Reporting errors
Is there an easy way to report errors on the website? In the day and a half I've been using it, I've probably found more than 10 serious typos (i.e. words spelled incorrectly in lessons, reference articles and flashcards). For instance, the flashcards "Controversias" misspell plague (in English) and refugiado (in Spanish). Another set of flashcards used "EL mano" rather than "LA mano." Additionally, a number of flashcard sets use articles (el/la) for the majority of the noun vocabulary words, but inexplicably have one or two nouns for which they don't use the article, leading to the annoying issue where including the article in the answer is marked as wrong. Moreover, several of the grammar reference articles misspelled spanish words like "divorciarse" (in the reciprocal verbs article) or gave incorrect definitions (e.g. defining conseguir as "to agree" in the article on present tense conjugation). Sadly, I wasn't LOOKING for errors, I've just happened to see these, probably among many others, in the very short time I've been using the site.
It really doesn't inspire confidence to see this many errors on the website, but it is particularly annoying that there does not appear to be any way to quickly report them so that they may be corrected.
7 Answers
Hi Crayon
When you open any page, including posts, there is a yellow "feedback" logo on the left hand side. You can use this form to report back to the web designers any faults that you consider relevant. This feedback button is also available on the last line of every page, fifth item from the left. Please feel free to use it.
I know we have already spoken through PMs, but for anyone else curious as to where to send errors for the lessons as well as ALL flashcard sets, send them to me. It is easiest if you PM me so that I definitely find the message. I try to stay on the ball and be active in the forum as much as possible, but I can't read every message, so it is safest to PM me directly.
I can correct flashcard errors immediately. I will be correcting video errors over the next few weeks/months as I am changing the intro animation to fit the new logo and it's a great opportunity to go through each of them and fix any errors. I have posted a question concerning video errors and would love any and all errors to be posted there so I can be sure to correct them.
And I completely agree that there should be no errors in a learning site (and especially Websters!), but the truth is that I am pretty much the online full-timer around here with the enormous amount of help I receive from the forum moderators and contributors like Heidita, Eddy, QFreed, and Lazarus. With all the materials out there, there are bound to be errors, but just let me know and I will make sure they are corrected so the next person sees it right the first time.
When referring to flashcards please make a clear distinction between Paralee's lesson flashcards and the Vocabulary list flashcards.
Paralee solicits corrections concerning the lesson flashcards. They are usually sent directly to her or posted in a discussion if the user wants to verify whether an actual error was made or not.
As for the vocabulary list flashcards those are private lists that the list creator wanted made public to share with other members. THEY ARE NOT REVIEWED FOR ERRORS. We used to have the capability to leave comments about the list where you could advise the author and other users of errors, but that feature is gone.
If you wish to PM the list creator informing him/her of errors that is one option. Whether he acts on it is an entirely different issue.
Just to provide you with a little historical background. The vocabulary lists used to be RIFE with errors (only natural, they are made mostly by beginning students). At that time all lists were public. Heidita (with others) made a heroic effort to go through the thousands of lists and delete or edit the worst of the lists. Since that time, however, changes have been implemented making lists private/public. It was hoped that any private lists subsequently made public would be reviewed for errors, but I suppose due to privacy/freedom of speech or whatever reasons the review process was never implemented. So use the vocabulary lists at your own peril. If you think that there is an error then research it. Don't just assume that you are incorrect, because someone more wise than you has probably reviewed the list.
I haven't used the lists for some time. Previously only staff or the author could edit a list, and later, even staff couldn't edit one. Now that we have the reward system and they have expanded editing capabilites, does anyone know who can edit a vocabulary list (other than your own)?
I'm sorry if I was unclear, but all of the errors to which I referred were in the official flash cards and reference materials by Paralee, NOT user flash card lists. I obviously haven't gone through all of official the materials in the last couple days, but of the materials which I have reviewed, I found errors in "External Body Parts" and "Issues and Controversies" as well as the reference materials on reciprocal verbs and on present tense conjugation. I was also referring to the lack of articles on some of the nouns in official flashcards for Paralee's lessons, but I do not recall which lessons off the top of my head (there were several, and I was doing a smattering of lessons from different units).
I completely understand that the user lists cannot be checked for accuracy. I'm frustrated because these are NOT user lists, and do not have the disclaimer that they are not checked for accuracy.
Also, as someone who is advanced/advanced-intermediate just doing review, it scares me a tad that people who don't already know the language pretty well may be relying on materials that aren't edited carefully. As someone who is also trying to improve my Spanish for professional use, it scares me when I see that words are misspelled/wrong articles/wrong definitions. I really do not want to learn things wrong because in a professional, legal context, small errors can actually make a difference.
That said, a number of Spanish education resources are rife with errors (Webster's New World Spanish Grammar is unbelievably poorly edited, for instance) so there are still likely fewer errors on this site than on many others. Nonetheless, I do think there should be a "See an error? Contact us" link by the lessons if they aren't truly edited with a fine tooth comb.
Hope that clarifies!
Thanks! I understand that there are lots of differences in usage. All of the errors to which I was referring were pretty cut and dry (the article for "mano" is LA not el, spelling errors, etc.). - crayonupthen
These are bad mistakes but they sometimes happen when one does so many things. Do not hesitate to write a PM to Paralee, she will see to the correction of this.
Hi Crayon, we tried to clean all the lists on this site, but only the user lists, not the official list where not even I had access.
I'm sorry if I was unclear, but all of the errors to which I referred were in the official flash cards and reference materials by Paralee, NOT user flash card lists
I am sorry to see that there are mistaked in "official lists", but the only persons who have access to them are the creators themselves, namely Christopher and Paralee.
Our guiding principle (in fact, we were not authorized to actually change a list) was to report to Heidita entries that seemed to be wrong/suspicious and she, as a native speaker (possibly in consultation with others), was charged with the final decision.
I corrected all those errors pointed out to me. I think not even once did I doubt my "helper's" jugdement. I can only say again, without your help, Sam and those few good friends of the forum who helped with this terribly boring task, I could not have done it.
I have no knowledge of the vocabulary lists that Paralee has/may have created but I participated in the effort to "clean up" the lists that members created. Our guiding principle (in fact, we were not authorized to actually change a list) was to report to Heidita entries that seemed to be wrong/suspicious and she, as a native speaker (possibly in consultation with others), was charged with the final decision. One has only to browse the WR forum to see that, in many cases, "native speakers" (of Spanish) do not agree on "correct usage". They seem to disagree less often than English speakers but the situation is obviously not "black and white".
