Calling all "Beginners" for Phrasebook Help!

Question

Attention all self-proclaimed 'beginners'!

Do you feel limited in what you can do to help? Worried that you can't translate a suggested phrase properly? Well... Worry no more! Let me fill you in on an aspect of the Phrasebook project that anyone can help with:

Weeding Out Duplicates!

The idea is that with nearly 5,000 approved phrases, there are bound to be suggestions for phrases that we already have.

Here's what you do.

1. Pick a suggested phrase in the list of suggested phrases that strikes you as common enough that someone should have though of it already.
2. Pick a key word in that phrase and search for that word in the phrasebook, NOT the dictionary. (It is helpful to have two windows open, one for looking at the list of suggestions, a second to search through approved phrases.)
3. Look through the result of the search. If nothing matches, try a different key word, or just move on to another suggested phrase. However...
4. If you find an approved phrase that is identical or extremely close to the suggested phrase then click 'Add translation'.
5. For "Spanish Phrase" type: DUPLICATE
6. In the "Example" box, put the url to the approved phrase you found to show the moderators why you think it is a duplicate. This is helpful but not absolutely necessary.
7. Finally just click the 'My own work blah blah blah box' and then 'SAVE'

How easy is that?!

Here's an example (although I don't know how long the duplicate will be around before getting the axe):

Phrase: asking for trouble Duplicate phrase: your asking for trouble

By doing this, you will be helping those who are able to provide translations to avoid duplicating the effort of someone else and focus on original suggestions.

Thank you all for your help, and may the Fuerza be with nosotros!

(p.s. And if you'd like a daily notice as to the progress of the 'Suggested' list, subscribe to this thread: Down to ????! Phrasebook Volunteers requested! I had originally posted this suggestion in that thread, but at Heidita's request I am posting it again here.)

Okay everyone... Back to work!

• wonderful, imposible más rá`pido, jeje - Heidita Sep 3, 2010
• look at the statistics, chaparri, it is really incredible - Heidita Sep 3, 2010
• let's call it help, duty sounds so "obliging", thanks a lot chparri:) - Heidita Sep 3, 2010
• Okay. "Help" is fine. I was going for the friendly 'everyone chip in' feeling of 'duty', not the obligatory drudgery that sometimes is conveyed by that word. ;-) - chaparrito Sep 6, 2010

Answer 1

Some Statistics:

We launched on the 2nd of August (only a month ago!!) a major attack on the Phrasebook.

At that moment:

2800 entries (and this had been like this for like 2 months )

4400 suggested phrases ( :bug

400 needed approval (more or less)

N O W:

4,603 entries

1800 suggested phrases

Need approval: around 10!!!

This could not have been done without all of those who have helped so much.

• gracias - esto nos da animos - margaretbl Sep 3, 2010

Answer 2

And this is really, really easy, people!

I have already found and labeled. more than 20 duplicates. This will save the moderators so much time, and it's a way for those of us who need a lot of help on this site to give a little help in return.

CORRECTION: Note that dictionary entries are not considered duplicates. My previous comment on this was incorrect.

So: give it ten minutes, right now. Even if you only find one or two duplicates, that will save the moderators the time it would take them to read and look them up.

• Your efforts are truly commendable! Thanks for your support. But please see the updated post for clarification on Dictionary entries. :-) - chaparrito Sep 3, 2010

Answer 3

Here's an important clarification: (I've updated the original post.)

Please only search the existing Phrasebook for duplicates.

Don't look in the dictionary. We don't mind if the phrase is something found in the dictionary, but we don't want duplicate Phrasebook entries.

For example, someone submitted that going over it in more detail was a duplicate. It is not a duplicate phrase in the phrasebook. And even if a phrase already appears in the dictionary, the phrasebook is different in that it will provide more detail and explanations and sample sentences. It will be more than definitions.

Now if a suggested 'phrase' is a single word or a compound word that is already in the dictionary, then it isn't really a phrase and it is okay to point out. For example I saw a suggested phrase a few weeks ago which was simply: "Spam". That wasn't a phrase, and it was already in the dictionary, so I marked it "Already in the Dictionary."

So please only match up existing approved phrases with suggested ones. Thank you, and I'm sorry for the confusion.

Answer 4

A really big "Thank you" to everyone who is helping out by labeling the duplicates!!!

• por fin has llegado!!!! - Heidita Sep 3, 2010

Answer 5

Thank you so much for this great suggestion

Answer 6

Wow!

We are almost down to 1,500 suggested phrases. I think the duplicates are getting pulled out, but I'm sure there has also been a lot of effort adding translations to legitimate suggestions.

¡Que sigamos adelante!

Answer 7

Yipee! We're down below 1400!

There are obviously many fewer duplicates than when I posted this suggestion, but they're still out there. I found one today.

Answer 8

4,774 entries completed on our way to the goal of 5,000

Whohooooooooo

Answer 9

I'm bumping up this thread for others to see.

Thank you all for your wonderful help with the Phrasebook!

Answer 10

Yes. there are still duplicates. I found some yesterday.

Answer 11

Beginner friends, we are still needed!

Many duplicates have been marked - good job! I have also found and marked a number of duplicate suggestions - that is, entries that haven't been translated yet but have been suggested multiple times.

Many thanks to the moderators and more advanced students who are doing the really difficult work of translating. Let's all keep helping so the phrase book can open up to new phrases soon!

Answer 12

Yes! All of you are totally incredible!

When I go to the Phrasebook to do editing and approval, it is a huge help to already have duplicates identified.

Gracias por su ayuda infatigable!

This is another example of the Spanishdict community in action!

Answer 13

Down to 1260 with about 100 pending that are mostly duplicates. Thank you for your help! I found another one just now. We have 4836 phrases completed toward our goal of 5000!