[Discuss] Translating PA

[sale]

How about translatin Pa,
this would open PA for new players,
lets start with major languages like german,norwegian,dutch,etc...

I a sure that there will be new players...
and there will be volunters to do the translation,
I can do some german translation ( Some m8 new my spelling skill :P )

so think of it
sale~

[SilverSmoke]

Generally speaking, massive idiots do not play games like planetarion (you must have some degree of geekness to find entertainment in a text based online strategy game). internet users who do not understand english are massive idiots.

In other words, I think it's a waste of time.

[Alessio]

This has been discussed before etc..

http://pirate.planetarion.com/showthread.php?t=182231

by ME!!!! wooohooo

[evil n00b]

Originally Posted by SilverSmoke

In other words, I think it's a waste of time.

I think you dont realise the potential :P
check out www.ecrana.com the game is in swedish, and yet there is 10000+ players and 300-500 online always during day time. Not a good game at all, but somehow kids loves it.

1000 registred members that gives them 4€ /each from http://sverok.se

"Medlemsbidraget
Genom att redovisa antalet medlemmar så är föreningen berättigad till Sveroks medlemsbidrag. 40 kronor per medlem ges för föreningens första 1000 medlemmar. 20 kronor per medlem ges för föreningens resterande medlemar.
Bidraget kan sökas för varje medlem som är mellan 7 och 25 år en gång om året."

This simply means Sverok pays 4€ for each member up to 1000 members and then 2€ for the rest. +200€ when you register your "team of players" each year. Offcourse its only for swedes

So the planetarion can be made free for swedes, they only have to register as a member in the "pa gaming team" or somthing like that. Then try to recruit massive amount of kids, get like 100000 registred members from sweden and ask sverok to pay 220000€

Also translating shouldnt be a big problem. People do it for free, maybe as school task. You can play pa in school, the teacher would be happy to see your working on your project

[wakey]

The main problem with the idea of putting PA into other launguages is how do you handle these none english speakers. People put a lot of emphasis on getting more planets but more planets itself wouldnt solve much, whats needed is more players who contribute to the games community. Now lets be honest those whom cant understand english enough to play are not going to add to the community much because they are unable to communicate outside their group.

[Banned]

Originally Posted by wakey

The main problem with the idea of putting PA into other launguages is how do you handle these none english speakers. People put a lot of emphasis on getting more planets but more planets itself wouldnt solve much, whats needed is more players who contribute to the games community. Now lets be honest those whom cant understand english enough to play are not going to add to the community much because they are unable to communicate outside their group.

You're wrong.

[barney]

Originally Posted by Banned

You're wrong.

hmmm nice post, well thought out and well reasoned :/

i agree with wakey on this, if ppl are not able to speak english well enough to play the game they will not be able to contribute on forums (since if i am correct there is an english only rule on here for obvious reasons), and i could see endless problems with comunication on irc. it just does not seam locical to me to translate into other languages, since as was mentioned before most people who are likely to play this game would have some sort of basic level of english sufficiant to play the game.

[Appocomaster]

This has actually been discussed privately to some extent (as well as on the forums for now the third time). Whatever happens, obviously the English version is the official version, and all copies are "inferior" to that at any contridictory point.

Part of the problem is that the manual as it is is starting to look a bit "patchy", so that needs to be sorted out before it can be translated. There's actually quite a lot of material there to translate, and we need it translated and then checked for accuracy.
Also, if / when more new players are attracted, if they have problems with the manual, they need support, so multilinguals for the support team need to be trained and recruited.
The major point, assuming this can all be done (and assuming Jolt approval) is that it may well fragment the Planetarion community to some extent (though the alliance bonds within the commuity might well be stronger). Naturally, people are often happier spending time with people that speak the same language and live closer, and with things like this being an English only forum, it's quite easily imaginable that other forums appear for German / Norwegian / etc.
Someone also pointed out in another online game that when Asian players joined that game in bulk, generally all the European ones ended up leaving, after getting fed up. This is obviously not something we want to happen here.

Personally, while being strongly in favour of increasing the number of languages supported, I think that atm the best course is to have basic game guides and race guides written in the languages most common among users at the moment that aren't English (in order, it's something like Norwegian, Dutch, German, Finnish = 3k players but also some Belgians, Romanians, Swedes and Danes).
Therefore perhaps creating at first some Norwegian guides (also (apparently) suitable for most Swedes) and German guides (and perhaps Dutch guides for the people there that don't speak English :P).

[wakey]

Originally Posted by Banned

You're wrong.

You really are being somewhat of a tit recently arent you. If you have something to say do so rather than making vaugue responses that dont add to anything.

And I ask you this. A Sweedish school kid turns up in your galaxy, however they dont speak a word of english and theres no-one in the galaxy to translate. Do you keep them in the galaxy? Somehow I think most people wouldnt because really what use is someone in your galaxy that you cant communicate with. Its almost like having an iRC inactive in your galaxy and most galaxies dont even allow that . If attempts were to be made to get none english speakers into the game.

You have to have a way to allow people to communicate and theres just nothing out there that would really make this possible

[Alessio]

Everyone online can talk a limited amount of english
but alot of people get turned off by english games like these because it looks like its difficult to understand if its in a strange language
especially kids have this (and they are more likely to pay on the net for a game then old people)
That doesnt mean they can't report incs, or say what they want to say

If european people try to communicate with eachother its always in english
on the net, in games, on holiday, everywhere.. even if they both haven't mastered the language
The forum and IRC would stay english, because that language comes natural when international people try to communicate with eachother
(and because its being enforced to speak english)

My english was also very lacking when I joined PA
alot of people in PA suck at english, but noone is bothered by it

Its likely that we get more allies like TFD and ToT etc
but the real allies that count will always be international
nobody is really bothered by allies like TFD
More players = more allies in general anyway

The only real difference would be that it would be easier for people to get into the game
Other online games do it to.. so why wont we

every non english person in PA knows im right and has seen this work in other games

[Makhil]

Originally Posted by sale

lets start with major languages like ...norwegian...

Funny, I never thought of norwergian as a major language. True there are a lot of Norvegian playing PA, but do you think there are so much more waiting to join if PA is translated ? I've always been told that scandinavian people were very good at speaking english anyway.
Chinese (cantonese), Spanish, these are major languages which could open up new continents to PA.

[evil n00b]

Originally Posted by wakey

The main problem with the idea of putting PA into other launguages is how do you handle these none english speakers. People put a lot of emphasis on getting more planets but more planets itself wouldnt solve much, whats needed is more players who contribute to the games community. Now lets be honest those whom cant understand english enough to play are not going to add to the community much because they are unable to communicate outside their group.

Lets assume there is 2000 players now. How many of those 2000 players do you actually communicate with? You are allied with those you can communicate with. Also when you want to speak with a other alliance, you speak with the leader, and the leader knows english. Even if he dont understand what you say, there is other ways to communicate. Try sending massive roid fleets and stuff like that. Im quite sure they get your message.
When you war, do you use your mouth or your ships to beat your enemy? Do you start chating with your enemy offering things (like sid) to make them pull?

[Banned]

Originally Posted by wakey

You really are being somewhat of a tit recently arent you. If you have something to say do so rather than making vaugue responses that dont add to anything.

I consider my time valuable.

And I ask you this. A Sweedish school kid turns up in your galaxy, however they dont speak a word of english and theres no-one in the galaxy to translate. Do you keep them in the galaxy?

Seeing as I understand Swedish, this is moot. Incidentally, I don't speak lithuanian, but many of the lith who have had absolutely no contact with the 'core' community have had a profound effect upon it.

Somehow I think most people wouldnt because really what use is someone in your galaxy that you cant communicate with. Its almost like having an iRC inactive in your galaxy and most galaxies dont even allow that . If attempts were to be made to get none english speakers into the game.

Yeah, treatment would be different. But discriminating based on language is arbitrary and dumb. It's a bit like saying 'you weren't born in the right place to play our game'.

You have to have a way to allow people to communicate and theres just nothing out there that would really make this possible

Swedes can communicate with swedes, and they can make the swede alliance. I hear another alliance that didn't speak much English did pretty well.

[noah02]

So lets say they speak english but rather have a different langauged pa runnin than me.
I ask them to confirm that they have sent defence and I aint got a clue what it says :P

[Cannon_Fodder]

I thought everyone on teh interweb was english?

[Appocomaster]

uh huh. There are non english people on here

[evil n00b]

Originally Posted by noah02

So lets say they speak english but rather have a different langauged pa runnin than me.
I ask them to confirm that they have sent defence and I aint got a clue what it says :P

if you dont trust them, then why do you have them in your alliance? If they want they can always give you a fake paste. Besides coords, eta & the ship amount is the same. And if he has sent ships to that coords, then it means it must be defence, cos he is in your ally. Or are your alliance so crap that you need defence from other allies (like 1up)?.

If you arent smart enought to figure things like this out then im quite sure you are a bad dc and you do best to your ally by retiring as dc

Also, those fleet mission things that you use to paste to the ally can be in english.

[Ultimate Newbie]

I'll translate it into australian!!!

[cypher]

tbh seeing as pa is a community game anyways they generally have to know how to speak english anyways... if they want to interact in an alliance (else you just get loads of people and none of em on irc and everyone will whine about cheating...

as for translating into certain languages like german and dutch... I dunno about others. But i'm dutch and i wouldn't want to see PA in dutch tbh as english is just as easy to read for us and it just sounds nicer for such games imo