Translators

[Sasy Scarborough]

I met a one day old Avatar tonight, she was from Russia, two monitors helped me do the google translate thing. I am out of practice in open chat, and found my very old translator has given up the ghost. I did not know where to send her for one, I found her a group of like minded people, but that is a hard thing to do because what if the group is not active or helpful (fingers crossed).

So two things, any suggestions of translators that are not pricey, again new resident, so asking them to spend on something is a bit complicated.

Second thing, why is there no translator in the SL Library? never really thought about it before, but I can imagine this would be a wonderful concept for new residents to come in and be able to communicate immediately, and also other speakers would know they can grab from the library to return the favour. I am loathe to replace peoples businesses with free items suggestions, but this kind of seems like it should be an inclusive tool. In my opinion anyway.

[bigmoe Whitfield]

I think the few free ones google and microsoft had they closed up for a paid version and I'm not seeing anybody forking over their own money to run the backend service that one has to buy for them to even make them products.

[Sasy Scarborough]

25 minutes ago, bigmoe Whitfield said:

I think the few free ones google and microsoft had they closed up for a paid version and I'm not seeing anybody forking over their own money to run the backend service that one has to buy for them to even make them products.

yeah that makes sense, I mean google translate works out of world in a pinch, but I was just curious if there was something like the old babel hud etc, thank you for answering Bigmoe

[Rolig Loon]

5 hours ago, bigmoe Whitfield said:

I think the few free ones google and microsoft had they closed up for a paid version

Yes.  In the "old days" before about 2015, we had several reasonably good free in-world translators.  Babbler was perhaps the most popular one.  They used a free Google API that accessed an early version of what has become Google Translate today. I believe it was about 2015 that Google decided to remove the API and develop their own tool.  Microsoft did a similar thing through Bing at the same time, so free in-world translation disappeared in SL.  You can buy fairly inexpensive translators in Marketplace today.  

[Sasy Scarborough]

9 hours ago, Rolig Loon said:

Yes.  In the "old days" before about 2015, we had several reasonably good free in-world translators.  Babbler was perhaps the most popular one.  They used a free Google API that accessed an early version of what has become Google Translate today. I believe it was about 2015 that Google decided to remove the API and develop their own tool.  Microsoft did a similar thing through Bing at the same time, so free in-world translation disappeared in SL.  You can buy fairly inexpensive translators in Marketplace today.  

Thank you  for me no problem, but this was a new person I was trying to help, and pointing towards unknown cost items, was a bit tricky, that was what made me wonder about having something included, again I understand it is peoples business, but seems like a big gap in helping get more people involved in SL she was on my sim, for her to find her way to Russian speakers was going to be a jump without knowing we even have Marketplace or groups that go with so many themes, hopefully I sent her in the right direction.

[Prokofy Neva]

18 hours ago, Sasy Scarborough said:

I met a one day old Avatar tonight, she was from Russia, two monitors helped me do the google translate thing. I am out of practice in open chat, and found my very old translator has given up the ghost. I did not know where to send her for one, I found her a group of like minded people, but that is a hard thing to do because what if the group is not active or helpful (fingers crossed).

So two things, any suggestions of translators that are not pricey, again new resident, so asking them to spend on something is a bit complicated.

Second thing, why is there no translator in the SL Library? never really thought about it before, but I can imagine this would be a wonderful concept for new residents to come in and be able to communicate immediately, and also other speakers would know they can grab from the library to return the favour. I am loathe to replace peoples businesses with free items suggestions, but this kind of seems like it should be an inclusive tool. In my opinion anyway.

I'm a Russian translator by profession, it's how I earn my living, so I don't expect to volunteer in RL or SL unless it's some kind of emergency.

And it isn't at all for Russians coming into SL, and hasn't been for 10 years. There is a Moscow island which all kinds of Russian tutorials and such and a club called Orange which has a lot of interesting activities and other Russian sites.

As others have noted, Google retired their translator API that you could use inworld at one time easily, and since then, the SL translators don't work.

But again, why are you chipping your nails? There is translate.google.com  This is what I tell customers constantly. I used to do a lot more of help cards, translators, etc. but then I stopped when Google, which makes billions, stopped. People can not be lazy and just go outside their SL browser to translate.google.com and use that, and paste back and forth. Yandex.ru is better in some respects.

Google translate is terrible, of course, which is why I still have a job, but it's easier just to go to the sites within SL and get the already-done Russian translations.

One of the things I really find loathsome is this very pervasive notion throughout the tech world that translation is something that should be done for free, by volunteers. Why? Programming isn't done for free. Why should translation?! Google pushes this rah-rah let's-volunteer thing in developing countries like Kyrgyzstan and poor people come and do unpaid slave labour in the hopes that somehow Google might give them a real job somewhere. Every time I use Google translate and it asks me to suggest a better transltion, I type in "PAY FOR IT YOU GOONS". This isn't FUD, anymore than it is FUD for scripters and programmers to expect to be paid.

Translation is not about strings of symbols that you can machine read and replace with other strings. It is about nuances, and cultural connotations and history and psychology. It's much better to send people to existing language islands within SL of which there are no shortage. I have a list of RL language and country sims called "International Bazaar" which you can get at the infohub in Ross called Memory Bazaar. 

And keep in mind that someone who has the leisure time, funds to cover an Internet connection, and access to a computer that can play SL is not a poor person and can afford the 50 RL cents or whatever it is that commercial SL translators cost. 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2019 by Prokofy Neva

[Sasy Scarborough]

Hi Prokofy, I was sure I mentioned using google myself, always do, have not used a translator in world for years. Fully understand things don't have to be free, mentioned that, also well aware how logging into sl from a pc onthe internet translates to having some kind of financial resource, but I mentioned she was very new, like possibly just entered SL our sim is in the library, so she may have been minutes old. I was just loathe to say (but did link her to mp) welcome to SL, now buy something you may not understand, with the money you may not yet have, and will not be able to top up for 30 days if you spend it all. I linked her to a Russian help group, did my google stuff, and wished her best of luck. It was an observation on wondering why no real tools for that, like maybe logging people into hubs that are geared towards them...just random thoughts. Also as you know, no timeline on MP there should be something to say, this is highest seller, but doesn't work now, and unfortnately most that buy don't realise they can review and indicate item is not as advertised etc. 

I think it is amazing that you can do what you can, I also love that SL is so multicultural. I was just looking for suggestions of something that people know do work, never said people should not get payed for their work, whatever that may be. I think most of your comment was frustration overall though, so I get that. Google for me is easy, I use two monitors, so I can still keep track of in world.

Thank you for taking time to reply, I learned a lot about locations to send people to, next Russian I meet, I will be all on that 😊

[Lindal Kidd]

On 1/7/2019 at 12:32 AM, Prokofy Neva said:

I have a list of RL language and country sims called "International Bazaar" which you can get at the infohub in Ross called Memory Bazaar. 

Prok, I went to the Memory Bazaar yesterday to try to find this.  What I managed to find was three tables set out, with several notecard givers.  These notes included sims for about six countries...Brazil, Norway, Hungary, Czech Republic, India, and one I forget.  There was one for Russia too, but it just gave an object, no landmarks.

I'm always on the lookout for regions that support non-English speakers, because so many of them have gone away over the years.  We've lost help areas for French, Russian, Polish, Chinese, Italian, German and Spanish.  (There's still a modest Spanish help area, but the much larger Virtual Spain is gone).  The only serious foreign language help area that is still hanging in there is Roth Grut's Ajuda SL Brasil for Portuguese.

If you're aware of others, I'd love to hear about them!

We also have a project underway at Caledon Oxbridge University to make our tutorial kiosks multi-lingual.  So we are also always looking for translators!  If interested, contact Wordsmith Jarvinen, our Chancellor.

Edited January 8, 2019 by Lindal Kidd

[Prokofy Neva]

When you land there at Memory Bazaar in Ross, right by the landing, there is an International Bazaar kiosk, they are like round land markers. Because you can't sell things on Linden land (this is a resident infohub on Linden Lab, part of a group of a dozen such outliers from an ancient program when they converted the telehubs) they are just out there to see, with an "International Bazaar" sign next to them that TPs you to the Council of Virtual Relations where you can get them.

I used to have many other countries there - something like 3 dozen -- but not only because the reduction of such sims (remember Virtual Estonia?)  but the display was lost -- due to this incredible debacle with the Lindens, where suddenly the existing prims there that had been there for ages shot up in land value because of some glitch, they forced me to pick up the entire build. It all had to be redone from scratch. The Linden claim at the time was that the alleged prim overage impacted sailing -- which isn't physically possible because it was land owned by Governor Linden and set to our group and not grouped land -- could not have possible impacted the other Linden land/water there in their other group -- there was some false claim by a harasser that they couldn't ride their boat down a strait there (which is in fact owned by my group and in fact free to sail through -- as was all Linden water in this area) and this prompted all the hysteria. It was one of the wildest things I ever dealt with, and I did get an apology from the Lindens later, but honestly, it has taken forever to build it back up.

The reason the Russian card is empty is that for a time all the landmarks were dead, i.e. the lots disappeared except for one persistent one. So I erased them all to re-do them -- there are a few new sites. Thanks for the reminder to add these. This stuff is endless work which I do just in a minute or two of spare time when I go to that sim every day -- in between tending to many other sims.

The new Russian sim called Club Orange is exactly an elaborate sim with lots of activities. It's not always populated with the time difference but perhaps you could try that. There are others I'll send you.

No, I'm not interested in working for free as a translator in SL, when I am paid in RL for such work. Makes no sense.

UPDATE: Oops, I spoke too soon. Club Orange is completely gone, sadly. It was a great sim, but perhaps the tier was too high? But I'm told the people involved with that old club are now on a new sim called "Russia" with a replication of a Russian village called Sovkovo (a kind of inside joke based on the word "Sovok" which means a sort of Soviet rube). I see it has a list of lectures and "Wednesdays -- newbies" with poetry discussion in voice and other things.

Edited January 10, 2019 by Prokofy Neva

[Fionalein]

On 1/8/2019 at 4:51 PM, Lindal Kidd said:

We've lost help areas for French, Russian, Polish, Chinese, Italian, German and Spanish.

What happened to GNC (German Newbie Center) and Unihispana Crea?

[Prokofy Neva]

GNC is still there.

[Fionalein]

11 minutes ago, Prokofy Neva said:

GNC is still there.

Unihispana too, ... that is why I wondered

I came to think Lindal might mean places with almost 100% time coverage of life help.

[Lindal Kidd]

Yep, I know about Unihispana!  It doesn't compare, though, to the old Virtual Spain as a help area.  Still, kudos to them for what they're offering.