Updates to the way languages can be entered in profiles
Thread poster: Jason Grimes
Jason Grimes
Jason Grimes
Local time: 17:28
SITE STAFF
Feb 19, 2018

Some improvements have been made to the language settings in the profile editor. The purpose of these changes is to make it easier to enter language information, and to support entering some additional information like proficiency and language variants.

In the past it was only possible to enter your language pairs and native language. Now, you can also specify the individual languages you know, with your self-described proficiency in
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Some improvements have been made to the language settings in the profile editor. The purpose of these changes is to make it easier to enter language information, and to support entering some additional information like proficiency and language variants.

In the past it was only possible to enter your language pairs and native language. Now, you can also specify the individual languages you know, with your self-described proficiency in each (using the CEFR standard proficiency levels). Variants can also be specified for each language. This list of languages you know is then used to simplify the entry of language pairs and native language.

The new language information is not yet shown to others on the site, and it does not currently affect directory positioning, though it may in the future.

Initially, your list of languages has been pre-populated based on your previously entered language information. Please take a moment to review your list of languages, and indicate your proficiency levels.

If you have questions or comments about the new language settings, please post them in this thread.

Thanks,

Jason
ProZ.com Team
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Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 21:28
Danish to English
+ ...
Comments and questions Feb 19, 2018

It's good that variants can finally be set.

But:

Why are the links for editing and Add Variants hidden unless the cursor hovers above them? I just don't get this trend of hiding interfaces with flat design or material design or whatever the latest design fad is called. It makes it more difficult to overview what you can do on a page.

It is not clear if setting a variant will affect source or target language or both. This is rather confusing. I don't disting
... See more
It's good that variants can finally be set.

But:

Why are the links for editing and Add Variants hidden unless the cursor hovers above them? I just don't get this trend of hiding interfaces with flat design or material design or whatever the latest design fad is called. It makes it more difficult to overview what you can do on a page.

It is not clear if setting a variant will affect source or target language or both. This is rather confusing. I don't distinguish or limit variants of source languages, only target languages. I would like to be able to distinguish source and target language settings. It is not helping anybody to combine them.

I had already specified variants for native languages, but they are nowhere to be seen on this screen, although they appear on my main profile page. Why are they not shown on this settings page?
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Jason Grimes
Jason Grimes
Local time: 17:28
SITE STAFF
TOPIC STARTER
Variants are only descriptive for now Feb 19, 2018

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for your feedback.

Your previously entered native language variants should appear. This is a bug--I will fix it. Thank you.


It is not clear if setting a variant will affect source or target language or both. This is rather confusing. I don't distinguish or limit variants of source languages, only target languages. I would like to be able to distinguish source and target language settings. It is not helping anybody to combine them.


At the moment, the ability to enter variants is purely descriptive. It's just a way for you to indicate which variants you "know", in cases where that is relevant to you. It doesn't affect source or target languages.

When you say that you only limit variants of target languages, does that apply to all of your language pairs? Or would you have different preferences for different pairs?

Thanks,

Jason


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 21:28
Danish to English
+ ...
Variants Feb 19, 2018

Jason Grimes wrote:


It is not clear if setting a variant will affect source or target language or both. This is rather confusing. I don't distinguish or limit variants of source languages, only target languages. I would like to be able to distinguish source and target language settings. It is not helping anybody to combine them.


At the moment, the ability to enter variants is purely descriptive. It's just a way for you to indicate which variants you "know", in cases where that is relevant to you. It doesn't affect source or target languages.

When you say that you only limit variants of target languages, does that apply to all of your language pairs? Or would you have different preferences for different pairs?




Which variants I can handle depend on which purposes I'm using the languages for. When a language is only listed as source language in the combinations, there can be no doubt, but when a language can be both source and target language, it's important to be able specify which variants one can handle as source and target language respectively, and yes, this applies to all concerned languages.

I would not attempt to write in any other variant than my main variant, but it is no problem to translate from another variant.

What I really need is to be able to specify which target variants I translate into, while not limiting the source language variants (others may want to limit the source language variants, though). Now you have made a separate language list, but that doesn't help with the lack of variant options in the combinations.

If a client wants UK English, it’s no use showing them a list of translators out of which half write US English, for example.

But if a client wants an English text translated to French, it usually doesn’t matter if it’s a UK or US English text.

And why are the links hidden?


 
Jason Grimes
Jason Grimes
Local time: 17:28
SITE STAFF
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks for details! Will make edit links visible Feb 20, 2018

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for taking the time to explain, that was very informative. Your point that target variants are more important to you than source variants is well taken.


And why are the links hidden?


I'll make the link to enter variants visible all the time.

Thanks,

Jason


 
Jason Grimes
Jason Grimes
Local time: 17:28
SITE STAFF
TOPIC STARTER
Fixed native variants; link to add variants is always shown Feb 20, 2018

Previously entered native language variants should now appear correctly. For languages without variants configured, the link to add variants is always shown now as well.

Thanks again for your feedback, Thomas.

Jason


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 21:28
Danish to English
+ ...
Thanks Feb 20, 2018

Thanks. It works now.

The next challenge is to enable variant specifications and searches for at least target languages (and some translators or outsourcers may want to be able to do this for source languages too – I don't know – what do others think?).


 
Michele Fauble
Michele Fauble  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 14:28
Member (2006)
Norwegian to English
+ ...
Need clarification - optional or required? Feb 25, 2018

When I try to add a language, l am unable to do so without setting a proficiency level.

 
IrinaN
IrinaN
United States
Local time: 16:28
English to Russian
+ ...
How can I add another language pair to show in Answer Questions? Aug 12, 2018

I hope this is the right forum.

Obviously, I set Kudoz for En-Ru-En, but I would love to monitor En-En monolingual and have it popping up automatically together with my languages for educational purposes. There is always a good chance to encounter interesting discussions led by native speakers. I doubt I'll need or dare:-) to participate in a fight, especially among the giants, but a question or two may be expected. For example, I'd love to get a better feel of differences between m
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I hope this is the right forum.

Obviously, I set Kudoz for En-Ru-En, but I would love to monitor En-En monolingual and have it popping up automatically together with my languages for educational purposes. There is always a good chance to encounter interesting discussions led by native speakers. I doubt I'll need or dare:-) to participate in a fight, especially among the giants, but a question or two may be expected. For example, I'd love to get a better feel of differences between modern UK and US English (Tom in London, I hear you ), including technical matters.

On a side note - years ago, when I was in London for the first time, I was grossly embarrassed by mixing Underground and Subway. I asked for the directions on the street and couldn't figure out why the person was sending me back to "subway" (which I read as in "NY subway") when I knew for sure that all I needed was to find the right "underground" crossing and exit:-). Later I recalled everything and realized that I already knew that from literature, media etc but my immediate reaction was too slow... For one, after 15 years in Texas I was shocked that the accent of a true Londoner (whom the gentleman appeared to be), which was once so natural and dear to me, fell so thick and heavy on my ears (Tom, I hear you again ). I was all ears to understand him at all. BTW, not everyone in Texas says Y'oll, Howdy etc:-)

Is it possible? How can I do that?

Thank you.
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Updates to the way languages can be entered in profiles






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