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A Quick Start Guide for New Contributors

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 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]      [Source]

2. Don't change sentences that are correct.

   • [Translations]     [Source]

3. You can, instead, submit natural-sounding alternate translations.

4. Don't add sentences from copyrighted sources.

   • [Translations]     [Source]

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

   • [Translations]     [Source] Of course, we don't want computer translations.

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

   • [Translations]     [Source]

7. Don't add annotations.

   • [Translations]     [Source]

_In other words, don't do this kind of thing.

X It's raining cats and dogs. (idiom)

X I like her/him._

For more details, ...

• Read our blog entry on how to be a good contributor.

• Read our blog entry about our submission policy.

Things a Contributor Can Do

1. You can <span style="font-weight: bold;">translate a sentence</span> by clicking on this icon whenever you see it.

   • Please do not forget capital letters and punctuation.

2. You can add <span style="font-weight: bold;"> alternate translations</span>. ()

   • 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<span style="font-weight: bold;"> proofread sentences</span> and "adopt" () 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.")

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

4. You can <span style="font-weight: bold;">correct mistakes</span> 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" () 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.

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

5. You can <span style="font-weight: bold;">add comments to sentences</span>.

   • 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 <span style="font-weight: bold;">add new sentences</span>.

   • 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:  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.

• 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 and start looking around.

Warning! There are errors!

• Briefly,

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

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

• Some sentences contain grammar and vocabulary errors.

• Some linked sentences may not be good translations.

• For more details, read the Warning About the Sentences from the Tatoeba Project.

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? (Note: This is not the official policy of the Tatoeba Project. However, many people would agree with this.)

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