Version at: 29/04/2013, 01:44 vs. version at: 06/05/2013, 12:21
11#A Quick Start Guide for New Contributors
22
33
4## Message to Admin
4## Note
55
6TODO: I'd suggest reverting this back to the more concise, shorter, easier-to-quickly-scan version.
7
8Then, instead, have Alan write detailed explanations that he feels are necessary on the [/articles/show/guidelines](guidelines) page.
9
10Once you start adding too much detail to this page, it ceases to be a "quick start guide."
11
6Some of the details on this page may eventually be moved to the [/articles/show/guidelines](guidelines) page.
127
138
149## The Aims of the Tatoeba Project
1510
1611* Briefly, ...
1712
1813 * We are collecting sentences and their translations into other languages.
1914
2015 * Sentences we create are used by [various projects](http://a4esl.com/temporary/tatoeba/links.html) under the Creative Commons - Attribution 2.0 license.
2116
2217## The 6 Basic Rules
2318
2419
2520
2621
2722 You can click the links to read **[Translations]** or read the **[Source]** documentation.
2823
29241. We want complete sentences.
3025
3126 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611372)      [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule1)
3227
33282. Don't change sentences that are correct.
3429
3530 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611373)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule5)
3631 - By correct we mean both grammatically correct AND natural-sounding.
3732
38333. Don't add sentences from copyrighted sources.
3934
4035 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611374)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule8)
4136
42374. We want natural-sounding translations, not word-for-word direct translations.
4338
4439 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611375)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule4)
4540 _Of course, we don't want computer translations._
4641
47425. Make a good translation of the sentence that you are translating. Don't let translations into other languages influence you.
4843
4944 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611376)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule3)
5045
51466. Don't put annotations within your sentences.
5247
5348 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611377)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule9)
5449
5550 In other words, don't do this kind of thing:
5651
5752 - "It's raining cats and dogs. (idiom)" **bad**
5853
5954 - "I like her/him." **bad**
6055
6156In the first example, the inclusion of the parenthetical explanation "(idiom)" should be omitted, since it would not occur in natural use of a language. Such a note could be added to the comments instead.
6257
6358In the second example, the use of "her/him" leads to an unnatural sentence, one that tries to effectively cram two sentences into one in a way that would not be done in speech or writing (where you would know the gender of the person being discussed). The correct thing to do would be to add two sentences:
6459
6560 - "I like her."
6661
6762 - "I like him."
6863
6964
7065For more details:
7166
7267* Read our blog entry on [how to be a good contributor](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html).
7368
7469* Read our blog entry about [our submission policy](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/08/submission-policy-what-kind-of-content.html).
7570<a name="users"></a>
7671
7772## Things a Contributor Can Do
7873
79741. You can **translate a sentence** by clicking on this icon ![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png) whenever you see it.
8075 * Please do not forget **capital letters** and **punctuation.**
8176
82772. You can add **alternate translations**. (![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png))
8378
8479 * If you feel there are several possible translations, you can add them all.
8580 * Just make sure you are adding the translations to the other language. (In other words, don't add an English translation to an English sentence.)
8681
87823. You can **proofread sentences** and "adopt" (![](http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434)) sentences that you think are good.
8883
8984 * If a sentence is "unowned," you can adopt it.
9085
9186 * Generally speaking, "owned" sentences are more likely to be error free, especially if owned by a native speaker (as requested, "[adopt any 'orphan' sentence you see in your native language, and correct it if necessary.](http://tatoeba.org/eng/activities/adopt_sentences/eng)")
9287
9388 * _I suggest only adopting sentences that seem 100% natural to you. If it seems "less than natural," don't adopt it._
9489
95904. You can **correct mistakes** that you find, if the sentence is not "owned" by another user.
9691
9792 * To do this, ...
9893
9994 * Adopt the "orphan" ("unowned") sentence.
10095
10196 * Then click the text to edit it.
10297
10398 * Then, optionally, "unown" (<a>![Let go](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/let_go.png "Let go")</a>) the sentence if you want others to be able to easily edit it again.
10499
105100 * Special Note
106101
107102 * Tatoeba.org prefers that you DO NOT CHANGE any sentence that could be considered correct. Of course if does not sound natural to you, you can change it.
108103
109104 * Instead of changing correct sentences, you should add an alternate translation.
110105
1111065. You can **add comments to sentences**.
112107
113108 * If you find a mistake, but it's "owned" by another user, then leave a comment telling the "owner" how it can be corrected.
114109
115110 * If you see something that seems strange or you don't understand, you can leave a comment and someone may explain it to you.
116111
117112 * If you find things that are absolute nonsense or are not sentences, you can leave a comment alerting moderators that perhaps the item should be deleted.
118113
1191146. You can **add new sentences**.
120115
121116 * The best approach is to search first to make sure the sentence is not already in the database.
122117
123118 * Search with the sentence in quotes to find exact matches.
124119
125120 * LIKE THIS: "I have a dog."
126121
127122 * NOT:  I have a dog. For more information, read the [FAQ](http://tatoeba.org/eng/faq).
128123
129124## Register and Become a Member
130125
131126* If you haven't already done so, after reading this page, [register](http://tatoeba.org/eng/users/register).
132127
133128* It's also a good idea to you write your native language and the languages you translate from in your profile.
134129
135130* You don't need to register, if you aren't planning to contribute. Just [go to the main page](http://tatoeba.org/eng/home) and start looking around.
136131
137132## Warning! There are errors!
138133
139134* Briefly,
140135
141136 1. Some sentences **sound unnatural** and are likely contributed by members who are overconfident in their abilities in their non-native langauges.
142137
143138 2. Some sentences use **archaic and/or old-fashioned** language and perhaps aren't really suitable for people learning a foreign language.
144139
145140 3. Some sentences contain **grammar and vocabulary errors**.
146141
147142 4. Some linked sentences **may not be good translations**.
148143
149144 5. For more details, read the [Warning About the Sentences from the Tatoeba Project](http://www.manythings.org/corpus/warningtatoeba.html).
150145
151146## Recommendation
152147
153148* To help maintain the quality of our sentences, I recommend that you only translate from a non-native language into your native language. I also recommend that you should be careful to only translate from sentences "owned" by native speakers. This helps to avoid problems.
154149
155150* To learn more about this, read the following page.
156151[Is it OK to submit sentences in my non-native language?](http://bit.ly/tatoebafaq#faq201)
157152_(Note: This is not the official policy of the Tatoeba Project. However, many people would agree with this.)_
158153
159154
160155 [1]: http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434 "adopt"
diff view generated by jsdifflib

Version at: 29/04/2013, 01:44

#A Quick Start Guide for New Contributors 


## Message to Admin

TODO: I'd suggest reverting this back to the more concise, shorter, easier-to-quickly-scan version.

Then, instead, have Alan write detailed explanations that he feels are necessary on the [/articles/show/guidelines](guidelines) page.

Once you start adding too much detail to this page, it ceases to be a "quick start guide."



## The Aims of the Tatoeba Project

*   Briefly, ...

    *   We are collecting sentences and their translations into other languages.

    *   Sentences we create are used by [various projects](http://a4esl.com/temporary/tatoeba/links.html) under the Creative Commons - Attribution 2.0 license.

## The 6 Basic Rules




 You can click the links to read **[Translations]** or read the **[Source]** documentation.

1.  We want complete sentences.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611372)      [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule1)

2.  Don't change sentences that are correct.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611373)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule5)
 - By correct we mean both grammatically correct AND natural-sounding.

3.  Don't add sentences from copyrighted sources.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611374)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule8)

4.  We want natural-sounding translations, not word-for-word direct translations.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611375)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule4)
 _Of course, we don't want computer translations._

5.  Make a good translation of the sentence that you are translating. Don't let translations into other languages influence you.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611376)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule3)

6.  Don't put annotations within your sentences.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611377)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule9)
 
  In other words, don't do this kind of thing:

  - "It's raining cats and dogs. (idiom)" **bad**
  
  - "I like her/him." **bad**

In the first example, the inclusion of the parenthetical explanation "(idiom)" should be omitted, since it would not occur in natural use of a language. Such a note could be added to the comments instead. 

In the second example, the use of "her/him" leads to an unnatural sentence, one that tries to effectively cram two sentences into one in a way that would not be done in speech or writing (where you would know the gender of the person being discussed). The correct thing to do would be to add two sentences:

  - "I like her."

  - "I like him."


For more details:

*   Read our blog entry on [how to be a good contributor](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html).

*   Read our blog entry about [our submission policy](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/08/submission-policy-what-kind-of-content.html).
<a name="users"></a>

## Things a Contributor Can Do

1.  You can **translate a sentence** by clicking on this icon ![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png) whenever you see it.
    *   Please do not forget **capital letters** and **punctuation.**

2.  You can add **alternate translations**. (![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png))

    *   If you feel there are several possible translations, you can add them all.
    *   Just make sure you are adding the translations to the other language. (In other words, don't add an English translation to an English sentence.)

3.  You can **proofread sentences** and "adopt" (![](http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434)) sentences that you think are good.

    *   If a sentence is "unowned," you can adopt it.

        *   Generally speaking, "owned" sentences are more likely to be error free, especially if owned by a native speaker (as requested, "[adopt any 'orphan' sentence you see in your native language, and correct it if necessary.](http://tatoeba.org/eng/activities/adopt_sentences/eng)")

        *   _I suggest only adopting sentences that seem 100% natural to you. If it seems "less than natural," don't adopt it._

4.  You can **correct mistakes** that you find, if the sentence is not "owned" by another user.

    *   To do this, ...

        *   Adopt the "orphan" ("unowned") sentence.

            *   Then click the text to edit it.

            *   Then, optionally, "unown" (<a>![Let go](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/let_go.png "Let go")</a>) the sentence if you want others to be able to easily edit it again.

    *   Special Note

        *   Tatoeba.org prefers that you DO NOT CHANGE any sentence that could be considered correct. Of course if does not sound natural to you, you can change it.

        *   Instead of changing correct sentences, you should add an alternate translation.

5.  You can **add comments to sentences**.

    *   If you find a mistake, but it's "owned" by another user, then leave a comment telling the "owner" how it can be corrected.

        *   If you see something that seems strange or you don't understand, you can leave a comment and someone may explain it to you.

        *   If you find things that are absolute nonsense or are not sentences, you can leave a comment alerting moderators that perhaps the item should be deleted.

6.  You can **add new sentences**.

    *   The best approach is to search first to make sure the sentence is not already in the database.

      *   Search with the sentence in quotes to find exact matches.

            *   LIKE THIS: "I have a dog."

            *   NOT:&nbsp; I have a dog. For more information, read the [FAQ](http://tatoeba.org/eng/faq).

## Register and Become a Member

*   If you haven't already done so, after reading this page, [register](http://tatoeba.org/eng/users/register).

*   It's also a good idea to you write your native language and the languages you translate from in your profile.

*   You don't need to register, if you aren't planning to contribute. Just [go to the main page](http://tatoeba.org/eng/home) and start looking around.

## Warning! There are errors!

*   Briefly,

  1.  Some sentences **sound unnatural** and are likely contributed by members who are overconfident in their abilities in their non-native langauges.

  2.  Some sentences use **archaic and/or old-fashioned** language and perhaps aren't really suitable for people learning a foreign language.

  3.  Some sentences contain **grammar and vocabulary errors**.

  4.  Some linked sentences **may not be good translations**.

  5.  For more details, read the [Warning About the Sentences from the Tatoeba Project](http://www.manythings.org/corpus/warningtatoeba.html).

## Recommendation

*   To help maintain the quality of our sentences, I recommend that you only translate from a non-native language into your native language. I also recommend that you should be careful to only translate from sentences "owned" by native speakers. This helps to avoid problems.

*   To learn more about this, read the following page.
[Is it OK to submit sentences in my non-native language?](http://bit.ly/tatoebafaq#faq201)
_(Note: This is not the official policy of the Tatoeba Project. However, many people would agree with this.)_ 


  [1]: http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434 "adopt"

version at: 06/05/2013, 12:21

#A Quick Start Guide for New Contributors 


## Note

Some of the details on this page may eventually be moved to the [/articles/show/guidelines](guidelines) page.


## The Aims of the Tatoeba Project

*   Briefly, ...

    *   We are collecting sentences and their translations into other languages.

    *   Sentences we create are used by [various projects](http://a4esl.com/temporary/tatoeba/links.html) under the Creative Commons - Attribution 2.0 license.

## The 6 Basic Rules




 You can click the links to read **[Translations]** or read the **[Source]** documentation.

1.  We want complete sentences.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611372) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule1)

2.  Don't change sentences that are correct.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611373) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule5)
 - By correct we mean both grammatically correct AND natural-sounding.

3.  Don't add sentences from copyrighted sources.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611374) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule8)

4.  We want natural-sounding translations, not word-for-word direct translations.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611375) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule4)
 _Of course, we don't want computer translations._

5.  Make a good translation of the sentence that you are translating. Don't let translations into other languages influence you.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611376) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule3)

6.  Don't put annotations within your sentences.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611377) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule9)
 
  In other words, don't do this kind of thing:

  - "It's raining cats and dogs. (idiom)" **bad**
  
  - "I like her/him." **bad**

In the first example, the inclusion of the parenthetical explanation "(idiom)" should be omitted, since it would not occur in natural use of a language. Such a note could be added to the comments instead. 

In the second example, the use of "her/him" leads to an unnatural sentence, one that tries to effectively cram two sentences into one in a way that would not be done in speech or writing (where you would know the gender of the person being discussed). The correct thing to do would be to add two sentences:

  - "I like her."

  - "I like him."


For more details:

*   Read our blog entry on [how to be a good contributor](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html).

*   Read our blog entry about [our submission policy](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/08/submission-policy-what-kind-of-content.html).
<a name="users"></a>

## Things a Contributor Can Do

1.  You can **translate a sentence** by clicking on this icon ![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png) whenever you see it.
    *   Please do not forget **capital letters** and **punctuation.**

2.  You can add **alternate translations**. (![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png))

    *   If you feel there are several possible translations, you can add them all.
    *   Just make sure you are adding the translations to the other language. (In other words, don't add an English translation to an English sentence.)

3.  You can **proofread sentences** and "adopt" (![](http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434)) sentences that you think are good.

    *   If a sentence is "unowned," you can adopt it.

        *   Generally speaking, "owned" sentences are more likely to be error free, especially if owned by a native speaker (as requested, "[adopt any 'orphan' sentence you see in your native language, and correct it if necessary.](http://tatoeba.org/eng/activities/adopt_sentences/eng)")

        *   _I suggest only adopting sentences that seem 100% natural to you. If it seems "less than natural," don't adopt it._

4.  You can **correct mistakes** that you find, if the sentence is not "owned" by another user.

    *   To do this, ...

        *   Adopt the "orphan" ("unowned") sentence.

            *   Then click the text to edit it.

            *   Then, optionally, "unown" (<a>![Let go](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/let_go.png "Let go")</a>) the sentence if you want others to be able to easily edit it again.

    *   Special Note

        *   Tatoeba.org prefers that you DO NOT CHANGE any sentence that could be considered correct. Of course if does not sound natural to you, you can change it.

        *   Instead of changing correct sentences, you should add an alternate translation.

5.  You can **add comments to sentences**.

    *   If you find a mistake, but it's "owned" by another user, then leave a comment telling the "owner" how it can be corrected.

        *   If you see something that seems strange or you don't understand, you can leave a comment and someone may explain it to you.

        *   If you find things that are absolute nonsense or are not sentences, you can leave a comment alerting moderators that perhaps the item should be deleted.

6.  You can **add new sentences**.

    *   The best approach is to search first to make sure the sentence is not already in the database.

      *   Search with the sentence in quotes to find exact matches.

            *   LIKE THIS: "I have a dog."

            *   NOT:&nbsp; I have a dog. For more information, read the [FAQ](http://tatoeba.org/eng/faq).

## Register and Become a Member

*   If you haven't already done so, after reading this page, [register](http://tatoeba.org/eng/users/register).

*   It's also a good idea to you write your native language and the languages you translate from in your profile.

*   You don't need to register, if you aren't planning to contribute. Just [go to the main page](http://tatoeba.org/eng/home) and start looking around.

## Warning! There are errors!

*   Briefly,

  1.  Some sentences **sound unnatural** and are likely contributed by members who are overconfident in their abilities in their non-native langauges.

  2.  Some sentences use **archaic and/or old-fashioned** language and perhaps aren't really suitable for people learning a foreign language.

  3.  Some sentences contain **grammar and vocabulary errors**.

  4.  Some linked sentences **may not be good translations**.

  5.  For more details, read the [Warning About the Sentences from the Tatoeba Project](http://www.manythings.org/corpus/warningtatoeba.html).

## Recommendation

*   To help maintain the quality of our sentences, I recommend that you only translate from a non-native language into your native language. I also recommend that you should be careful to only translate from sentences "owned" by native speakers. This helps to avoid problems.

*   To learn more about this, read the following page.
[Is it OK to submit sentences in my non-native language?](http://bit.ly/tatoebafaq#faq201)
_(Note: This is not the official policy of the Tatoeba Project. However, many people would agree with this.)_ 


  [1]: http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434 "adopt"

Note

The lines in green are the lines that have been added in the new version. The lines in red are those that have been removed.

Actions