Glossary
editUsing Wikipedia Tips
edit- Checking the name of proper nouns
When the translation of a particular place /artwork / person, etc, is unknown, try finding the Wikipedia article and click on the English equivalent. This is often a better resource than simple, i.e. word-to-word, online dictionaries. And you can link your term to the article on English Wikipedia.
- Marking published articles/drafts as translations
Use the template translated pages to mark your article/draft as a translation
Tips for finding articles to translate
edit- Summaries of TV series
- Summaries of series don't seem to be a thing in the English Wiki; there's a section about the premise instead.
- Marking published articles/drafts as translations
Helpful link for translations of existing Wikipedia articles (suggested by asilverling): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Translation
Notes about English - German Differences
editEnglish Mechanical Tips
editNumbers
edit- decimals
- English decimal numbers are separated by a point rather than a comma (e.g. 0,56 mm in German compared to 0.56 mm in English).
- billion
- German Billionen translates to English trillion; English billion translates to German Milliarden, see also Long and short scales
Notes about translating nouns
edit- Translating Frau into Ms., Mrs. or, perhaps, Miss
- Be aware of which form you choose
- Names of laws / legislation
- Names of laws like Ladenschlussgesetz are best left alone and not translated. Instead, quickly explain the purpose or effect of the law, for example using prentheses in a relative clause
Ladenschlussgesetz (shop closing law) OR
Ladenschlussgesetz, the law that dictates during what hours shops are allowed to open each day. OR
Ladenschlussgesetz (shop closing law), the law that dictates during what hours shops are allowed to open each day.
- Das Pflichtexemplarrecht
- German Pflichtexemplarrecht translates to English the legal deposit. We can also write a brief explanation. However, the German definition matches the definition in the English article, so we can just leave the link.
- Bestand der Bibliothek
- Library collection is better than library stock or holdings
Special and Common Translating Questions
editTranslating names that are play-on words (example: Herr Taschenbier)
Translating rhymes
Should we link to things that are "common knowledge"/"well known"? Ex: DVD