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stephenmk / Jitendex

A free, offline, and openly licensed Japanese-to-English dictionary. Updates weekly!
https://jitendex.org
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[Inquiry] localize Jitendex in Arabic #39

Closed FahadHeiji closed 8 months ago

FahadHeiji commented 8 months ago

Hi Stephen,

I am writing to inquire about the necessary steps and requirements to localize Jitendex, the Japanese-English dictionary, into Arabic. As an Arabic speaker and language enthusiast, I believe that providing Jitendex in Arabic would greatly benefit Arabic-speaking users who are studying or interested in the Japanese language.

I am keen to contribute to the localization process and would appreciate guidance on the following points:

  1. Translation of Dictionary Content:

    • What is the process of translating the Japanese entries and definitions into Arabic?
    • Are there specific guidelines or standards to follow for accurate and consistent translations?
    • Is there existing translation work that I can build upon, or should translations be done from scratch?

  2. Localization of User Interface:

    • How can I localize the user interface of Jitendex to Arabic effectively?
    • Are there any specific considerations for adapting the interface to support the Arabic language?
    • Can you provide any resources or documentation to assist with the localization process?

I am writing to inquire about the necessary steps and requirements to localize Jitendex, the Japanese-English dictionary, into Arabic. As an Arabic speaker and language enthusiast, I believe that providing Jitendex in Arabic would greatly benefit Arabic-speaking users who are studying or interested in the Japanese language.

stephenmk commented 8 months ago

Jitendex uses Japanese-to-English dictionary data published by the JMdict project. This data has been produced by hundreds of volunteers for over thirty years. I am not aware of any similar projects for producing a Japanese-to-Arabic dictionary. If this data does not exist, I don't see how I could make an Arabic version of Jitendex. It is certainly possible to translate the JMdict data from English into Arabic by using artificial intelligence software such as ChatGPT, although I assume that the results would contain many errors and inadequate definitions.

I know there is a JMdict internationalization project started by the Tagaini Jisho project. They claim to have translated 77% of the JMdict data into the Russian language. Unfortunately, they have not translated much of the project into Arabic. I'm sure they would be happy to have volunteers assist them in translating the definitions into Arabic, but I think it would require many volunteers and thousands of hours of effort to produce a useful amount of data.

I'm sorry, but I don't think there is much else I can do to help you. Due to the lack of a free source of Japanese-to-Arabic dictionary data, I am not currently interested in producing versions of Jitendex for Arabic.

FahadHeiji commented 8 months ago

I understand the challenges mentioned, and I value the transparency regarding the current limitations.

Thank you for your efforts and for providing valuable insights into the intricacies of the project. If there are any future developments or opportunities for collaboration in the Arabic localization, I would be keen to contribute.

Once again, thank you, and I wish you continued success with Jitendex.