Version at: 08/10/2019, 16:39
#Contributing in a language that is not your strongest
Please write sentences that do the most for Tatoeba, as well as for yourself. Generally, this means writing in your native (strongest) language. There is no rule against writing sentences in other languages that you know well, but please follow these guidelines to make sure not to overwhelm the site with more incorrect sentences than we can fix. When writing sentences in a language that is not your native language:
(1) You should have a high level of skill in the language in which you are writing.
(2) Do not use machine translators (such as Google Translate), which often produce bad translations.
(3) Translate the sentences into your strongest language, or make sure they are linked to existing translations. This will build a bridge between languages, and it will help other members understand the sentences in case they need to be corrected.
(4) Check your non-native sentences regularly to see whether anyone has written comments on them, and respond accordingly. If you see that you've made a lot of mistakes, write fewer sentences and find some way to check them more carefully.
(5) Avoid writing lots of similar sentences. For instance, avoid writing sets of more than three non-native sentences where the only difference is in the pronoun:
- "I went to the beach."
- "You went to the beach."
- "He went to the beach."
- "She went to the beach."
and so on. Not only does writing a large number of similar sentences undermine diversity, and make the site more boring, but if you're a non-native speaker, there is a significant chance that you will repeat the same mistake in all of them, which makes them painful to correct.
(6) Don't try to push the boundaries of the language. If you discover that 80% of native speakers contain a particular usage an error, then don't use it, even if you find a blog post somewhere that claims that it should be considered correct.
(7) Use a standard dialect of the language. Sentences in nonstandard dialects are much harder to get right.
(8) If you're an advanced contributor, use the tag "@needs native check", especially when you're not sure whether the sentence is correct. (Note: do not use "@NNC" or "NNC". Sentences with "@needs native check" and "@check" are special because they are listed on a particular page that corpus maintainers check frequently.) If you're not an advanced contributor, consider [applying to become one](https://en.wiki.tatoeba.org/articles/show/advanced-contributors).
(9) Consider finding a native speaker to review your sentences, particularly the ones you're not sure about.
(10) If you must translate into a non-native language, then at least translate **from** your native language.
version at: 13/10/2019, 18:41
#Contributing in a language that is not your strongest
Please write sentences that have the most value for everybody. This usually means writing in your native (strongest) language. You can also write sentences in other languages that you know well, but if you do, please follow these guidelines so that you don't create more incorrect sentences than others can fix.
(1) Only write sentences in a language you know very well.
(2) Make sure that each sentence you write is translated into a language you know very well, preferably your native language. If a translation into your native language doesn't already exist, write one. This will build a bridge between languages. It will also help other members understand the sentences in case they need to be corrected.
(3) Do not use machine translators (such as Google Translate), which often produce bad translations.
(4) Check your non-native sentences regularly to see whether anyone has written comments on them. If they have, fix the sentences before you add new ones. If you see that you've made a lot of mistakes, write fewer sentences and find a way to check them more carefully.
(5) Avoid writing lots of similar sentences. For instance, avoid writing sets of more than three non-native sentences where the only difference is in the pronoun:
- "I went to the beach."
- "You went to the beach."
- "He went to the beach."
- "She went to the beach."
or the verb:
- "I drove to the beach."
- "I ran to the beach."
- "I walked to the beach."
- "I went to the beach."
and so on. Writing many similar sentences means that you're likely to make the same mistake in all of them (such as spelling "beach" wrong). Even if you don't make mistakes, writing many similar sentences makes the site boring.
(6) Use language that most native speakers consider correct. If 80% of native speakers think a particular usage is wrong, don't use it, even if some people say that it is correct.
(7) Use standard language. Avoid slang, which is hard for a non-native speaker to use correctly.
(8) If for some reason you want to add a sentence but are not sure whether it is correct, mark it with a tag and/or a comment:
- If you're an advanced contributor, add the tag "@needs native check" (not "@NNC" or "NNC"). This will make the sentence appear on a particular page that corpus maintainers check often.
- If you're not an advanced contributor, consider [applying to become one](https://en.wiki.tatoeba.org/articles/show/advanced-contributors). In the meantime, you can always write a comment on your sentence that says "needs native check".
(9) Consider finding a native speaker to review your sentences, particularly the ones you're not sure about.
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The lines in red are those that have been removed.
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