree with Roger that it ain't easy for non-English speakers, and that by sad default English seems to rule as a global language, but as a language English just really bites. More grammar and spelling rules than the IRS has regulations. More exceptions and caveats than a messy divorce decree.

I also do applaud the efforts here--I have Avaaz.org open and they have a series of 13 languages in their native characters on the top of the page--maybe WE can learn something from them--since we are in the same cause and everything.

David
Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!

I agree that every page should contain tags/buttons for easy translation. I also think on the intro page the multilingual accessibilty of WE should receive more prominence. Non English speakers of those to whom English is a second (or secondary) language need to feel immediately engaged in the community. Roger, Im not clear about the suggestion to provide 'tags' for every comment or check boxes.... why would this level of specification be needed if user can toggle between languages from each page?

For starters, I think the UI has to be highly contextual; use of universal symbols, pictures, signs etc. to promote engagement (much like SADAIE or TESOL/Immersion) so that the initial experience is intuitive and highly contextualized as opposed to text laden.
One of the first virtual worlds I participated in is tapped in, a virtual workspace for K-12 educators(www.tappedin.org) ... the environment is structured like a building (which was a common way to organize virtual spaces back in the 90s) and one of the factors I liked most about this environment was the live chat feature available on the homepage where you could see who was online, and you could request assistance. Now this doesn't address the language problem but the 'chat screen' is one thing that is highly recognizable by many users today.
The $100 laptop is an example of an interface that is geared to be comprehensible to children regardless of first language.


from WSIS plan of action http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs/geneva/official/poa.html#c3
"Cultural and linguistic diversity, while stimulating respect for cultural identity, traditions and religions, is essential to the development of an Information Society based on the dialogue among cultures and regional and international cooperation. It is an important factor for sustainable development.

1.

Create policies that support the respect, preservation, promotion and enhancement of cultural and linguistic diversity and cultural heritage within the Information Society, as reflected in relevant agreed United Nations documents, including UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. This includes encouraging governments to design cultural policies to promote the production of cultural, educational and scientific content and the development of local cultural industries suited to the linguistic and cultural context of the users.
2.

Develop national policies and laws to ensure that libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions can play their full role of content - including traditional knowledge - providers in the Information Society, more particularly by providing continued access to recorded information.
3.

Support efforts to develop and use ICTs for the preservation of natural and, cultural heritage, keeping it accessible as a living part of today’s culture. This includes developing systems for ensuring continued access to archived digital information and multimedia content in digital repositories, and support archives, cultural collections and libraries as the memory of humankind.
4.

Develop and implement policies that preserve, affirm, respect and promote diversity of cultural expression and indigenous knowledge and traditions through the creation of varied information content and the use of different methods, including the digitization of the educational, scientific and cultural heritage.
5.

Support local content development, translation and adaptation, digital archives, and diverse forms of digital and traditional media by local authorities. These activities can also strengthen local and indigenous communities.
6.

Provide content that is relevant to the cultures and languages of individuals in the Information Society, through access to traditional and digital media services.
7.

Through public/private partnerships, foster the creation of varied local and national content, including that available in the language of users, and give recognition and support to ICT-based work in all artistic fields.
8.

Strengthen programmes focused on gender-sensitive curricula in formal and non-formal education for all and enhancing communication and media literacy for women with a view to building the capacity of girls and women to understand and to develop ICT content.
9.

Nurture the local capacity for the creation and distribution of software in local languages, as well as content that is relevant to different segments of population, including non-literate, persons with disabilities, disadvantaged and vulnerable groups especially in developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
10.

Give support to media based in local communities and support projects combining the use of traditional media and new technologies for their role in facilitating the use of local languages, for documenting and preserving local heritage, including landscape and biological diversity, and as a means to reach rural and isolated and nomadic communities.
11.

Enhance the capacity of indigenous peoples to develop content in their own languages."

jckaiten: thank you for your input!
"In the case of Areas of Focus they just don't need to be translated but to be adapted to the Latin American Context." We need your voice on this! Not only are there language barriers but cultural barriers on this site.

Man David you asked some good questions.

What do you all think about moving forward with a group focused on internationalization. I'd like it to be in the Governance group, because theres so much technical support that'll be needed...as I mentioned here
http://www.wiserearth.org/forum/view/88e398413c6f5507269efbf605776338

heres the discussion in the Governance group: http://www.wiserearth.org/forum/view/1d492d2b576999c5fe7e6025a73a1c8d/group/WiserEarthGovernance

We can call it "Internationalize WiserEarth" or "WiserEarth Internationalization" maybe. I haven't heard from anyone else in the group, but I'll send a message to all if more of us speak up on this.

Hey, all:

So what are the best examples of sites or solutions that are available? I have never had to deal significantly with translation but I can understand somewhat the great need for such tools. Can Google Translator help across the board or is something else needed? Can some of the segments Juan Carlos mentions be set up with 'mouse hover' translations in order to make registration and use easier? These translations would be one time, and based on appropriate flags or some other icons. I really think we need to support global ease of use.

Standing texts for tutorials, instructions, that are locked are static and could easily be translated without much concern over becoming obsolete or incorrect. This would be a good place to start. Translations for the 'mouse hover' items could be provided for the programmers to implement when practical to do so.

On a related item, when I suggested an international date format with abbreviated month names, I put together a simple table of 12 rows and (currently) 5 columns, for 5 languages. I'll make this available and everyone can review it and add languages. Some means will be needed to add non-English characters/fonts, but once done for a significant majority of languages, it can be frozen. And it occurs to me I don't know how universal the 12-month calendar is, but for most it should suffice. WE certainly still need to bring in any remaining minorities/languages, but WE certainly need to do the same with the majority languages.

Let's move this forward--this is critical to being global.

David
Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!

Let's start talking about this eh? Not a simple fix, but one that is essential for this site to develop a reputation as a global site early on.