On 02/05/06, Alphax (Wikipedia email) alphasigmax@gmail.com wrote:
It's actually considered rude on hold conversations in one language on a project written in another, simply for the reason that most other users of that project won't be able to read what's being said. IIRC there was some fuss about vote-stacking in other languages...
I can understand that, particularly if the people in question do both speak English to an acceptable degree. But, in terms of "getting the encyclopaedia written", I don't see a major problem with two editors carrying on a conversation in Lugandan while debating how best to write an article about Ugandan culture, literature etc...
Perhaps the unspoken ban on languages other than English contributes to the "systemic bias"?
Yes. See [[Special:Preferences]]. I've got accounts (and have edited on) the French, German, Italian and Polish Wikipedias (doing image replacement mostly), even though I have no understanding of Italian or Polish, and can barely remember a few words of French and German from school.
Oh, thanks!
Babelfish? :)
What a pity that babelfish, in the 6 or 7 years I've been using it, hasn't added any significant number of new languages.
Different social customs as well.
Yep. Minefield.
Learning other languages would be a good start. I find it extremely distasteful that native English speakers (especially certain people from a country which shall not be named) expect that everyone speaks their language, and worse, their particular version of it.
Definitely, but learning 20+ languages is no easy task! Other than French, I can read Spanish more or less, and can pick out bits of German. But even to get to basic textual conversational competency is a fair challenge. I'm keen to have a go though :)
Steve