Format guideline
This page is a generic Format/Style guideline that applies to all projects by default. Since each project may have particular needs, each project may have their own format guideline page that overrules any of these recommendations. Before you contribute to the project, please be sure to review both this page and the guideline page for the project you are interested in.
General
Translators
Each project contains a "Registration Page" that lists all known chapters, and which translator has claimed that portion for their work. To help ensure consistency in writing style, the following guidelines on translators are proposed:
- You are required to register which chapters you wish to work on. One portion of text per translator, please.
- Registration is on a "First Come, First Served" basis. Please register your intended chapters on the project's registration page.
- Maximum number of translators per volume is two, unless the volume is a collection of smaller stories. Another way to interpret this is no more than two translators should be working on the same "story arc".
- Translators may only register for portions of one volume at a time within each project. This is to prevent "biting off more than you can chew".
- Do not worry about first drafts, it will be the Editors job to clean it up. Discussion between Editors and Translators is encouraged via the Talk pages for each chapter.
- The Registration page is not a binding contract, and translators are encouraged to negotiate between themselves which portions to register for.
- Anonymous Translated Contributions are required to inform thelastguardian and the designated Project Supervisor of the intend Chapters as shown on the corresponding Registration page before any major contribution.
- Portions that are not updated for a significant time may be taken over by another translator after getting permission from the Project Supervisor. The new translator is encouraged to start over to maintain consistency, but the old translation will not be deleted at least until the new translation is finished (and probably not for some time after that)
Editors
Editors are people who proofread the translated text and correct spelling and grammar errors. Editors are also generally native speakers of the target language and are expected to be knowledgeable of said spelling and grammar. Editors are asked to fill in the summary box for all edits.
Occasionally, major edits may be called for to correct incorrect or awkward grammar. Editors are required to open discussion for any major edits on the associated Talk page and allow sufficient time for other editors and translators to review the proposed edit.
"Major edits" include anything that clearly changes the meaning of the text, such as changing nouns, pronouns or verbs, deleting, adding or moving whole sentences, or any edits that effect an entire paragraph.
Editors are encouraged to request verification on translations before making major edits... translators are people too and are capable of mistakes.
Some editors are acknowledged for their continuing contributions, and are elevated to an official "Editor" status complete with some extra permissions on the Wiki. These are essentially Baka-Tsuki "Staff Editors" who also have the task of monitoring the wiki for signs of vandals, and are able to issue warnings flags, but otherwise the same as everyone else.
Anonymous Editors
Anonymous editors are simply people who are casually reading the text and happen to find and fix an error without registering for an account on the Wiki first. Such drive-by edits are encouraged, especially for newly translated materials.
Portions of text that have been translated for some time may be locked to anonymous edits.
If you plan on participating in the editing process on a regular basis, you are encouraged to register so your work can be attributed and you can build a reputation for yourself... but this is by no means required.
All of the guidelines for Editors also apply to Anonymous Editors: Major edits should be discussed in the Talk pages first. Unannounced edits by Anonymous Editors may be reverted.
Language
The default target language is English, however other target languages are welcomed and encouraged. This guideline will assume the target language is English.
Spelling and Grammar
Due to the nature of this website, and the nationality of the majority of Editors and Readers, the standard spelling lexicon for this Wiki will be based upon American English as defined by the Fourth Edition of the American Heritage Dictionary
Idioms & Context Humor
It is not uncommon for the authors to employ common idioms in their writing, especially in dialog and character narration. However, due to irreconcilable differences between languages, it may be impossible to translate these idioms into proper English. Similarly, some attempts at humor rely heavily on the language and situation and are difficult or impossible to translate (puns are an excellent example of this).
In these cases there are two possible courses to take:
- 1. [Preferred when possible] Translate the phrase as closely as possible and include a footnote to explain it.
- 2. Replace the phrase with a common English one that is as close to the original intent as possible. For reference, please visit UsingEnglish.com
Formatting
Formatting refers to the general layout of the pages and arrangement of the information.
Project Overview Pages
Each project has an overview page, from which the individual chapters are linked.
At the very least, overview pages should contain, preferably in this order:
- Links to any alternate non-English versions, so non-English speakers can easily locate them.
- A brief and spoiler-free synopsis of the work (one paragraph would be sufficient).
- A list of volumes and chapters for the collection to be translated.
- The actual links to each portion of the translation, organized by volume if appropriate.
- A list of translators active and registered for the project.
- Any relevant copyright info including original author, publisher, publishing date and country of origin. ISBN numbers for the original material would also be nice.
Project Overview pages should list the Translators and Staff Editors and their activity status. The idea is to get a general overview of the activity for each translator. There are five "levels" of activity, depending on how long it's been since anyone has had contact with them and if there is a known reason for them being inactive.
Active - Recently active, easily contacted. A.F.K. - Has declared that they will be away and inactive (vacation, school etc). A.W.O.L. - Hasn't been seen or heard from for two months. M.I.A. - Hasn't been seen or heard from for six months. K.I.A. - 14 months of absence, presumed dead or permanently imprisoned.
There is a dedicated page for each portion of the translation (typically by chapter).
In general, no header is required for these pages as Wikimedia automatically places a title on the page based on its URL. If there is any specific translator/editor notes that need attention, they should be placed at the top of the page in italics. For example, a notice that a portion of the translation has been omitted or that there are multiple versions on this page for whatever reason.
Page footers should include links to the previous chapter (if any), a link to the project's overview page, and a link to the next chapter (again, if any). If there are no previous or next chapters, then the footer can be completely omitted. An example footer is as follows:
| Back to Previous Chapter | Return to Main Page | Forward to Next Chapter |
Cover Art
Cover art, as well as inserts, should be included in a special gallery page as the first section of the volume if available. There is no recommended size for these images, but JPG format is preferred.
Inline Images
Many times there are illustrations that accompany the text. To include these images in the translation, they need to be scanned in and uploaded to the Wiki.
Recommended image size and format is 600x1000 High-quality JPG, since this yields good quality images at a reasonable resolution and file size. Actual size and format is left to the project supervisor or person responsible for uploading the images.
Image names should be descriptive of what project they belong to and where they belong in the text. For example: "Sh_v05c02_01.jpg" would be the first image (01) in chapter 2 (c02), volume 5 (v05) of the Suzumiya Haruhi (Sh) series.
For inclusion in the translated text, a captioned thumbnail is used. The thumbnail template places the resized image in a frame to the right, with text wrapping around it, and (optionally) places a caption under the image. An example of such an image is to the right.
Inline images are generally located close to the portion of text they refer to, or approximately where the image appears in the original text.
Translator Notes
Translator notes, or footnotes, should be used to clarify expressions, places, dates and so forth where the reader may not have sufficient knowledge. For example, references to culture-specific holidays, food and ceremonies are common as are places and items that may not be widely known.
Preferably, a new page for each Volume titled "Translator's Notes" should be created. This page should be divided into sections corresponding to the chapters of that volume, and brief explanations of the cited material should be given along with external (off-site) links to pages that contain more detailed information.
The preferred format for a footnote is to add a numbered link after the key word or phrase to the appropriate section of the "Translator's Notes" page for that volume. (This[1] is an example.[2]) Notes should be numbered for easy reference if the pages are printed or combined into a format that does not readily support linking such as PDFs (...and yes I know PDF supports internal document linking.)
Use the Hide Tag
N.B: Translators are encouraged to use the "hide" tags when adding notes within the script, when faced with certain dilemma:
<!-- Note: Unsure of this sentence! please check it for me -->
This is to ensure that the script does not disturb the flow of the story, and allow only necessary users, -Staff Editors and Anonymous Editors- to read the note Onizuka-gto 20:10, 22 April 2007 (PDT)
Full Text Versions
Once all portions of a volume are completed, a "Full Text" version may be created and linked to via the volume's title on the project overview page.
