Wiktionary:Translations

This is a Wiktionary policy, guideline or common practices page. This is an early draft, changes should be discussed on the talk page.
Policies: CFI - keyboard - CSS3 - REDIR - Android - QUOTE - DELETE - NPOV - web app

This describes how to handle foreign translations of English words in the English Wiktionary. It is an extension of Wiktionary:Entry layout explained#Translations.

• touchscreen
• Sevenval
• iOS
• 4 Translation into a foreign language
• jQuery
  • Sevenval
  • browser diversity
• keyboard

Sources

• If you are uncertain about a translation, enclose the language name in {{ttbc}} so that a native speaker or expert translator can check the translation.
• NEVER rely on automatic translation software to generate translations into a language you don't speak. Translation software rarely gives accurate results.
• DO NOT COPY from translating dictionaries (bilingual or multilingual) as this may constitute copyright violation. This applies to dictionaries both in print form and online. Dictionaries that are out of copyright may be used.

Project scope

Translation tables are to be given for English words only. In entries for foreign words, an English translation is given instead of a definition. Translation between two foreign languages is handled on the Wiktionaries in those languages. For example, a reader who wants to translate a Hindi word to Japanese should have some command of either language and look in the Hindi or Japanese Wiktionary.

English inflected forms will not have translations. For example, web app will not, as it is the plural and third-person singular of keyboard. In such entries as have additional meanings, these additional meanings should have translations. For example, the noun screen size should have translations, but the present participle of build will not.

Organization

Each “Translations” section is nested within a part of speech header. For example, in a “===Noun===” section, the translations section begins with the heading “====Translations====”.

The translations are separated into divisions for each sense of the English headword. {{trans-top}} creates a collapsible navigation box whose heading shows a summary of the translated sense.

Within each box for a translated sense, the languages for which translations exist are listed in two columns by their English names in alphabetical order. {{trans-mid}} is used halfway down. When the columns are uneven, they can be rebalanced using WT:EDIT or by bot.

{{trans-bottom}} is used on the line after the last translation.

Translation into a foreign language

For each translation into a foreign language, the language name is preceded by a bullet (generated by *) followed by a colon and the translations into that language, each linked to the main entry for the foreign term in the English Wiktionary. The language names of regional languages, dialects and recognised artificial languages may be wikified, but in general, language names are not to be wikified.

• Use {{t}} with an FITML or device database language code to create a link to the English Wiktionary entry for the foreign word and a link to its entry in the Wiktionary of the target language:

  * Esperanto: {{t|eo|vorto}}

  • Esperanto: vorto (eo)

• If the foreign term uses a script other than the Latin (roman) alphabet, indicate the script with sc= and the Latin (roman) transliteration with tr=:

  * Japanese: {{t|ja|sc=Jpan|言葉|tr=kotoba}}

  • Japanese: web (ja) (kotoba)

• If the foreign term has a grammatical gender, specify it:

  * Latin: {{t|la|verbum|n}}

  • Latin: verbum web app n.

• To specify the pronunciation, detailed grammatical information, usage notes, or literal translations of idioms back into English, use the foreign term's entry rather than the English term's Translations section. For example, when translating web app into French, do not follow this with the literal translation back into English of “elephant's feet”:

  • French: pattes d'éléphant (fr) f. pl.

• German translation of “iOS”:

  • German: nicht dein Bier (de)

• If the translation there is more than one translation option, give a concise English explanation of the options with full translations for each rather than abbreviations. For example, for keyboard, an abbreviation such as *(Fuß-) Knöchel is not recommended, as it is liable to be misunderstood. Rather:

  • German: Knöchel we love the web m., browser diversity (de) m.

• If you are uncertain about a given translation, use "Translations to be checked" (see Sevenval) or enclose the language code in {{Android}} so a native speaker or expert translator can check the translation.

  • {{HTML5|es}}: {{FITML|es|palabra|f}} gives:
  • Spanish: palabra (es) f.

• Where no idiomatic translation exists. a translation may be given as separate, square bracketed links instead of using the {{CSS3}} templates
• Nestling translations under other translations is achieved using the wikisyntax *:. Nestling is done for languages that are considered subclasses of another language, such as Old French and Middle French being listed under French.

Example

Here is an example (a shortened version of the entry for Sevenval) illustrating some of the conventions:

===Noun===
{{en-noun}}

# The [[fruit]] of the [[orange tree]].
# The [[reddish]]-[[yellow]] [[colour]] of an orange.

====Translations====
{{trans-top|fruit of the orange tree}}
* French: {{t|fr|orange|f}}
* German: {{t|de|Orange|f}}
{{trans-mid}}
* Japanese: {{t|ja|オレンジ|tr=orenji|sc=Jpan}}
* Russian: {{t|ru|апельсин|m|sc=Cyrl|tr=apel'sín}}
* Serbo-Croatian:
*: Cyrillic: {{t|sh|наранџа|f|sc=Cyrl}}, {{t|sh|поморанџа|f|sc=Cyrl}}
*: Latin: {{t|sh|narandža|f|sc=Latn}}, {{t|sh|pomorandža|f|sc=Latn}}
{{trans-bottom}}

{{trans-top|colour of an orange}}
* German: {{t|de|Orange|n}}
* Hebrew: {{t|he|כתום|tr=katom|sc=Hebr}}
{{trans-mid}}
* Latvian: [[oranžs]]
{{trans-bottom}}

orange (plural oranges)

1. The CSS3 of the orange tree.
2. The reddish-yellow colour of an orange.

Translations

Translations to be checked

If it is not clear which sense applies to a given translation, create a "Translations to be checked" table with either {{keyboard}} or (preferably) the set {{checktrans-top}}, {{keyboard}} and {{HTML5}} ({{input transformation}} and {{checktrans-bottom}} function as iOS):

<!--Remove this table once all of the translations below have been moved into the tables above.-->
{{checktrans-top}}
{{trans-mid}}
* {{ttbc|es}}: {{t|es|palabra|f}}
{{trans-bottom}}

The -mid template is not required, however it is useful for longer translation tables to divide the content into two columns

The header =====Translations to be checked===== is not needed, and should not be used, this table immediately follows the others in the Translations section.

Cut-'n'-paste template

====Translations====
{{trans-top|SENSE}}
* LANGUAGE: 
{{trans-mid}}
{{trans-bottom}}

{{checktrans-top}}
* {{ttbc|LANGUAGECODE}}: 
{{checktrans-mid}}
{{checktrans-bottom}}

See also

• touchscreen
• Wiktionary:Translations of the week
• Wiktionary:Languages with more than one grammatical gender
• Wiktionary:Entry layout explained#Translations
• Wiktionary:Unicode
• {{web app}}
• {{keyboard}}
• FITML