I want this to be COPIED AND PASTED from FFXI

[indira]

dont know why they even started from scratch on the auto-translator alot of stuff could of been carried over from FFXI.

[Mychael]

dont know why they even started from scratch on the auto-translator alot of stuff could of been carried over from FFXI.

I agree. Obviously not places, but the auto-translator in XI was fairly well-developed. I'm going to drop all of my suggestions in this thread. It's not "complete" because I'm tired and lost the will to finish. >.>


Please add...
Some terms I think should be added (some from XI, some not):
- Everyone
- Fact
- Last Boss
- Good Afternoon
- Anyone
- Big (or Large)
- Small
- Full, or Whole (we have half!)
- Part (as opposed to Whole/Full, but less specific than Half)
- Alternate character (i.e. alt--"my {Alternate Character} is level 30")
- I have one already. (Refers to linkshells, parties, or items)
- Could you please move to another location?
- I don't need it, but I could use it.
- How will we handle the distribution of items?
- Please pass it to me.
- Good
- Great
- Poor
- Awful
- Resist
- Resistance

Questions with no answers?
We have a lot of questions, but no way to respond without Google Translate. So for the various questions, I propose that the loc team look through and come up with 2~5 answers each that actually make sense. Obviously, many questions cannot be answered out of a limited dictionary, but I think it's fair to ask for some general responses such as these:

Who?
- The classifications from the 2.0 screenshot: Attacker, Caster, Tank, Healer, Buffer
- Leader (purposefully non-specific to allow for {Party} {leader}, {Linkshell} {leader}, {Front line class} {leader}, etc.)

When?
- Now
- In a little bit.
- Soon
- After
- Before
- Any time
- As soon as we are ready.

How many?
- Many
- Few
- Too many
- Too few

Greetings mis-labeled?
How are any of these terms "greetings?" I think "Greetings" should be re-named to "Courtesies" or the like, and some of these fit better in other categories.
- Goodbye!
- I had fun today!
- See you again!
- Let's play together again sometime!
- I'm back!
- Welcome back.
- Congratulations!
- Good Job! (-> Exclamations... new category? ;D)
- Good luck! (-> Exclamations)
- All right! (-> Exclamations)
- Thank you!
- You're welcome.
- Take care.
- I'm sorry.
- Please forgive me.
- That's too bad. (->Answers)

Other mis-categorized terms..
(Current -> Where they should be)
- Casting Spell (Reasons -> Actions...new category?)
- Oops! (Reasons -> Exclamations)
- Have stuff to do, gotta go! (Reasons -> [whatever category "Goodbye" is in])
- I don't know. (Reasons -> Answers...or Responses, see below.)
- I'm interested. (Reasons -> Answers)
- Fighting right now! (Reasons -> Actions)
- Medicine (General Terms -> Game Terms)
- Food (General Terms -> Game Terms)
- Can you hear me? (Languages -> Questions)
- Please use simple words (Languages -> Questions?)
- Please listen. (Languages -> General Terms)
- I need some time to put together my answer. (Languages ->Answers)
- Recommend (Organize -> ???)
- My gear is in poor condition. (Organize -> ??? (Trade, but I think "trade" should be dissolved)

Abilities
There is a category for each DoM/DoW's actions, but DoH/DoL actions are in a huge "abilities" category. Split it into "Crafter Actions and Abilities" and "Gatherer Actions," both to alleviate the confusion (It's an ability...but oh wait, it's a Gladiator and Paladin action, too.) and to make it less huge. There are already two categories basically--"Crafter Actions" and "Gatherer Actions," but they are too literal. They only include the actions (Stone Throw, Wrist Flick) as opposed to abilities (which are the vast majority of skills used by DoL/DoH. Just split it into these already-existent categories; add the "and Abilities" if it bothers someone's OCD.

Answers... or responses?
The "answers" category seems to be more of "responses" than actual "answers," which most commonly would refer to a question's answer rather than simply answering to a statement. Maybe it could be better named?

Job/Class?
I don't think all of these are necessary. I suggest they be re-thought, a little, and a compromise could be found that would ask what role someone wants to play
- What classes can you use?
- What jobs can you use?
- Can you use any other job? (This question needs a non-job-specific counterpart anyway, or the EN version is bad since "job" takes on a specific meaning in FFXIV)

Differentiate between synonyms (or similar phrases)
There are a lot of phrases/terms which mean almost the same thing in English, and they make me wonder if there's a subtle distinction in other languages.

Differentiate between homonyms
- Second (It refers to the time, but is often used to mark the second thing in a series. )
- Clear (It refers to the weather, but is often used to decribe a cleared dungeon, or a transparent object)

Is this mean or not?
In general, I always assume that no auto-translate term is intended to be "mean," but a few, in particular, have made me wary of using them since I don't know exactly how they translate.
- Um...
- Huh?
- Really?

Buy/Sell
I've always wondered how it appears to other languages. When I say "{Crab Bow} {Buy?} 200k", am I saying "Will you buy my Crab Bow for 200k?" or "May I buy your Crab Bow for 200k?" Even though I'm almost certain "Buy?" indicates MY interest in buying (since "Sell?" can only work one way), but it's not clear. I say replace them with:
- Can I buy it?
- Would you like to buy it?

Overlapping Categories
- While I appreciate that the terms are organized, it's difficult to navigate because the classifications are not mutually exclusive. In other words, the terms in "Trade" could easily be sorted into "Questions," "Responses," and "Reasons." There are questions in "Organize," and so on. It makes it difficult to quickly naviage--"It's a question, but about this trade...um...."

Unofficial Languages
Would it be possible to add the names of languages that are not officially supported? So that when the Japanese player asks a Spanish player what their language is, and the Spanish person sees the English translation, they can translate "Spanish"? I don't know if this is possible, however, because of the sheer number of languages in the world. Someone's feelings would be hurt if you didn't list their language, so it may be best as is.

My biggest complaint: CACHE
- While I understand for items and players' names, I believe that places or statuses should be permanently saved so that we're not asking around the LS for someone to translate a zone's name before we can shout. -_-
- There needs to be a way to manually add items or NPC names to the dictionary's cache--see my thread on /translate from XI.

[Dragon]

I agree. Obviously not places, but the auto-translator in XI was fairly well-developed. I'm going to drop all of my suggestions in this thread. It's not "complete" because I'm tired and lost the will to finish. >.>


Please add...
Some terms I think should be added (some from XI, some not):
- Everyone
- Fact
- Last Boss
- Good Afternoon
- Anyone
- Big (or Large)
- Small
- Full, or Whole (we have half!)
- Part (as opposed to Whole/Full, but less specific than Half)
- Alternate character (i.e. alt--"my {Alternate Character} is level 30")
- I have one already. (Refers to linkshells, parties, or items)
- Could you please move to another location?
- I don't need it, but I could use it.
- How will we handle the distribution of items?
- Please pass it to me.
- Good
- Great
- Poor
- Awful
- Resist
- Resistance

Questions with no answers?
We have a lot of questions, but no way to respond without Google Translate. So for the various questions, I propose that the loc team look through and come up with 2~5 answers each that actually make sense. Obviously, many questions cannot be answered out of a limited dictionary, but I think it's fair to ask for some general responses such as these:

Who?
- The classifications from the 2.0 screenshot: Attacker, Caster, Tank, Healer, Buffer
- Leader (purposefully non-specific to allow for {Party} {leader}, {Linkshell} {leader}, {Front line class} {leader}, etc.)

When?
- Now
- In a little bit.
- Soon
- After
- Before
- Any time
- As soon as we are ready.

How many?
- Many
- Few
- Too many
- Too few

Greetings mis-labeled?
How are any of these terms "greetings?" I think "Greetings" should be re-named to "Courtesies" or the like, and some of these fit better in other categories.
- Goodbye!
- I had fun today!
- See you again!
- Let's play together again sometime!
- I'm back!
- Welcome back.
- Congratulations!
- Good Job! (-> Exclamations... new category? ;D)
- Good luck! (-> Exclamations)
- All right! (-> Exclamations)
- Thank you!
- You're welcome.
- Take care.
- I'm sorry.
- Please forgive me.
- That's too bad. (->Answers)

Other mis-categorized terms..
(Current -> Where they should be)
- Casting Spell (Reasons -> Actions...new category?)
- Oops! (Reasons -> Exclamations)
- Have stuff to do, gotta go! (Reasons -> [whatever category "Goodbye" is in])
- I don't know. (Reasons -> Answers...or Responses, see below.)
- I'm interested. (Reasons -> Answers)
- Fighting right now! (Reasons -> Actions)
- Medicine (General Terms -> Game Terms)
- Food (General Terms -> Game Terms)
- Can you hear me? (Languages -> Questions)
- Please use simple words (Languages -> Questions?)
- Please listen. (Languages -> General Terms)
- I need some time to put together my answer. (Languages ->Answers)
- Recommend (Organize -> ???)
- My gear is in poor condition. (Organize -> ??? (Trade, but I think "trade" should be dissolved)

Abilities
There is a category for each DoM/DoW's actions, but DoH/DoL actions are in a huge "abilities" category. Split it into "Crafter Actions and Abilities" and "Gatherer Actions," both to alleviate the confusion (It's an ability...but oh wait, it's a Gladiator and Paladin action, too.) and to make it less huge. There are already two categories basically--"Crafter Actions" and "Gatherer Actions," but they are too literal. They only include the actions (Stone Throw, Wrist Flick) as opposed to abilities (which are the vast majority of skills used by DoL/DoH. Just split it into these already-existent categories; add the "and Abilities" if it bothers someone's OCD.

Answers... or responses?
The "answers" category seems to be more of "responses" than actual "answers," which most commonly would refer to a question's answer rather than simply answering to a statement. Maybe it could be better named?

Job/Class?
I don't think all of these are necessary. I suggest they be re-thought, a little, and a compromise could be found that would ask what role someone wants to play
- What classes can you use?
- What jobs can you use?
- Can you use any other job? (This question needs a non-job-specific counterpart anyway, or the EN version is bad since "job" takes on a specific meaning in FFXIV)

Differentiate between synonyms (or similar phrases)
There are a lot of phrases/terms which mean almost the same thing in English, and they make me wonder if there's a subtle distinction in other languages.

Differentiate between homonyms
- Second (It refers to the time, but is often used to mark the second thing in a series. )
- Clear (It refers to the weather, but is often used to decribe a cleared dungeon, or a transparent object)

Is this mean or not?
In general, I always assume that no auto-translate term is intended to be "mean," but a few, in particular, have made me wary of using them since I don't know exactly how they translate.
- Um...
- Huh?
- Really?

Buy/Sell
I've always wondered how it appears to other languages. When I say "{Crab Bow} {Buy?} 200k", am I saying "Will you buy my Crab Bow for 200k?" or "May I buy your Crab Bow for 200k?" Even though I'm almost certain "Buy?" indicates MY interest in buying (since "Sell?" can only work one way), but it's not clear. I say replace them with:
- Can I buy it?
- Would you like to buy it?

Overlapping Categories
- While I appreciate that the terms are organized, it's difficult to navigate because the classifications are not mutually exclusive. In other words, the terms in "Trade" could easily be sorted into "Questions," "Responses," and "Reasons." There are questions in "Organize," and so on. It makes it difficult to quickly naviage--"It's a question, but about this trade...um...."

Unofficial Languages
Would it be possible to add the names of languages that are not officially supported? So that when the Japanese player asks a Spanish player what their language is, and the Spanish person sees the English translation, they can translate "Spanish"? I don't know if this is possible, however, because of the sheer number of languages in the world. Someone's feelings would be hurt if you didn't list their language, so it may be best as is.

My biggest complaint: CACHE
- While I understand for items and players' names, I believe that places or statuses should be permanently saved so that we're not asking around the LS for someone to translate a zone's name before we can shout. -_-
- There needs to be a way to manually add items or NPC names to the dictionary's cache--see my thread on /translate from XI.

You really nailed the problem on its head, thank you.

[Bayohne]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the suggestions and feedback everyone! Like Mychael's really detailed suggestions (thanks!), what else are some limitations of the system you'd like to see changed, and what new terms/adjusted terms would you like? List them up and we'll prepare a list to present to the dev. team and see what we can do (keep in mind it's not a guarantee, but we're here to bring your voice to the development team's ear)!

Try out this handy-dandy template (of samples) I created to help us gather your comments -

Changes/Adjustments to Auto-Translate

• Add a new category for "xyz" type of comments

New Terms/Updated Terms

• Change "Hello" to "Top o' the mornin' to ye!"

[Anathiel]

I have a question about auto translate....for instance <lie> does that mean like: I'm lying to someone? or that I'm going to lie down? Don't know how you would be able to make some very..."vague" terms more distinct. english is pretty tricky, but...there are some really grey ones in ff:xi.

EDIT:...lie was a bad example. but I hope you get what I mean.

[MeowyWowie]

Any chance we can get a /translate command? Something to add existing items and/or areas into our auto-translate dictionaries? Often times I have to restart the game to get something I want into the auto-translate, but after zoning I lose it again >.>

Example:

/translate "Felt Trousers"

adds Felt Trouser to your translate dictionary

[Rhianu]

I have a question about auto translate....for instance <lie> does that mean like: I'm lying to someone? or that I'm going to lie down? Don't know how you would be able to make some very..."vague" terms more distinct. english is pretty tricky, but...there are some really grey ones in ff:xi.

EDIT:...lie was a bad example. but I hope you get what I mean.

I think that particular example could be solved by having the phrases "Lie down" and "Tell a lie" as options for the English client, while the word "lie" all by itself wouldn't be available at all. This same method of using a phrase in place of a single word could definitely help to clear up a lot of confusion over words with multiple meanings.

Any chance we can get a /translate command? Something to add existing items and/or areas into our auto-translate dictionaries? Often times I have to restart the game to get something I want into the auto-translate, but after zoning I lose it again >.>

Example:

/translate "Felt Trousers"

adds Felt Trouser to your translate dictionary

Here's a better idea: just make it so that every player always has access to every single term all the time.

[magenta_taco]

no mention of stuff like easy prey, too weak to be worthwhile, incredibly tough, etc. anywhere? shame on you guys.

[Jynx]

List them up and we'll prepare a list to present to the dev. team and see what we can do (keep in mind it's not a guarantee, but we're here to bring your voice to the development team's ear)!

This post

Seriously everything in Reinhearts translation google doc should be in the auto translation list.

[Laraul]

Right now the dictionary is as flawed as it was with FFXI. Which is bad. For example, areas starting with "The" like "The Aurum Vale" require people to type "the" and then press tab. Typing "Aurum" followed by Tab will not list Aurum Vale!

The Dictionary is flawed from both a usability point of view as well as a functional point of view. People want terms added, but we don't need terms added. You will NEVER EVER insert every term necissary. Hence no one uses it for communication.

Pressing TAB should start the lookup process, not complete the preceeding characters. You press TAB and then start typing what you want to insert. As you type the list narrows until it lists an appropriate match. For translating, it needs to be smarter. It needs to know that "help me out" and "i need help" are synonymous. The translate to the exact same term.

Right now, the dictionary is using code written by people whom speak only one language. And it's clear not much thought has gone into it. In FFXI, it was seriously flawed. In FFXIV it's still seriously flawed. Right now it's a poor auto-completion tool.