[Foundation-l] Notice of the results of the WMF Board ofTrustees election

[GerardM]

Hoi,
If the organisation wants to provide information about there being
elections, all that is really needed is one set of messages with a few
variables. The most obvious variables are the date of the election and the
type of election. With the messages as part of the MediaWiki software, the
election committee is able to do the most necessary messaging; the fact that
there is an election and what stage this process is in and possibly provide
pointers to centrally configurable pages for more information.

Yes, it would be good to have the statements of the candidates translated in
as many languages as possible, this is really good to have but it is hardly
as essential as the ability to message about the process.

An added benefit would be that the process will be standardised and not
really open to change. Once a reasonable system for elections is chosen, it
is cheapest to keep it that way. Some predictability will also help the
voters.

Thanks,
   GerardM

On 7/14/07, Sue Reed <sreed1234 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Florence Devouard Anthere9 at yahoo.com
>
> Please, if you blame, provide suggestions of how things can be improved
> next time. As a board member, I would consider totally excluded that I
> learn arabic to provide translation. I would also consider totally
> excluded that I go to EACH language in turn to beg for translation.
> Already overworked, I am not sure it is making the best use of my time.
> I also think that if the board makes the decision to hire translators,
> there will be a HUGE uproar of complaints, because we indeed have the
> resources internally.
>
> ant
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
> But, obviously we don't have the resources internally because it didn't
> get done. I feel that the Board and/or Election Committee should make a list
> of languages that notices, candidate statements, etc. should be translated
> into. The Election Committee should then try to recruit volunteers to do
> those translations and have volunteers that can do things with both long
> turnaround times and "we need this translated in the next hour" turnaround
> times. If volunteers do not step forward to do the translations in specific
> languages, like Arabic, than the Board should use Foundation resources to
> make sure that those translations get done. We might have a huge population
> that speaks both Chinese and English and has the ability to do the
> translation, but it might not be something that they are interested in
> doing. In the same way that you can't force an editor to work on a specific
> article or an admin to work on a specific task, you can't force a volunteer
> to do the translation just
> because they have the ability.
>
> And, I don't think it's an issue of begging. I think it's an issue of
> recognizing where there is a deficiency of resources and filling those gaps.
> Personally, I can name 3-5 agencies here in the SF Bay Area that can do
> translations in both Arabic or Chinese. Some of those agencies might even be
> willing to donate a couple of hours of time if they are approached early
> enough in the process.
>
> I also want to add my approval to the thought process that the Election
> Committee should be formed a lot sooner. I for one am willing to volunteer
> today to serve on that committee for next year's election. Of course, you're
> going to have people that come in and out, but having a specific committee
> chair in place now to start talking about these issues and working on
> solutions will greatly enhance the transparency and reliability of the
> process.
>
> Sue Anne
>
> _______________________________________________
> foundation-l mailing list
> foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
>