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➜ MUDs in languages other than English?
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MUDs in languages other than English?
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| Posted by
| Nick Gammon
Australia (23,133 posts) Bio
Forum Administrator |
| Date
| Sun 06 Jan 2002 12:21 AM (UTC) |
| Message
| There have been a couple of posts recently about translating a MUD server into Russian/Spanish.
I wonder if anyone here knows the situation regarding playing MUDs in lanuages other than English?
Many of the servers I have seen have English statements sprinkled very liberally throughout the code (eg. "you can't do that") - in the case of SMAUG, thousands of them - so translating an existing English-based server would not be that easy.
Also, there exists automated translation software, maybe that could be used?
It seems to me that these are the possibilities, does anyone know which ones are the case?
MUD players living in non-English speaking countries ...
- Don't play MUD games at all.
- Know enough written English to play on an English-based server, where room descriptions and chatting are in English (eg. a MUD run in the USA, England, Australia, or whatever).
- Play on an English-based server, but run in their own country, so that room descriptions and chatting are in the local language (you still need to understand the English descriptions output by the server itself).
- Modify an English-based MUD server so that all English messages are translated into the local language.
- Develop a MUD server in the local language, from scratch.
- Use a MUD server which supports multiple languages (I think PennMUSH does this these days), and write the room descriptions in the local language.
- Play an English-based MUD, but translate the messages (at the client end) on-the-fly into the local language.
- Operate an English-based server, but modify the server to translate any English descriptions on-the-fly into the local language at the server end.
As an example of how automatic translation might work, I tried some sample text on the AltaVista site where they offer automatic transation...
Original in English
You pick up your pace as you travel down this portion of Falcon Road. Gazing eastward, you see what is easily the darkest alley in the city, though a glimmer of light can be seen flickering in the shadows of the slim street. To the north is an intersection, while Falcon Road continues to the south.
Translated to French
Vous prenez votre pas pendant que vous voyagez en bas de cette partie de route de faucon. Regardant vers l'est, vous voyez ce qui est facilement la ruelle la plus foncée dans la ville, cependant une lueur vacillante de lumière pouvez être clignoter vu dans les ombres de la rue mince. Au nord est une intersection, alors que la route de faucon continue au sud.
Translated back to English
You take your step while you travel in bottom of this part of road of falcon. Looking towards the east, you see what is easily the lane most sunk in the city, however a wavering gleam of light can be to flicker seen in the shades of the thin street. In north is an intersection, whereas the road of falcon continues in the south.
Second example
Original in English
You are standing within the expanse of the famous Darkhaven Square. A stone statue of occupies the square's center, surrounded by gardens of shrubbery which enhance the air of serenity and peace here in the center of the city. The main road lead away in the cardinal directions, while to the northeast and northwest are forested paths. The spires of a cathedral can be seen rising to the northwest.
Translated to German
Sie stehen innerhalb der Ausdehnung des berühmten Quadrats Darkhaven. Eine Steinstatue von besetzt die Mitte des Quadrats, umgeben durch Gärten von shrubbery, die die Luft von serenity und von Frieden hier in der Mitte der Stadt erhöhen. Die Hauptstraße Leitung weg in den hauptsächlichen Richtungen, während zum Nordosten und zum Nordwesten seien Sie, forested Pfade. Die spires einer Kathedrale können gesehenes Steigen zum Nordwesten sein.
Translated back to English
They are within the expansion of the famous square Darkhaven. A stone statue of fills the center of the square, surrounded by gardens of shrubbery, which increase the air of serenity and of peace here in the center of the city. The main street line away in the main directions, during to the northeast and to the northwest are you, forested paths. Those spires of a cathedral can be seen rise to the northwest.
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- Nick Gammon
www.gammon.com.au, www.mushclient.com | | Top |
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| Posted by
| Kris
USA (198 posts) Bio
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| Date
| Reply #1 on Mon 07 Jan 2002 06:46 AM (UTC) |
| Message
| I personally would not recommend having an automated translation into a local language. Although I would be very intrigued to see it implemented on a mud server, I'm sure that Nick's above examples illustrate the ineffectiveness of automated translation programs. You would have mistranslations left and right, which would end up confusing your foreign players anyways. For example, 'you see what is easily the darkest lane in the city' becomes 'you see what is easily the lane most sunk in the city'. Also, such a matrix would definitely cause server-side lag, especially if the server also translates data from chat lines (think of the confusion there; 'I like you' in french could easily become 'I love you', since the word for both is simply 'aime').
If you really wanna have the mud available to another language, I would suggest making a copy of the mud, and hiring someone who speaks both languages fluently to translate the whole bloody thing, then run it on a seperate port. That'd be a pain in the arse, especially when having to translate every new area you make.
I'd suggest you pick a language, and stick with it. Focus on getting it right in that language (I see so many room descriptions with horrible spelling/grammer, and inundated with the word 'you' everywhere).
That's just my opinion though :) | | Top |
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| Posted by
| Shadowfyr
USA (1,790 posts) Bio
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| Date
| Reply #2 on Sun 03 Feb 2002 08:24 AM (UTC) |
| Message
| Just to throw in my 2 cents... This kind of mangling of languages is due to the fact that translators are generally as stupid as most search engines. From what I understand, there are a few really good ones that account for context, but not one you will find free or cheap, unless you write it yourself. And that would take years. ;)
The sad fact of the matter is that even translating single words can be hit or miss, since for example trying to translate Japanese to english a translater may recognize niko, hito or words containing them, but not nikohito. Or maybe it would, but fails instead on something else with a the same root words. And such a failure is patently rediculous. | | Top |
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