Bridging Borders: Velkommen & Willkommen!
Hi, puzzlers!
So, here's what you already know:
- Jigidi is a free online community where user-created puzzles foster rewarding, positive, and educational connections among people from all over the world, bridging cultures and borders.
- Since the beginning of Jigidi-time in 2006 (did you know?), we have offered our interface texts exclusively in English.
And here's what you did not know:
- Today, we are rolling out German and Danish in addition to English as language options for the interface.
- Over the next few months, we will add more languages one at a time.
- Additionally, today, we are introducing the automatic translation of most user-generated text as a Jigidi Plus feature.
Tackling the language barrier
Many puzzlers have tackled the language barrier head-on and learned to express themselves on Jigidi in English, an incredible feat and a great brain exercise.
However, learning a new language is a tall order!
By offering more language options, we aim to make Jigidi more accessible to puzzlers around the world who may not speak or read English but are fluent in other languages ♥
What does this mean concretely? Let’s go through it all ☺
Translation of the interface
Interface texts are the website texts provided by Jigidi, like navigation labels on buttons and menus, instructions and tips, notifications, form labels, and so forth. As of today, you can keep having Jigidi's interface in the original language, English, or you can choose to change it into German or Danish.
How to choose another language?
The default language for the Jigidi interface is English. If you wish to view the interface in another language, click the language selector to see if your preferred language is available.
When you use the website on a larger screen, you’ll find the language selector in the upper right corner of Jigidi:
When you use the website on a smaller screen (or in a smaller window), you’ll find the language selector available at the bottom of the menu, and you follow the same procedure:
How is the translation done?
We use human-guided machine translation to accommodate new languages in an economically feasible way. Although machine translation has improved vastly in the later years, we acknowledge it is still in progress. Being Danish ourselves, we can find and fix any gibberish that has snuck into the layout in the Danish translation. German, on the other hand, is more of a challenge for us.
Therefore, if you find any nonsense in the translated interface in your native language, we would appreciate your feedback and suggestions for improvement. At the bottom of each page on Jigidi, you’ll find a language feedback form you can use to easily mark the text on the page you find problematic, along with your feedback:
Did we get the translation wrong? Give us feedback and help us improve.
Will I have to change the language every time I visit Jigidi?
We use a combination of browser cookies and your account to remember your preferred language for as long as possible.
For users without an account, your browser's cookie settings may prevent us from remembering for more extended periods. But don't worry; when the cookie expires, you can choose your preferred language for the Jigidi interface again.
…so, wait, what about the comments and puzzle description texts?
Jigidi Plus feature: Translation of user generated texts
Translation of user-generated texts (comments, puzzle descriptions, and other text made by you) is a powerful way to substantiate the sense of community for everyone. However, the cost of using machine translation is not insignificant. This is why we offer these translations as a Jigidi Plus feature, to ensure the sustainability of this service.
We are currently testing the balance we must strike with the number of words available for translation per person per day. Only a few should ever hit their limit ☺
How to translate user generated text?
Just as we explained with the interface, you can now view Jigidi's user-generated texts in their original language or choose to have them translated into English, German, or Danish.
The mechanics are that you can translate a user-generated text into the language you have chosen for the interface. You’ll find the translation option in the upper right corner of the text:
Currently, you have the option to translate comments, but shortly we will also release this option for puzzle, profile, and collection descriptions.
Commenting is for everyone
We’re naturally wired to connect with others and feel a sense of belonging when we engage with our communities. Reaching out to someone in the comments can brighten both your day and theirs, and we hope these translation options will make more people comfortable leaving comments on puzzles that speak to them.
So, having said all that, will be adding more languages over the following months, with French, Spanish, and Czech being some of our subsequent launches ☺
Stay tuned, puzzlers – and as always, thank you for being here! ♥
Much love,
Jigidi
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