[Foundation-l] Discussion about proposal for multilingual Wikibooks

[Ryan Lomonaco]

Forwarded as per request.  -Ryan

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: darklama <darklama at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Subject: Discussion about proposal for multilingual Wikibooks
To: foundation-l-owner at lists.wikimedia.org


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