Help Google translate its site into non-English languages.
There are 10 reader comments
• Nov 24 2003 • 4:19PM
So Google gets $200,000,000 in net income and can't hire their own translators?
• Nov 24 2003 • 5:54PM
Man, I wish people would volunteer to make my enterprises worth more money. Also, how is it that some languages are more than 100% translated?
• Nov 24 2003 • 6:36PM
The Tagalog translation is a unwieldy piece of shit, the translation is so pained and awkward I get the feeling it was probably done by someone who learned Tagalog from a book or class, i.e. not someone who actually comfortable speaking the language. Never mind that it's useless except as a novelty since any Filipino who can go online already speaks English -- and if I'm going to go the novelty route, give me the Swedish Chef any day. Bork bork bork!
I've thought about fixing the translation, but you know what? It's too much work to do for free, especially for a company that's got the money to have it done professionally. Google, ya gets what ya pays for.
• Nov 24 2003 • 6:37PM
"someone who is actually comfortable", I meant to say.
Damn you Jason Kottke and your blog's lack of a preview button!
• Nov 24 2003 • 11:00PM
Google's translated-by-volunteers system predates their profitability. It seems petty now, but it used to make a lot of sense. It still does, for small-market languages, where a single motivated fluent speaker could make a localized interface the company didn't care enough to make itself.
• Nov 25 2003 • 3:36PM
Two questions:
1) What the hell kind of language is 'Elmer Fudd'?
2) How can something be more than 100% complete?
(read the list of languages if you are wondering what I'm talking about).
• Nov 27 2003 • 12:40AM
The FAQ says that a previously "100% complete" language can become less complete if new messages are added to the Google interface. So I guess this is an example of the reverse.
• Nov 27 2003 • 5:14PM
if it predates their profitability then they should change it. durr.
• Nov 29 2003 • 11:26AM
This seems like a perfect opportunity to play a karma prank on Google in lieau of all the AdSense bs.
This thread is closed to new comments. Thanks to everyone who responded.
brian • Nov 24 2003 • 3:46PM
They can't even translate their site to 'English (UK)' (presently listed at 0%). What's up with that?