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Hi all.

I thought very carefully about the language issue when setup up Swyx Forum last year. The question is where to stop ? Should all content be provided in at least two languages or just lets say the forum ? What's about the Wiki, the downloads (the descriptioins of the downloads), a.s.o. ?

I decided to start in english language first and then see how it comes out.

Of course it is possible to provide a complete german lanugage website beside the english one as well, but this is connected with a fair amount of work for me. So, unless there is no need for it I decided not to provide a german version. In the end it is my sparetime that is consumed by things like that.

But I am very interested in your opinion as well. How do you feel about this mostly english speaking website even though your mother tongue isn't english ? Or in coming back to Martin's post: would you like some (not all) content of this site being available in german language as well ?

Tom.

Tom Wellige
(Lead Solution Consultant, Swyx)

"It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment."
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes - A Study in Scarlet

Tom Wellige wrote Even though the postings are currently decreasing over the last weeks I still see increasing access statistics in term of page hits, visits and unique visitors per month. Question is: what does this tell me ?

We have to admit that the forum covers a quite narrow subject. SwyxWare is still a quite 'unknown' product. Looking at the amount of postings over the last month, they are decreasing. This is quite normal. There will always be a wave of postings when a forum is put online. Then after some time 'all' topics and questions have been covered. New users will find answers to their questions among these existing posts.

Probably we will see more activity again after the release of 6.10, but it will take a little time before the 6.10 user base is noticeble.

But, back to the topic; Language.

Martin do have a point. There is also a closed Swyx Forum where only the Swyx channel has access. A lot of posts in that forum are in German language. But, from what I can see (limited knowledge of German) most of these postings would not fit on this open forum anyway.

We should discuss this in this thread, and I encourage everyone to do that. My personal 'feeling' is that we should keep the structure. There are some posts in German already on this forum, showing that if they want they post in their native language.

Morten Rokosz
(Swyx T.A.G Member)

Captain of the Golgafrinchan Ark Fleet Ship B

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

Just to express my thoughts on the used language.

I'm from the Netherlands and most things I do on the internet (mail/forums/browsing) is in English.

I can read German (don't ask me to speak it...), so I also read all german posts.

But I really think that English is the most widely used language on the Internet and so this site should be mainly in English.

If the ambitions of Swyx are focussed mainly onto Germany (and I hope not), there is a point. But outside of Germany and some other nearby countries, the German language is absolutely unknown (pleasy don't be offended...) and unreadable.

So if my vote counts, I vote for English.

Is there no decent translation site that can be automatically linked to translate english posts to german?

greetings

Martijn van Weert

Letgo!

I would like to suggest something else:

The welcome text on the startpage of Swyx Forum in different european languages with their native flags in front and a hint that the common lanuage is english but the native langauge is also welcome in the forums.

Honestely, I dislike the idea of having some forums for english, german and/or maybe some other languages as well. One can figure from the subject if the language fits or not.

What do you think ?

Tom Wellige
(Lead Solution Consultant, Swyx)

"It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment."
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes - A Study in Scarlet

Tom Wellige wrote Honestely, I dislike the idea of having some forums for english, german and/or maybe some other languages as well. One can figure from the subject if the language fits or not. What do you think ?

I agree 100%. Germany is of course Swyx' largest single market. But I do not know how the combined market outside Germany counts. But I will encourage everybody to use their native language if needed. Somebody will be able to answer. However, keep in mind that one of the ideas behind a community is sharing. If another language than english is used in a thread, a lot of people will be cut of from this information.

Bare så det er sagt......

Morten Rokosz
(Swyx T.A.G Member)

Captain of the Golgafrinchan Ark Fleet Ship B

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

Ik ben natuurlijk groot voorstander van de Engelse taal.
Omdat natuurlijk diverse problemen al zijn opgelost door anderen met ervaring. Het zou zonde zijn om deze niet meer te lezen, omdat ze in een andere taal zijn geschreven zoals Duits, Frans of Farci!

I must agree to keep it all in English.
Since certain issues I will face are already solved by other people with big experience, it would be such a waste to not read it anymore, simply because it was in German, French or Farci!

Tom Wellige wrote   BTW: a moderator is *not* someone who must answer all questions,

 So that is what I misunderstood

Morten Rokosz
(Swyx T.A.G Member)

Captain of the Golgafrinchan Ark Fleet Ship B

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

Tom Wellige wrote There is one more problem with all the different languages: As owner of this site I am fully responsible for the content due to german law regulations (I know, that's stupid, but that's how it is). With having posts in my forum in langauges I do not understand I am unable to follow my responsibility of moderating posts. I would need need trustworthy volunteers for each language to become a moderator of the entire forum. I don't have a problem with that, the opposite is true !  It is just something that must not be forgotten. BTW: a moderator is *not* someone who must answer all questions, he is just someone who have a look on posts and edit, move or delete them if necessary.

Oke, in dat geval: Kun je op mij rekenen, ik ben bereid de verantwoordelijkheid op mij te nemen voor het Nederlandse gedeelte, (Oke, in that case: You can count on me, I am prepared to take the repsonsability for the Dutch part)

But that's if you are really intend to make those language dependable fora. I prefer to keep on talking in Englisch so even Morton and I can understand each other!