Nkansah, to build up a small wikipedia I would not go to translate from English version. Many articles in big wikipedias like English, German have grown to an extent that only part of readers will read all. If you go to translate these very long and often complicated articles you have a higher risk that your language will be less AKAN than English put in Akan words. Different languages have different structures of thought and expression. I sometimes sit long time trying to find a Swahili noun for an English one till I remember that in Swahili we use far less nouns but say it differently with a verbal expression.
Short entries with basic information are just fine. And less tiring for you who tries to build a base.
I often take the simple:Wikipedia entry as a basis (if it makes sense...), open some other language versions I can read and see how they start the explanation and then put it into Swahili. So less translating but let yourself be inspired by the choice and structure of information about topics. And then boil it down to what you think readers in your environment and culture should know first.
Referencing I often (mostly) do by copying the ref-sections from English because for East African readers who are looking for referecing English is the language of choice if there is no Swahili literature (as it is most of the time).
What Akan standard to use? No idea! (just a quote by Martin Luther: Pecca fortiter! -dare to sin-)
Cheers Kipala - Ingo
Message: 4 Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 21:59:23 +0000 From: Nkansah Rexford nkansahrexford@gmail.com
In the case of the Akan language, there're many speakers. And many schools teach the language, how to write and speak from primary schools to even sometimes senior high school.
I, myself, can go back to writing articles onto the Akan Wikipedia. What I ask myself sometimes is that, "Will I have to translate the english versions for whatever article I wanna write to Akan? How will I provide referencing for the articles I write in Akan? What is the standardized Akan language to use?"
I have lots of interest in improving the Akan Wikipedia, and I'm gonna fix it in my workflow and help improve it.
Because, Why not?
Thanks for suggestions.
That makes so much sense, Ingo.
In fact, its exactly what I'll be doing. And I'll try to restrict myself to articles relating and of relevance to our local contexts.
Will begin working on it as soon as possible.
Thanks for suggestion
On Mon, Dec 1, 2014, 10:57 Ingo Koll ikoll@gmx.de wrote:
Nkansah, to build up a small wikipedia I would not go to translate from English version. Many articles in big wikipedias like English, German have grown to an extent that only part of readers will read all. If you go to translate these very long and often complicated articles you have a higher risk that your language will be less AKAN than English put in Akan words. Different languages have different structures of thought and expression. I sometimes sit long time trying to find a Swahili noun for an English one till I remember that in Swahili we use far less nouns but say it differently with a verbal expression.
Short entries with basic information are just fine. And less tiring for you who tries to build a base.
I often take the simple:Wikipedia entry as a basis (if it makes sense...), open some other language versions I can read and see how they start the explanation and then put it into Swahili. So less translating but let yourself be inspired by the choice and structure of information about topics. And then boil it down to what you think readers in your environment and culture should know first.
Referencing I often (mostly) do by copying the ref-sections from English because for East African readers who are looking for referecing English is the language of choice if there is no Swahili literature (as it is most of the time).
What Akan standard to use? No idea! (just a quote by Martin Luther: Pecca fortiter! -dare to sin-)
Cheers Kipala - Ingo
Message: 4 Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 21:59:23 +0000 From: Nkansah Rexford nkansahrexford@gmail.com
In the case of the Akan language, there're many speakers. And many schools teach the language, how to write and speak from primary schools to even sometimes senior high school.
I, myself, can go back to writing articles onto the Akan Wikipedia. What I ask myself sometimes is that, "Will I have to translate the english versions for whatever article I wanna write to Akan? How will I provide referencing for the articles I write in Akan? What is the standardized Akan language to use?"
I have lots of interest in improving the Akan Wikipedia, and I'm gonna fix it in my workflow and help improve it.
Because, Why not?
Thanks for suggestions.
African-Wikimedians mailing list African-Wikimedians@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/african-wikimedians
Ingo thanks for your suggestion.
Rex this makes two us. I guess I need to heard back to Ewe Wikipedia soon.
Best,
On 12/1/14, Nkansah Rexford nkansahrexford@gmail.com wrote:
That makes so much sense, Ingo.
In fact, its exactly what I'll be doing. And I'll try to restrict myself to articles relating and of relevance to our local contexts.
Will begin working on it as soon as possible.
Thanks for suggestion
On Mon, Dec 1, 2014, 10:57 Ingo Koll ikoll@gmx.de wrote:
Nkansah, to build up a small wikipedia I would not go to translate from English version. Many articles in big wikipedias like English, German have grown to an extent that only part of readers will read all. If you go to translate these very long and often complicated articles you have a higher risk that your language will be less AKAN than English put in Akan words. Different languages have different structures of thought and expression. I sometimes sit long time trying to find a Swahili noun for an English one till I remember that in Swahili we use far less nouns but say it differently with a verbal expression.
Short entries with basic information are just fine. And less tiring for you who tries to build a base.
I often take the simple:Wikipedia entry as a basis (if it makes sense...), open some other language versions I can read and see how they start the explanation and then put it into Swahili. So less translating but let yourself be inspired by the choice and structure of information about topics. And then boil it down to what you think readers in your environment and culture should know first.
Referencing I often (mostly) do by copying the ref-sections from English because for East African readers who are looking for referecing English is the language of choice if there is no Swahili literature (as it is most of the time).
What Akan standard to use? No idea! (just a quote by Martin Luther: Pecca fortiter! -dare to sin-)
Cheers Kipala - Ingo
Message: 4 Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 21:59:23 +0000 From: Nkansah Rexford nkansahrexford@gmail.com
In the case of the Akan language, there're many speakers. And many schools teach the language, how to write and speak from primary schools to even sometimes senior high school.
I, myself, can go back to writing articles onto the Akan Wikipedia. What I ask myself sometimes is that, "Will I have to translate the english versions for whatever article I wanna write to Akan? How will I provide referencing for the articles I write in Akan? What is the standardized Akan language to use?"
I have lots of interest in improving the Akan Wikipedia, and I'm gonna fix it in my workflow and help improve it.
Because, Why not?
Thanks for suggestions.
African-Wikimedians mailing list African-Wikimedians@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/african-wikimedians
I, too, agree with Ingo's advice on this.
A.
On Mon, Dec 1, 2014 at 4:47 AM, Enock Seth Nyamador kwadzo459@gmail.com wrote:
Ingo thanks for your suggestion.
Rex this makes two us. I guess I need to heard back to Ewe Wikipedia soon.
Best,
On 12/1/14, Nkansah Rexford nkansahrexford@gmail.com wrote:
That makes so much sense, Ingo.
In fact, its exactly what I'll be doing. And I'll try to restrict myself
to
articles relating and of relevance to our local contexts.
Will begin working on it as soon as possible.
Thanks for suggestion
On Mon, Dec 1, 2014, 10:57 Ingo Koll ikoll@gmx.de wrote:
Nkansah, to build up a small wikipedia I would not go to translate from English version. Many articles in big wikipedias like English, German have grown to an extent that only part of readers will read all. If you go to
translate
these very long and often complicated articles you have a higher risk that your language will be less AKAN than English put in Akan words.
Different
languages have different structures of thought and expression. I sometimes sit long time trying to find a Swahili noun for an English one till I remember that in Swahili we use far less nouns but say it differently with a verbal expression.
Short entries with basic information are just fine. And less tiring for you who tries to build a base.
I often take the simple:Wikipedia entry as a basis (if it makes sense...), open some other language versions I can read and see how they start the explanation and then put it into Swahili. So less translating but let yourself be inspired by the choice and structure of information about topics. And then boil it down to what you think readers in your environment and culture should know first.
Referencing I often (mostly) do by copying the ref-sections from English because for East African readers who are looking for referecing English is the language of choice if there is no Swahili literature (as it is most of the time).
What Akan standard to use? No idea! (just a quote by Martin Luther: Pecca fortiter! -dare to sin-)
Cheers Kipala - Ingo
Message: 4 Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 21:59:23 +0000 From: Nkansah Rexford nkansahrexford@gmail.com
In the case of the Akan language, there're many speakers. And many schools teach the language, how to write and speak from primary schools to even sometimes senior high school.
I, myself, can go back to writing articles onto the Akan Wikipedia. What I ask myself sometimes is that, "Will I have to translate the english versions for whatever article I wanna write to Akan? How will I provide referencing for the articles I write in Akan? What is the standardized Akan language to use?"
I have lots of interest in improving the Akan Wikipedia, and I'm gonna fix it in my workflow and help improve it.
Because, Why not?
Thanks for suggestions.
African-Wikimedians mailing list African-Wikimedians@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/african-wikimedians
--
- Enock
twitter: @Enock4seth enockseth.blogspot.com | [[User:Enock4seth]]
African-Wikimedians mailing list African-Wikimedians@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/african-wikimedians
On Mon, Dec 1, 2014 at 11:56 AM, Ingo Koll ikoll@gmx.de wrote:
Short entries with basic information are just fine. And less tiring for you who tries to build a base.
Yes! I think 100 smaller articles are much more useful than 10 complete translations of big English (or French) articles.
Referencing I often (mostly) do by copying the ref-sections from English because for East African readers who are looking for referecing English is the language of choice if there is no Swahili literature (as it is most of the time).
And for real African on-the-ground knowledge where there are no references: just add it anyway. On African language Wikipedias there is no army of deletionists. It would be hard to get the information translated (and keep it) into the English or French Wikipedias but for this I think Wikibooks could be a solution. Does anyone have experience with this? https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikibooks:What_is_Wikibooks doesn't exclude information that doesn't come with references.
It could be an interesting project to turn oral information from video uploaded to Commons, which can then serve as a base for a multimedia style book (or more) about African knowledge. For things that will not be accepted on the English and French Wikipedias until new scientific research appears or another respectable source with information about it comes up - which can take a long time in Africa, possibly too much time before the knowledge is gone. What do you think?
african-wikimedians@lists.wikimedia.org