Notice
This page show a previous version of the articleA 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.
We want complete sentences.
Don't change sentences that are correct.
Don't add sentences from copyrighted sources.
We want natural-sounding translations, not word-for-word direct translations.
- [Translations] [Source]
- Of course, we don't want computer translations.
Make a good translation of the sentence that you are translating. Don't let translations into other languages influence you.
Don't include annotations as part of sentences.
- Don't include things like the following inside your sentences.
- He/she (He/she said it was hot.)
- Instead, you should submit 2 sentences.
- He said it was hot.
- She said it was hot.
- Instead, you should submit 2 sentences.
- (By Mark Twain)
- Instead, put this as a comment and ask for someone to add it as a tag.
- If you have tagging rights, then tag it yourself.
- He/she (He/she said it was hot.)
- Don't include things like the following inside your sentences.
For more details, see the Rules and Guidelines page.
Things a Contributor Can Do
- You can translate a sentence by clicking on this icon
whenever you see it.
- Please do not forget capital letters and punctuation.
- You can add alternate translations. (
)
- 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.)
- You can proofread sentences 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.
- If a sentence is "unowned," you can adopt it.
- You can correct mistakes that you find, if the sentence is not "owned" by another user.
- To do this, ...
- 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.
- 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.
- If you find a mistake, but it's "owned" by another user, then leave a comment telling the "owner" how it can be corrected.
- 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: I have a dog.
For more information, read the FAQ.
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.
Recommendation
- To help maintain the quality of our sentences, it is recommended that you only translate from a non-native language into your native language.
- It is also recommended that you should be careful to only translate from sentences "owned" by native speakers. This helps to avoid problems.
- If you want to experiment in a non-native language, perhaps you should try a site such as http://lang-8.com instead.
Link to This Page
There is an easy-to-remember, short bit.ly link to this page.
http://bit.ly/tatoebaquickstart