Wikipedia:SWASTHA/Methodology

Overview

The following is the methodology the WIKI: SWASTHA project used to translate 10 articles from English to ten other regional languages in India. It is adapted here to serve as a general guide for any other organizations that wish to replicate the project.

We had adapted this methodology to be available as general documentation for organized projects to translate Wikipedia articles.

There are multiple stages of review to ensure a high-quality article is ready to be published. As a result, some articles may pose unique problems that require steps to be re-done. would this be a good spot to mention the couple of articles we had that went back and forth between steps?

Step 1: Topic Selection

Criteria for topic selection should align with whatever goal the team establishes. The topics of translated articles should be relevant to the target language’s culture. Because every culture has its respective values and challenges, information that is urgent to one culture may not be as urgent or relevant to another.

The team should describe and document what principles led to their selection of topics so that the goal of translation remains consistent throughout the project.

For example, a team may wish to translate medical Wiki articles from English to another language. If the team wants to increase access to health information, then the articles they select could provide information to more people in more languages.

The team could have different goals of topic selection in the quest for increasing access. For example, the team could choose to identify the most common medical issues a community faces and translate content about those issues, or instead translate content about medical issues that may be considered taboo or underrepresented. The important thing is to clearly state the purpose of the project in documentation.

Step 2: Consolidate Information on Topics

The team will produce a shorter, simpler version of the chosen articles. It is useful to think of this version as a summary of main points. The team will decide what information is most important to include.

Other Wiki projects such as the Translation Task Force have a collection of simplified articles. Collaboration with the Wikipedia community can help save time and effort.

Step 3: Quality Control in English

The team will check the simplified article to ensure key information is present. Do the simplified articles

Accuracy of statements and fact checking is also done at this step. On Wikipedia, it is a rule that every statement containing a fact has a source. At this step, the team should confirm that cited sources support the information presented in the simplified article.

Is this information presented to an expert in the field?

Seek review from WikiProjects in the local language. Relevant WikiProjects include

Step 4: Translate Word by Word

Monetary constraints may prevent a project from hiring advanced, high-cost translators to translate the entire article. Luckily, our project standardizes a method where a low-cost, word-by-word translation can still be used to produce high quality articles by the end of the process.

A word-for-word, or, direct translation, will translate a text without regard for overall meaning or idiom. This step aims to keep the cost of a translation project lower, as a semantic or idiomatic translation would cost much more. At this stage, the word-for-word translation will still retain accuracy of the original text.

The team should hire the services of a communications organization, prioritizing colloquial, localized, relevant, and accurate translation. Technical terms may present problems, especially across languages that use different writing scripts. In our project, medical technical translation presented a common problem, especially with transliteration of writing scripts. The team will need to create a plan for how to handle these issues and explain their reasoning in step 12.

Step 5: Native Speaker Review

A native speaker, typically a volunteer, will review the rough translation from step three in the target language. The native speaker will check and edit for familiar usage, readability, and grammar.

What else should I add here?

Step 6: Send to Wikipedians

After the native speaker has fixed the article to read accurately in the new target language, the Wikipedia community will check to make sure the article is written with the Wikipedia content standards.

Wikipedia also contains Five pillars that explain the website’s philosophy in maintaining an encyclopedia. The Manual of Style provides guidance on what grammar and writing conventions articles should be written in.

The team should recognize that Wikipedia is not a platform for pushing a particular point of view, or for self-promotion. Articles on Wikipedia are neutral, fact-based, and promote information, not branding. Wikipedia is also free and will never allow non-free content.

Step 7: Wikpedians Edit

The Wikipedia community in the target language then revises the article to align with the content standards.

Is this where Wikipedians add in sources for that target language? or are these carried over in English from the simplified version?

How do these interactions usually play out? I know in our case, we’ve had a couple articles get stuck in some problems? Troubleshooting steps?

Step 8: Send to Subject Matter Expert

This step is to ensure that along the way, the article retains its validity and factualness.

If the subject matter recommends changes… how do we go about rewriting and translating?

Sources for subject matter experts include

authors of academic papers which the Wikipedia article cites
university faculty and professors teaching the subjects
students studying the subjects, who make be able to review the content with their instructors and mentors
compensated reviewers, who get in return
- documentation of thanks on the Wikipedia talk page
- other credit in the form of letters or certificates
- if most efficient, actual paid reviewers. This is especially helpful in the case of translating technical terms when many people just use English terms.

Step 9: Publish on Wikipedia

The article goes onto the website. Publish the presentation and ask the Wikipedia community for help if formatting presents problems.

It is important to correctly file the article under its interlanguage link, so that future users will know which articles already exist in a given language.

The blue text that links to other wiki pages can also be added in the new language so that users can find related information.

What else do we add here? For information about publishing in Wikipedia see the following general user guides:

Help:Contents
Wikipedia Training Modules
Health information in Wikipedia, a list of academic articles on the subject

Step 10: Analyze Data

There are several points of data that can be analyzed.

First, the number of views a page receives over time. This can be found by clicking the “Page Information” text under the “Tools” sidebar and then going to the “Page View Statistics” link near the bottom of the page.

Second, the edits to a page can be tracked to see how the article is changing over time. Under the View History tab, the number of changes can be seen. This tab shows who edited the article, how many characters they added or subtracted, and when they edited. It is good for people to change the article, as this means it has become a part of the community’s discourse.

Step 11: Address Social Issues and Ethical Concerns

The team will do good to discuss and make known project biases. Working across language means working across identity and culture, which leads to potential for misunderstandings. Members of the Wikipedia community may pose questions during the process. It is important to not dissuade or minimize any concerns, but rather to view voiced concerns as a sign of healthy collaboration.

Articles on Wikipedia receive lots of views. The organization or team leading the translation project is likely to receive media coverage about their work, which means there will be different points of views about the work.

Step 12: Documentation & Share

The team may choose to create a Wikipedia page dedicated to the project’s documentation and public engagement. The team can explain its project methodology, reasoning for selecting the topics, and biases.

Sharing and documenting is also important because it can explain why new articles are popping up in a language. Active community members of that language can review and regulate any translated articles, as well as engage in communication with the team that facilitated the article’s creation.