UBB.classicTM 6.5.0
quote:Wrong thread
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
I don't like Christmas.
*ducks*
quote:Having witnessed (I seem to remember) more than one thread in my time go down the Welsh language rabbit hole and never emerge again, I have come to conclude that talking about Welsh is also like licorice. Many, if not most, shipmates have nothing to add, but once it goes that direction, we can expect it to stay there for a while.
We're like licorice. Not everyone likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice.
quote:Well, it's what we've turned Christmas (oops, I mean "the Holidays") into that's loathsome. Christmas itself is holy and mystical.
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
Christmas is a loathsome holiday.
quote:I think a dedicated thread would become limiting if any actual Welsh posted had to be accompanied by a translation, which would be required under Ship language rules.
Originally posted by Og, King of Bashan:
I suppose saying a thread for discussion of Welsh would be more precise.
quote:You all have gotten on just fine within the rules on the tangent on the Unpopular Opinion thread, right?
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
quote:I think a dedicated thread would become limiting if any actual Welsh posted had to be accompanied by a translation, which would be required under Ship language rules.
Originally posted by Og, King of Bashan:
I suppose saying a thread for discussion of Welsh would be more precise.
quote:I don't know, let's try it.
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
I think a dedicated thread would become limiting if any actual Welsh posted had to be accompanied by a translation, which would be required under Ship language rules.
quote:A rule which benefits nobody and is applied seemingly arbitrarily.
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
Not allowed under Ship language rules.
quote:I’d like an explanation on the reasoning here. Because it seems the opposite to me.
Originally posted by passer:
quote:A rule which benefits nobody
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
Not allowed under Ship language rules.
quote:Yes: please expound your thinking here.
Originally posted by passer:
quote:A rule which benefits nobody and is applied seemingly arbitrarily.
Not allowed under Ship language rules.
quote:If that's the case . . . there is no justifiable reason why people should be enamored of "social media" (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
Originally posted by balaam:
The thread had been taken over by the tangent . . . It is back on track now.
quote:I could be wrong, but unless it is a private board and not visible, it'd still have to be translated.
Originally posted by balaam:
To the Welsh speakers, have you considered an eighth day board where the Welsh does not have to be translated every time?
quote:Well if I recall correctly (and my memory weakens as I age) the rule was introduced in response to someone, or maybe more than one, writing in Foreign in some thread (possibly in Keryg??) and someone else complaining about it on the grounds that sneaky types might be using this devious stratagem to slyly take the piss out of others, or to deliberately exclude them from meaningful participation. This led, after some lively exchanges of views either here or in Hell, to the imposition of the English-only rule on the grounds that it was unreasonable to expect participants in or casual browsers of threads to have to resort to Google Translate (other translators are available) in order to respond or react, and that this inhibited the free-flowing nature of a discussion forum. So far, so good.
Originally posted by RooK:
quote:Yes: please expound your thinking here.
Originally posted by passer:
quote:A rule which benefits nobody and is applied seemingly arbitrarily.
Not allowed under Ship language rules.
quote:Perhaps someone needs new specs? Of some cleaning agent? Because your contributions to this thread so far have not exactly been on point.
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
Oh, dear. Back to the tangent, are we? Wake Miss Amanda when it goes away, will you, that's a dear.
quote:Yes, including chunks of untranslated text in Foreign is indeed against the spirit of the boards, I have no argument with that. It's the weaselly nit-picking way that some do the other thing I mentioned, as a distraction when they are unsure of how they are doing in a discussion, and the patchy response which that attracts from the ptb which I don't really like. Better no rule to appeal to than one which can be manipulated. After all, the Hosts read all posts anyway, and are capable of deciding when something is out of order or unclear.
Originally posted by mousethief:
Very much disagree. The public boards are public, and meant to be open to all. It seems to me that having chunks of untranslated text in Foreign creates a de facto underclass. Further, istm that this rule is of a piece with the rule saying scripture references are insufficient, and text of the bible should be included in the post. Another more informal custom is defining obscure technical terms. Imagine having a three-person pub convo in which two spoke in Foreign, and when the third asked what they're saying, they tell him to look it up on his cell phone. Forcing a subset of the interlocutors to constantly jump back and forth between the conversation and reference works is unreasonable and rude.
quote:Yes. The other issue is that Hosts are obliged (poor sods) to read the dribblings that the deck-scrubbers post, so you'd need a host fluent in the language of the board, were it public. Not I, for I am far from fluent. Very, very far.
Originally posted by mr cheesy:
quote:I could be wrong, but unless it is a private board and not visible, it'd still have to be translated.
Originally posted by balaam:
To the Welsh speakers, have you considered an eighth day board where the Welsh does not have to be translated every time?
quote:The "Unpopular Opinion" thread in Heaven is back on track. But here in The Styx, they're still debating the language issue.
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
Oh, dear. Back to the tangent, are we? Wake Miss Amanda when it goes away, will you, that's a dear.
quote:Well, unless you were a lurker on the Neoworks boards (ie: here before 2001) then you won't remember the early incarnations of the guideline. But, it was nothing to do with concern about sly piss taking (though there have been occasions when individuals have been warned about hiding possible insults in obscure language that has never generated a "don't be obscure because you might be insulting someone" rule that applies to everyone). It basically comes down to these being discussion boards, and for discussion to happen then a common language is highly desirable - and since the vast majority of people here speak some form of English as their first language that is the logical choice. If you want someone to respond to your posts, to engage in discussion, then it's pretty stupid to make what you say impossible for most people to understand. The first examples of unnecessary difficulty added to posts that I can recall was the use of txt abbreviations - saving a few seconds in typing and having lots of people go "huh?" wasn't very smart.
Originally posted by passer:
Well if I recall correctly (and my memory weakens as I age) the rule was introduced in response to someone, or maybe more than one, writing in Foreign in some thread (possibly in Keryg??) and someone else complaining about it on the grounds that sneaky types might be using this devious stratagem to slyly take the piss out of others, or to deliberately exclude them from meaningful participation.
quote:Ah. I only go back to about 2006, so probably what I recall is some incident which led to a reaffirmation of the rule and my first awareness of it.
Originally posted by Alan Cresswell:
Well, unless you were a lurker on the Neoworks boards (ie: here before 2001) then you won't remember the early incarnations of the guideline.
quote:Well, yes, Miss Amanda **does** need new glasses, as a matter of fact. She was at the optometrist yesterday. She understands the purpose of this thread now, and appreciates being nudged so gently and charitably toward that understanding. She'll leave you all to your devices now, having no interest herself in the Welsh language.
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
Perhaps someone needs new specs . . . because your contributions to this thread so far have not exactly been on point.