Proposal: Translating Learn WordPress

Much like WordPress itself, Learn WordPress is a global resource. While most of the content – from lesson plans to videos – is currently in English, contributing in languages other than English is supported and encouraged.

Translating Learn WordPress has the potential to make it more accessible and inclusive to a wider variety of learners, educators, and new contributors. However, for learn.wordpress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ to better support content in multiple languages, there are a few steps to consider in localizing and translating this resource.

I’d like to share a few ideas, starting with tasks that could start immediately and those that would need some longer-term planning or conversations.

Short-term steps
As a note, many of these are tasks that the Training team and Learn Working Group can help with.

  • Captioning and subtitling workshop videos. Currently, about one-third of the videos have captions and there are already instructions available through WordPress.tv on how to translate subtitles.
  • Translating lesson plans. Much like the current lesson plan review process, folks could translate a lesson plan by creating a draft, assigning it to their localeLocale Locale = language version, often a combination of a language code and a region code, for instance es_MX denotes Spanish as it’s used in Mexico. A list of all locales supported by WordPress in https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/’s CategoryCategory The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging. (i.e. français or español), and requesting a second review before publishing.
  • Submitting workshop ideas in languages other than English, or helping to review those workshops.
  • Hosting discussion groups in languages other than English, or coordinating a discussion group through a local MeetupMeetup All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area..
  • Translating the site UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing. through the GlotPress project. Currently, this only includes static stringsString A string is a translatable part of the software. A translation consists of a multitude of localized strings. on the site and there are more discussions/decisions to be made on where and how these translations appear.

Discussions and decisions for the future

  • While Learn WordPress is already available for translation in GlotPressGlotPress GlotPress is the translation management software that powers Translate.WordPress.org. More information is available at glotpress.org., this only includes static strings and there are a few other steps and discussions needed, such as:
    • Implementing a language switcher, like https://wp15.wordpress.net/
    • Considering plugins or other tools to help translate dynamic content, like workshop descriptions.
    • Whether a language switcher should be available for all localesLocale Locale = language version, often a combination of a language code and a region code, for instance es_MX denotes Spanish as it’s used in Mexico. A list of all locales supported by WordPress in https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/ or only those who meet certain criteria, i.e. setting a percentage of translated strings.
  • For translated lesson plans, considering how to handle translated content. For example, displaying languages as categories on the landing page or incorporating translated content into whatever tool we decide on for other dynamic content.
  • How to handle locale variants, i.e. organizing site content based on locales vs. languages?
  • How to engage new volunteers outside of current, active Polyglots contributors? For example, cross-collaborating between Training or Learn Working Group members who want to contribute to translating Learn WordPress.

While all of these options have the potential to make Learn WordPress more accessible outside of English, they also come with challenges about consistency across languages and existing translation workflows (i.e. approval by a Translation EditorTranslation Editor Translation editors can approve translations for projects. The GTE (General Translation Editor) and LM (Locale Manager) roles can add new users with the "Project Translation Editor" role that can approve translations for specific projects. There are two different Translation Editor roles: General Translation Editor and Project Translation Editor) that would be helpful to explore.


Your thoughts?

With all of that in mind, I’d love to open this post for feedback until Sunday, January 24, 2021, after which I can post a recap of the discussion. It would be very helpful to have input from both Polyglots, Training, and Community team members, as this would definitely be a cross-team effort.

In particular, I’d love input and feedback on the following questions:

  1. Which tasks do you think fit in with your existing team goals for 2021? This goes for Polyglots goals, as well as the Training and Community teams.
  2. Is there anything missing from this list that would make Learn WordPress more multilingual and polyglot-friendly?
  3. What are your perceptions around the order of processes? Does one item need to be handled before others?

Thank you to @lmurillom and WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Sevilla for prompting these ideas, and thank you to @angelasjin, @_dorsvenabili, @courtneypk, @nao, and @danilong for helping to write this post.

+make.wordpress.org/training/

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