Translation tips
Here are some things to consider while you're editing and translating:
Our policy is that every document should be reviewed by at least two volunteers. The idea behind having a translation team is that all the members should contribute to the translation or editing of each document, resulting in high-quality final versions.
Please compare your translated version of the text to the original English version to ensure that all the concepts and ideas correspond.
The tone of the translation should match the tone of the English original, which is informal and friendly, while remaining professional and politically neutral. If you have questions about the tone, please let us know.
Please make sure that the language, tone, and specific terms you decide to use are consistent throughout all of the documents that we ask you to translate. You may wish to revisit your already-translated documents and give us an updated final version.
If you're having difficulty translating a particular word or phrase, visit popular sites in your language for ideas. In terms of our tone, Google, eBay, and Yahoo!, or similar sites in your language, are appropriate sites to refer to.
You have some freedom to translate idioms and metaphors into something more culturally appropriate, but please let us know first if you'd like to make a major change. We don't want the document to be completely rewritten.
The goal is to have a finished product that doesn't read like a translation at all, but still maintains Idealist.org's tone and vision.
For more information about your role as a volunteer translator, see the Translation guide.
For more tools to assist you in translating, see our list of online resources.
