This is response I tried to send to the foundation-l and than
foundation-l-owner without any success. Someone on foundation-l
suggested this discussion take place on textbook-l anyways. I have
no idea if Pharos is subscribed or reads the archives though.
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Pharos wrote:
> A multilingual Wikibooks would be valuable to the extent that it would
> focus on smaller languages which don't have their own language project
> yet.
> This makes perhaps more sense with Wikibooks than other projects
> because each "book" is relatively autonomous and of significant
> educational value in its own right, and even if someone were to donate
> a textbook in a rather obscure language I don't think that we should
> turn such a gift away.
> Thanks,
> Pharos
Exactly, we shouldn't turn people and textbooks away. I think this
project can help with that.
People willing to translate textbooks have been turned away at times
too. I think this project can help with that as well.
Some instruction manuals and how-to guides include multiple translations
as a single work. We shouldn't turn away people willing to provide free
alternatives here either. These books are autonomous too.
I know some people are concerned that Multilingual Wikibooks' focus
overlaps too much with existing projects. I think this can be managed
by turning away:
* Source text previously published by an author. Thats Wikisource.
* Translations of source text. Thats Old Wikisource
* Original writing that is within the scope of an existing Wikibooks
project and it is not intended to become an autonomous work in two or
more languages. This applies to finished translations as well.
* Research not previously published. Thats Wikiversity.
Thanks,
darklama