Hey Stackers,
I'm aware that there's no restriction on using other languages besides English within any territory, and occasionally we do. 1
Nevertheless, I was considering the possibility of having a dedicated space for discussions that begin in languages other than English. This could not only broaden our reach but also encourage more diverse participation.
Once we implement sub-territories, it would be ideal to have a system like ~foreign/~日本語, for instance. It's just a wild idea, but I'd appreciate your thoughts on it.

Footnotes

  1. Feel feel to drop some Portuguese on me anytime.
I thought about opening a spanish sub, but the cost to buy a territory made me reconsider. I'm not really sure how many Spanish speakers would use that territory
reply
reply
Okay so someone already tried it and didn't make enough to sustain it.
reply
SN's primary challenge lies in its limited pool of stackers, coupled with an even smaller number of users keen on contributing in languages other than English. Nevertheless, it would be an intriguing experiment for SN to sponsor a new territory dedicated to non-English languages, where stackers could freely share a wide range of content.
reply
...it would be an intriguing experiment for SN to sponsor a new territory dedicated to non-English languages, where stackers could freely share a wide range of content.
I wholeheartedly second that.
reply
I doubt this will be economically viable, given that SN remains heavily US-centric...
reply
it would be even cooler if the territory had some mechanism for paying sats for a translation of the thread
reply
You've seen ChatGPT abuse, now get ready for, Google translate abuse!
reply
was thinking SN could run its own translation tool & charge sats to use it
but yah.. i could use the translate app too.
Yeah... Well, on the bright side, I'm sure, in a system with a root foreign territory, the cost for the sub territories could became bearable. Again, that's all a dream of mine, we don't have sub territories yet...
reply
Yep, the costs are steep indeed. But I guess in a context where the owner of the root-territory foreign territory could lend or sell the sub-territories, even the 3 millions sats could be worth a shot.
reply
Do you have sub-territories?
reply
They weren't implemented yet. There is a pending Github issue around it: https://github.com/stackernews/stacker.news/issues/711
reply
TIL the source code for this miraculous website is open source, how cool!
reply
There are few intents for ~Spanish by @BitByBit21, as @0xbitcoiner mentioned and ~Brasil founded by @edinho_batonha. it will be nice to hear the experience from the territory founder's perspective!
Personally, I do not think make sense to have dedicated territories for languages because it forces people to be marginalized on a specific corner instead being active participants of the main conversations. That's probably why these two territories got archived.
@ek build time ago, a browser plugin #111566 that enable translations of existing post and comments in the stacker preferred language. It's nice and work perfectly. I assume that there's a need for a more integrated solution to be implemented in SN code itself, like automated translations based on browser language by default. It will limit the barriers to enter and access the valuable contents stackers have to offer.
reply
@ek build time ago, a browser plugin #111566 that enable translations of existing post and comments in the stacker preferred language.
Didn't know about that plugin. The Nostr client for Android, Amethyst has In-Device Automatic Translations, it's so well rounded you don't even notice it's translating for you.
reply
Amethyst is a great example @k00b > In-App Automatic Translations +1
reply
I'd like to do that eventually. We'll have more bandwidth for these nice-to-haves when our wallet changes are further along.
reply
Some people showed interest for the Spanish territory for some time but unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep it working.
It was a nice experiment but I agree it is not the best solution. Having a good translation system embedded in SN sounds great just like in Amethyst since it would be easier for non-English speakers to take part in the conversations.
reply
Even if there where multiple specific dedicated language sub-territories, I would still focus on using common, generic internationally familiar business words in english such as those used in import and export documentation, or pre sale documentation that are required anyway in english.
This is another reason why I keep encouraging my B2B customers to reference Harmon Codes in regards to specific products.
Some of you are familiar that a lot of daily communication is on
LINE Telegram WhatsApp TikTok
I was recently in Japan a couple of weeks ago and everyone has a QR Code linked to their LINE account.
My main B2B customer in Thailand is in Bangkok he has daily postings in Thai on LINE shopping. Which I receive. Even though I do not understand the language I see the images of the products he's promoting and the price in THB.
About seven years ago I found him on youtube doing a video for his retail store, and then i started emailing him which to today interestingly we now use BOTH LINE and WhatsApp.
So.......
If there would be language specific sub territories I would STILL need to go where the 99% of business people are active users to TRY, repeat TRY and bring to my SN B2B postings (in english).
I pay 100K SATS every month for the B2B it is losing money but I am long term that it will help in 10 years down the road when hopefully B2B people which include SN as one of their go to methods for tech/business related tips, reviews, leads, product announcements.
Rather than pictures of cats.
reply
@globalmerchantio you should definitely pass by BoBspace next time you are in Bangkok and invite your customer to join us for the weekly meetup on Wed
reply
Thank you i just joined their telegram group a few days a go thank you I will be going in a few months.
reply
I’m impressed by your long term 10-year vision!
reply
I like your idea but it's challenging. First, what are we gonna write in those territories should relate to Bitcoin. We won't find exact translations for a lot of words for this segment. Secondly, if we write other than Bitcoin, I think those (who are outsiders) who will come to read here can only engage if they sign up. Then, they will also have to understand how SN works (I mean zapping and pay for writing). That will be new to them. So, I think while i like the idea but it won't sustain.
reply
Then, they will also have to understand how SN works (I mean zapping and pay for writing). That will be new to them. So, I think while i like the idea but it won't sustain.
Yeah, come to think about it, the on-boarding of non-bitcoiners would be far from ideal...
reply
Would be delighted to introduce Stackers to some 中文 and 日本語, and pick up some foreign words myself!
For some reason, I have been learning a couple of Yiddish words this year. I think they enrich my understanding of the world
reply
I think they enrich my understanding of the world
No doubt they do. Back when I was trying to wrap my head around Kanji, it was like I learned a whole new way of thinking.
I'm all for it. It might encourage me to brush up on my non-English skills, which are significantly atrophied at this point.
reply
Nice! In my case, I'm brushing up my English. XD
As for the matter at fact, I even tried to wrap my head around the SN Github repo so I could maybe try and help with the mentioned issue, but I'm not really a coder, I just pretend.
reply
I don't even pretend to be a coder, but I helped (or attempted to help) ek work through some predictions market stuff last year.
Just getting an extra brain thinking through potential problems can be really valuable.
reply