Question: How do you use the drow translator?
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 9:11 pm
Hi all.
I'm currently in the middle of converting the [url=http://www.eilistraee.com/chosen/language.php:325h4mz9]drow translator[/url:325h4mz9] for the new site. And I had a few questions about how people use it.
Please, don't give answers based on what you think makes things easier for me. Some things that you might think make things more difficult for me might make them easier, and the other way around. Honest answers are much more helpful to me.
So the questions:
[b:325h4mz9]Do you use the translator?[/b:325h4mz9]
If you don't then that's fine, but there's probably no point in answering the rest of the questions.
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever set the language selection to anything other than "auto"?[/b:325h4mz9]
In case you don't know, you can let the translator try to figure out what language you're trying to translate to (which is the default), or you can specify that you want to translate to drow or to common, or have it translate both. But do you ever use any of the options other than the default "auto"?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever check the "plain text" checkbox?[/b:325h4mz9]
Normally when it gives you a translation it adds all kinds of extra formatting, italics for "official" words, blue for words that haven't been confirmed yet, red for words that weren't translated (with a link to add the word), and a link for words with email addresses of the person who added the word. Using the checkbox removes all that extra formatting. Do you ever use it?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever use wildcards in your searches?[/b:325h4mz9]
It's possible to add a * character, which is interpreted as "any characters here". This basically allows you to return a whole list of results. In the translation it will then use the first match (so not all that useful), but in the added dictionary below the translation it'll list all matches. So if you search for "f*" then it'll list all words starting with f (in both directions no less). Do you ever use this?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you use email addresses?[/b:325h4mz9]
When you add a new word to the database, you can also include your email address. What it then does is that whenever someone has your word in their translation it'll include a link with your email address so that people can email you about the word. I originally added this because the translator I based mine on (the Drow Fortress one) had that functionality. But honestly I think it's probably better [i:325h4mz9]not[/i:325h4mz9] to do this and I see little point for it. But maybe people do use this or do like it being there. Is that the case?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever add new words?[/b:325h4mz9]
The translator has the ability to add new translations, which is what makes the language so extensive (and probably causes there to be some divergence in the translators as employed by different websites now; in the beginning there was only one translator). Do you ever add new words to the database?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you use the add word link?[/b:325h4mz9]
When doing a translation it'll list all untranslated words (because there isn't a translation for it) in red with a link to the add word form so that you can easily add a new word for it. Do you ever use this (assumign that you add new words to begin with)?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever use the [url=http://www.eilistraee.com/chosen/langua ... p:325h4mz9]mini translator[/url:325h4mz9]?[/b:325h4mz9]
I would hope not, since I just found out that it's not actually working at the moment. But when I created the translator years ago I thought that it could be useful to have this little translator window that you could use when playing games or such without the browser obscuring the whole screen. With the tabbed browing people do these days I don't think little popup windows work that well anymore anyway, but even so do you find this a useful feature or do you never use it?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever use the dictionaries?[/b:325h4mz9]
We have a [url=http://www.eilistraee.com/chosen/langua ... w:325h4mz9]drow-to-common dictionary[/url:325h4mz9] and a [url=http://www.eilistraee.com/chosen/langua ... n:325h4mz9]common-to-drow dictionary[/url:325h4mz9] which list all the (official and confirmed) words in the database in nicely formatted columns. Do you ever use these pages?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever print out the dictionary?[/b:325h4mz9]
The reason that the two dictionary pages are current black text on a white background without any of the site graphics around it is so that it can easily be printed out (or that was the idea at least). Do you ever do this?
[b:325h4mz9]If you could just pass the translation query in the url, would you use it?[/b:325h4mz9]
i.e. if you could do something like this: "http://www.eilistraee.com/chosen/language.php?t=I want to translate this sentence." Would you use it? Something like that could be useful for using the Quick Search feature that Firefox has (don't know about other browsers). It would also allow people to link directly to a translation. Do you think that would be useful and/or would you use it?
[b:325h4mz9]Any comments or things that you would like to see for the drow translator?[/b:325h4mz9]
Basically anything else you want to say, or any additional features that you would like to see supported (no promises though).
That's all the questions that I can think of. Your input would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time.
[i:325h4mz9]<goes back to working on the new website>[/i:325h4mz9]
Love -x-x-x-
Shir'le
I'm currently in the middle of converting the [url=http://www.eilistraee.com/chosen/language.php:325h4mz9]drow translator[/url:325h4mz9] for the new site. And I had a few questions about how people use it.
Please, don't give answers based on what you think makes things easier for me. Some things that you might think make things more difficult for me might make them easier, and the other way around. Honest answers are much more helpful to me.
So the questions:
[b:325h4mz9]Do you use the translator?[/b:325h4mz9]
If you don't then that's fine, but there's probably no point in answering the rest of the questions.
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever set the language selection to anything other than "auto"?[/b:325h4mz9]
In case you don't know, you can let the translator try to figure out what language you're trying to translate to (which is the default), or you can specify that you want to translate to drow or to common, or have it translate both. But do you ever use any of the options other than the default "auto"?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever check the "plain text" checkbox?[/b:325h4mz9]
Normally when it gives you a translation it adds all kinds of extra formatting, italics for "official" words, blue for words that haven't been confirmed yet, red for words that weren't translated (with a link to add the word), and a link for words with email addresses of the person who added the word. Using the checkbox removes all that extra formatting. Do you ever use it?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever use wildcards in your searches?[/b:325h4mz9]
It's possible to add a * character, which is interpreted as "any characters here". This basically allows you to return a whole list of results. In the translation it will then use the first match (so not all that useful), but in the added dictionary below the translation it'll list all matches. So if you search for "f*" then it'll list all words starting with f (in both directions no less). Do you ever use this?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you use email addresses?[/b:325h4mz9]
When you add a new word to the database, you can also include your email address. What it then does is that whenever someone has your word in their translation it'll include a link with your email address so that people can email you about the word. I originally added this because the translator I based mine on (the Drow Fortress one) had that functionality. But honestly I think it's probably better [i:325h4mz9]not[/i:325h4mz9] to do this and I see little point for it. But maybe people do use this or do like it being there. Is that the case?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever add new words?[/b:325h4mz9]
The translator has the ability to add new translations, which is what makes the language so extensive (and probably causes there to be some divergence in the translators as employed by different websites now; in the beginning there was only one translator). Do you ever add new words to the database?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you use the add word link?[/b:325h4mz9]
When doing a translation it'll list all untranslated words (because there isn't a translation for it) in red with a link to the add word form so that you can easily add a new word for it. Do you ever use this (assumign that you add new words to begin with)?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever use the [url=http://www.eilistraee.com/chosen/langua ... p:325h4mz9]mini translator[/url:325h4mz9]?[/b:325h4mz9]
I would hope not, since I just found out that it's not actually working at the moment. But when I created the translator years ago I thought that it could be useful to have this little translator window that you could use when playing games or such without the browser obscuring the whole screen. With the tabbed browing people do these days I don't think little popup windows work that well anymore anyway, but even so do you find this a useful feature or do you never use it?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever use the dictionaries?[/b:325h4mz9]
We have a [url=http://www.eilistraee.com/chosen/langua ... w:325h4mz9]drow-to-common dictionary[/url:325h4mz9] and a [url=http://www.eilistraee.com/chosen/langua ... n:325h4mz9]common-to-drow dictionary[/url:325h4mz9] which list all the (official and confirmed) words in the database in nicely formatted columns. Do you ever use these pages?
[b:325h4mz9]Do you ever print out the dictionary?[/b:325h4mz9]
The reason that the two dictionary pages are current black text on a white background without any of the site graphics around it is so that it can easily be printed out (or that was the idea at least). Do you ever do this?
[b:325h4mz9]If you could just pass the translation query in the url, would you use it?[/b:325h4mz9]
i.e. if you could do something like this: "http://www.eilistraee.com/chosen/language.php?t=I want to translate this sentence." Would you use it? Something like that could be useful for using the Quick Search feature that Firefox has (don't know about other browsers). It would also allow people to link directly to a translation. Do you think that would be useful and/or would you use it?
[b:325h4mz9]Any comments or things that you would like to see for the drow translator?[/b:325h4mz9]
Basically anything else you want to say, or any additional features that you would like to see supported (no promises though).
That's all the questions that I can think of. Your input would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time.
[i:325h4mz9]<goes back to working on the new website>[/i:325h4mz9]
Love -x-x-x-
Shir'le