I think the version should be already released, even if some parts are not translated. In particular the interview.
I think it is not such a big deal if some parts are not translated, and the idea of putting them off for another trimester is not such a good idea.
As for me, I "released" (somehow) the french version on the french wikipedia when the fundraising started (with link to meta, that is not great, but better than nothing).
I would prefer untranslated part to removal. We could already release those which are 80 % translated and complete parts non translated in english.
Yes, I agree, we should do next version smaller.
Actually, since two languages now have a sort of weekly or monthly news magazine, we could probably be lighter on some points, and limit it more strictly to foundation activity. This is possibly something to consider.
In any cases, it makes little sense to my opinion to report meeting in last november next summer.
Maybe we need to more precisely see how many languages are covered, which parts etc ???
Did you make a summary ?
ant
--- Aphaia aphaia@gmail.com wrote:
Hello, I'm now worried about Quarto vol.2: its release strongly. In my opinion we are better to release it within this month, if possible before March 15, the midst of this month.
Quarto is a newsletter from the foundation (hence from the board) and Quarto vol.2 is basically a report of the foundation and board activity in 2004/Q4. I like to read project reports and meetups but essentially they are additional parts in my understandings. We can put aside them. But quartery report should be provide in my opinion.
We are an international non-profit organisation and people support us substentially, therefore we should react to those support. And in my part the activity of the project like Wikipedia is not sufficient for such responsibility and visibility of the foundation. And I have no reason to let the relase of information on those issues delay no more. If we are waiting for the begining of 2005/Q2, we will be seemed to be idle, though I know many of translators have been working on it, such shadow work is always uncomprehensible from the outside.
Recently Sj and I talked about this issue and we reached to the conclusion some contributions to Quarto vol.2 could appear on vol.3. Now I propose we will release some edition including English, German, Japanese and French on March 15. But not the whole part of initial plan but the content as the below: *Whole part of pages 1-3 and 8 (Endnote, Angela's report on BBC visit) *Some part of page 4; (Project report) Local chapter reports, Wikinews reports, short report from some language projects, "Buon Natale" project report (it is a seasonal topic so can't be delay more) . Other stuffs will be reused on the "Spring" issue. *If possible, "In the Media" and "International": I think most of this part are translated already and we have no reason to save it to the next issues.
On the contrary the interview of Larry Lessig will appear in the next edition. I propose here some stuffs will appear only twice a year to reduce the task of volunteer translators. In current situation there are too many stuffs. Since we have no right to assign translation task to each community nor certain translators, and curerntly we are not many in number, we should keep the task in a size we can manage. Or I think we can make a new media to provide project and community news and keep the newsletter much tighter in its shape. but it could be discussed in another chance.
I admit we should have take an action before, but I hope it is not too late. Of course ideally I would like to release the current version in eitht pages, but I assert it is unbearable now for our translator team, so it should be resized and we should provide the quartery report periodically - in my opinion in this situation no news is bad news. Core isseus should be reported even it will seem a bit less amused.
How do you think?
-- Aphaea@*.wikipedia.org email: Aphaia @ gmail (dot) com _______________________________________________ Quarto-l mailing list Quarto-l@mail.wikimedia.org http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/quarto-l
__________________________________ Celebrate Yahoo!'s 10th Birthday! Yahoo! Netrospective: 100 Moments of the Web http://birthday.yahoo.com/netrospective/
On Sat, 5 Mar 2005 03:26:38 -0800 (PST), Anthere anthere9@yahoo.com wrote:
I think the version should be already released, even if some parts are not translated. In particular the interview.
Agreed. If possible I would like to release it in January, though we could release only one version - in English - at that time.
In my humble opinion we need a professional stuf who manage such issues - PR, periodial newsletter and its translation coordinatation. Though I am proud of our own work, I think those issues are too important to be managed by us as mere volunteers.
It should be made clear who are responsible on those matter, not only ethically but practically. It is a shame an non-profit organisation whose quartery budget exceed $100,000 don't have sufficient PR body. I dare say we are better to have a person like Chad who care for PR as his salaried job. It will make clear his responsibility and delegation from the board. Or at least we have a person like mav or Tim who care for PR officially as his role (and perhaps there are some proper candidates, if they will - I mean Sj or Danny or other talented people).
On my part sometimes I feel the necessity of delegation, particularly when folks asked me "so do you mean '''I'''should do translation?".I think an organisation like WMF should make a periodical report as mundatory for the public, speicially for its donors, but at least now it is my personal opinion - I haven't talked on it with anyone. I need such necessity as the foundation policy to have other folks understand why we do it and for whom.
To clarify those issues, now we come to the time to consider the nature of newsletter and rebuild its editional policy; not only for feasibility but also for realisation why we decide to issue such (now online) publification.
OK, besides the future vision, back to our current topic.
I think it is not such a big deal if some parts are not translated, and the idea of putting them off for another trimester is not such a good idea.
I agree not all parts should be translated. it depends if some parts would be inserted in English or just some page would be omitted. For example, in the japanese edtion the interview of Larry Lessig would appear in English first with a remark "now translation of this part is on-going. You will read Japanese translation in the beginning of May". and put a link to English version or his interview in English. I would like each language's proofreader to make a decision in general besides core issue - it is need to have a sort of uniformity in my opinion. So the principal information from the board should be completely localized into each specific languages for the sake of readability. .I mean here first three pages, Introduction, Two letters (from Jimbo and Anthere), Quarterly report, Endnotes including Calender.
In my personal impression it is not beautiful a page become a mosaic of English and other language texts. We would be able to add some pages later. But I rely on the proofreaders. Most of them are experienced Wikipedians and trusted persons. They know what their language readers would like to read.
I would prefer untranslated part to removal.
me too.
Yes, I agree, we should do next version smaller.
We will discuss it in another thread. We have to prepare right now the report of this tremester. For the current edition we started to make a draft in Nobember - the second month of Q4. Now we are in the thrid and final month of Q1. But before preparation we should talk what the volumn 3 will contain.
Maybe we need to more precisely see how many languages are covered, which parts etc ???
As for languages, translations the below are on-going: *80%+ Cs, Fr, It, Ja, Pl (but Pl lacks its skelton now) *50%+ Es, Nl *Others Zh, No,
As for Es and Nl, I prefer they engage first to the first three pages and the last page. The page 3 is now left untranslated.But in my opinion it is the true body of this news letter - and page 2 is the soul: we need both a soul and a body.
For Pl translators I would like them to have a skelton unless there is a reason now they are better not to have it.
Did you make a summary ?
Not yet. If necessary I will send the list of templates in the highst priority - but I think any translators can understand which are important now from their own skelton.
Oh Sorry,
As for languages, translations the below are on-going: *80%+ Cs, Fr, It, Ja, Pl (but Pl lacks its skelton now) *50%+ Es, Nl *Others Zh, No,
I made a mistake.
For Others: Zh, Sv, De
Currently De is very rapidly being translated so I think it would be possible to release partly at that day (March 15).