Suggestion (for a great improvement of glossaries usability)
Thread poster: Luca Tutino
Luca Tutino
Luca Tutino  Identity Verified
Italy
Member (2002)
English to Italian
+ ...
Feb 25, 2004

I have noticed that in other glossary sites next to the single languages ("English", "French", "Italian" etc.) it is possible to select "Any" as Language choice, both for the from and to fields. This makes it possible to look i.e. for "something" in English and find its translation in any language.

This improves a lot the use of the glossaries, insofar you might not have the meaning of the word in Italian but in French or in Spanish... A great many of us are supposed to read more t
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I have noticed that in other glossary sites next to the single languages ("English", "French", "Italian" etc.) it is possible to select "Any" as Language choice, both for the from and to fields. This makes it possible to look i.e. for "something" in English and find its translation in any language.

This improves a lot the use of the glossaries, insofar you might not have the meaning of the word in Italian but in French or in Spanish... A great many of us are supposed to read more than 2 languages, and even for who cannot, a second language lead is often a good hint.

If you choose "any" as source field, you find any occurrence of the search word in any language. This improves the chances to find an occurrence, as many languages use the same words, especially in the technical fields (as ES-IT, or EN-NL for instance).

Finally, if you do not choose any language at all, you get automatically a combination From any to any language. I leave it to you to imagine how useful this can be!!

I really hope you can implement this here as well!.

[Edited at 2004-02-25 20:11]
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Evert DELOOF-SYS
Evert DELOOF-SYS  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 17:34
Member
English to Dutch
+ ...
Yes, excellent suggestion Feb 25, 2004

I've been waiting for this feature for ages

I'm sure it'll be implemented if technically feasible without too many headaches


 
Elvira Stoianov
Elvira Stoianov  Identity Verified
Luxembourg
Local time: 17:34
German to Romanian
+ ...
Have you tried that on ProZ? It's working Feb 25, 2004

I am not sure I understand your question. Are you saying that what you suggest is available on other sites, but not on ProZ?

I have been using the search feature the way you say for a long time. If you go to Search glossaries and you only enter the source language, you will receive answers into all languages. If you don't select any language, I am not sure it works, due to the large amount of information. But if you enter the source language, it's surely working. I've just used this
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I am not sure I understand your question. Are you saying that what you suggest is available on other sites, but not on ProZ?

I have been using the search feature the way you say for a long time. If you go to Search glossaries and you only enter the source language, you will receive answers into all languages. If you don't select any language, I am not sure it works, due to the large amount of information. But if you enter the source language, it's surely working. I've just used this feature a few minutes ago and, as I already said, I've been using it for a long time on ProZ.

[Edited at 2004-02-25 20:14]
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Evert DELOOF-SYS
Evert DELOOF-SYS  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 17:34
Member
English to Dutch
+ ...
Never tried it, Elvira... Feb 25, 2004

Have you ever, I've been a member since 1999 and don't think I ever tried this.

Thanks, Elvira, for either reminding me, or for the new tip.


 
Henk Peelen
Henk Peelen  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 17:34
Member (2002)
German to Dutch
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
second proposal: possibility to choose two, three or four languages Feb 25, 2004

I was thinking about asking a similar question:
possibility to choose simultanously SOME source and / or target languages.
I think that would be an optimum in yield.
A lot of languages are quite similar, for instance Dutch / Flemish and to a fewer degree
Dutch / German
Spanish / Portuguese
Swedish / Danish / Norwegian.


Searching the whole database for a word like "voltage" surely uses a bunch of time, and a very few people master more than
... See more
I was thinking about asking a similar question:
possibility to choose simultanously SOME source and / or target languages.
I think that would be an optimum in yield.
A lot of languages are quite similar, for instance Dutch / Flemish and to a fewer degree
Dutch / German
Spanish / Portuguese
Swedish / Danish / Norwegian.


Searching the whole database for a word like "voltage" surely uses a bunch of time, and a very few people master more than five languages to use al the information a totally free search would yield.
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Elvira Stoianov
Elvira Stoianov  Identity Verified
Luxembourg
Local time: 17:34
German to Romanian
+ ...
it's not that bad :) Feb 25, 2004

have you tried the search for voltage? I admit the list is a bit longer, as when you'd try searching for not so frequent words, but I find the list easy to go through. (since the language pair is listed in the first column, it's not that bad)

Edit: another thing to consider, is the ordering of the list: - it begins with terms found in member glossaries, then there's a list of edited Kudoz questions and then a list of unedited KudoZ questions. (They are listed in three different tabl
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have you tried the search for voltage? I admit the list is a bit longer, as when you'd try searching for not so frequent words, but I find the list easy to go through. (since the language pair is listed in the first column, it's not that bad)

Edit: another thing to consider, is the ordering of the list: - it begins with terms found in member glossaries, then there's a list of edited Kudoz questions and then a list of unedited KudoZ questions. (They are listed in three different tables, so it's easy to spot the three different categories)

However, there's another problem, which I think was mentioned in a thread a few days ago.

If you try searching for a word like "main", the last one I searched today, you get lots of hits due to words like "domain, remain", etc. I think this is an aspect that needs attention, because this is sometimes annoying even when searching for short words in only one language pair. But as I said, I think this issue is being discussed in another thread.

[Edited at 2004-02-25 20:42]
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Mats Wiman
Mats Wiman  Identity Verified
Sweden
Local time: 17:34
Member (2000)
German to Swedish
+ ...
In memoriam
Super idea! Feb 25, 2004

which I use everyday with my Norstedts Skribent.
When activating it I just start writing the word I want translated and then I get the corresponding entries in the 9 dictionaries comprised on the CD:

Svenska Akademiens ordbok (swe)
Svensk ordbok 3 (swe)
Norstedts svenska synonymordbok (swe)
Norstedts stora engelsk-svenska ordbok (eng>swe)
Norstedts stora svensk-engelska ordbok (swe>eng)
Norstedts tysk-s
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which I use everyday with my Norstedts Skribent.
When activating it I just start writing the word I want translated and then I get the corresponding entries in the 9 dictionaries comprised on the CD:

Svenska Akademiens ordbok (swe)
Svensk ordbok 3 (swe)
Norstedts svenska synonymordbok (swe)
Norstedts stora engelsk-svenska ordbok (eng>swe)
Norstedts stora svensk-engelska ordbok (swe>eng)
Norstedts tysk-svenska ordbok (deu>swe)
Norstedts svensk-tyska ordbok (swe>deu)
Norstedts stora fransk-svenska ordbok (fra>swe)
Norstedts stora svensk-franska ordbok (swe>fra)

It gives you many cross-references and crossfertilizing ideas.

The programming of it is - I fear - not all that simple but it's very desirable.

BR



Mats J C Wiman
Übersetzer/Translator/Traducteur/Traductor > swe
http://www.MatsWiman.com
http://www.Deutsch-Schwedisch.com
http://www.proz.com/translator/1749
(Proz.com moderator, deu>swe)
Träsk 201
SE-872 97 Skog
Schweden/Sweden/Suède/Suecia
Tel:+46-612-54112 Fax:+46-612-54181 Mobile:+46-70-5769797
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Henk Peelen
Henk Peelen  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 17:34
Member (2002)
German to Dutch
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
main voltage Feb 25, 2004

Elvira Stoianov wrote:

have you tried the search for voltage? I admit the list is a bit longer, as when you'd try searching for not so frequent words, but I find the list easy to go through. (since the language pair is listed in the first column, it's not that bad)
....
If you try searching for a word like "main", the last one I searched today, you get lots of hits due to words like "domain, remain", etc. I think this is an aspect that needs attention, because this is sometimes annoying even when searching for short words in only one language pair. But as I said, I think this issue is being discussed in another thread.


OK, voltage isn't the best example, but techniques is my main domain, that's why!

Anyway, there must be an optimum in simultanously selectable languages(1, 2, 3, 4 ..) for every query. It would be great if we could choose it ourselves.


 
Luca Tutino
Luca Tutino  Identity Verified
Italy
Member (2002)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
It was there already! And I was still waiting for it!! Feb 25, 2004

Thank you Elvira! And thank you Proz's staff! I am almost sure that I have tried it in the past and got no result... However, it now works both ways! You can leave blank the From and To fields and you gat hudge list, just as I like them!

Thank you thank you thank you.

Luca


 
Elvira Stoianov
Elvira Stoianov  Identity Verified
Luxembourg
Local time: 17:34
German to Romanian
+ ...
not sure any further restrictions are needed Feb 25, 2004

Henk Peelen wrote:

Anyway, there must be an optimum in simultanously selectable languages(1, 2, 3, 4 ..) for every query. It would be great if we could choose it ourselves.


As I said, I have been using this feature for quite some time and I have never had any problems due to the amount of answers, even if some of them were Chinese, Russian or any other languages that were of no use to me. Try the feature. I am not sure it is necessary to have further restrictions. But try it, and then give us your opinion.


 
Henk Peelen
Henk Peelen  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 17:34
Member (2002)
German to Dutch
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
main bungler Feb 25, 2004

Elvira Stoianov wrote:

As I said, I have been using this feature for quite some time and I have never had any problems due to the amount of answers, even if some of them were Chinese, Russian or any other languages that were of no use to me. Try the feature. I am not sure it is necessary to have further restrictions. But try it, and then give us your opinion.


Well, I tried:
main
English > blank
and got a huge list mainly ranging from Bosnian to Czech. The button "Next Page" renders a new search page.
Appearantly no succes.
Should like to know how others get on.
I know I'm the main bungler. Now I hope I'm the only bungler.

[Edited at 2004-02-25 22:10]


 
Elvira Stoianov
Elvira Stoianov  Identity Verified
Luxembourg
Local time: 17:34
German to Romanian
+ ...
What Next Page button? Feb 26, 2004

hhhmmmm

Normally, the results are displayed on one page. I have never had more pages displayed.


 
Andy Watkinson
Andy Watkinson
Spain
Local time: 17:34
Member
Catalan to English
+ ...
To narrow searches Feb 26, 2004

"If you try searching for a word like "main", the last one I searched today, you get lots of hits due to words like "domain, remain", etc. I think this is an aspect that needs attention, because this is sometimes annoying even when searching for short words in only one language pair. But as I said, I think this issue is being discussed in another thread"

Hi Elvira,

I can't find the other thread, but a simple way to avoid the "(do)main" problem is to leave a blank space
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"If you try searching for a word like "main", the last one I searched today, you get lots of hits due to words like "domain, remain", etc. I think this is an aspect that needs attention, because this is sometimes annoying even when searching for short words in only one language pair. But as I said, I think this issue is being discussed in another thread"

Hi Elvira,

I can't find the other thread, but a simple way to avoid the "(do)main" problem is to leave a blank space before the word.

e.g. You want "graph", but not photograph, photographer...

Leaving a blank space first means the search will start with a "g".

A blank space can also be left at the end for the same (or opposite, really) problem.

Saludos,
Andy
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Hilary Davies Shelby
Hilary Davies Shelby
United States
Local time: 11:34
German to English
+ ...
Agree with Elvira...but are we getting all the answers? Feb 26, 2004

I never get more than one page either if I leave the languages blank - and I thought I was getting all the matches, as they are arranged in alphabetical order by language. Maybe though, Elvira and I aren't getting all the matches for our searches, somehow, if everyone else is getting PAGES of answers?

H


 


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Suggestion (for a great improvement of glossaries usability)






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