Hola Whooooo....
Interesting set of ideas.
There are at least two broad approaches to building these glossaries. One is very orderly, tightly planned and managed, which is in the direction of your suggestions.
Benefits: efficient use of foreros' time and energy, may avoid mistakes and will allow for correction of inaccurate entries in a timely manner.
Issues: will likely deter participation by most foreros, who may be either unavailable, or just not interested in monitoring the thread to see when it is their turn to participate.
The other approach is the one we have been using: almost anarchistic, with just a few basic guidelines.
Benefits: Invites participation by anyone, at any time. Allows people to come and go when it is convenient for them, adding to any part of the glossary when they have something to add.
Issues: The process may be inefficient, especially if people do not always look at and work from the latest posted version of the glossary. Cross-posting [I am working in Version 4, when someone else posts #5, and you download it, add something, save as # 6...etc] can give the manager a headache.
It may be difficult to resolve arguments about alternate translations...but this can be addressed by having multiple translations ...much as you have suggested for at least two versions of Spanish.
I differ with you on one comment:
every time someone posted a message that he added a new word or something else, I have to download the file, change the German entries and upload the file once again.
No, you don't! You can leave it alone for a week if you please, and then update the column in your language. Furthermore, another German speaker can add new definitions in your absence! In a wiki-style effort, no one of us "owns" anything except....temporarily....our own entries.
We really don't even own those. We contribute them to a communal store of knowledge (or ignorance
)
Whodunit said:
I hate this ... every time someone posted a message that he added a new word or something else, I have to download the file, change the German entries and upload the file once again. I'm not complaining about the space (yet), but I hate it that I always have to do the same. Can't we just try to add at most 20 or 30 English entries plus their definitions and then ... every country and language in one row. Not all together. let me give an example:
- The thread master asks his question and attaches the file with at least 10 words and their definitions if possible.
- Everyone is invited to add more English and definitions to a number of at most 30 words.
- THEN ... our thread master, who has to know when 30 translations are done, posts "stop" and now it's our turn:
- First all the Spaniards and Latin Americans are invited to post their Spanish versions (I think we should use two Spanish columns because of the quantity of possibilities from country to country)
- Now the Spanish column is fixed and it's the French turn. They do the same.
- The Italians and Germans follow ... up to the Portuguese and Catalan speakers.
- If more languages are desired we can comment that in the existing thread. Please don't add a column without asking before.
- Again, the thread master will say "stop" if he has enough languages and all translations and the topic is closed for more comments.
I also want to mention that we should not post until our previous language is done, i.e. I should not add any German translation until the Spanish, French, and Italian one is finished, okay?
Hope for your comments on this.
