Logs in English only if possible

[+NYPaddleCacher]

If anyone is still taking the linguistic side of this thread seriously AND is savvy enough to host a Google Doc spreadsheet, I'd be more than happy to populate the French column of a sheet containing all the commonest terms to be found on a cache page / in the hint. A multilingual sheet could prove a real resource - not just for Hank from Bediddlyboing, Idaho, on a trip to France but say a Finn in Portugal or a Russian in the USA. Anyone interested in setting up such a project / contributing other languages?

 

There was a thread quite awhile back where people added "Thanks for the Cache" in various languages. Adding other phrases like "The log is wet" would also be useful.

 

 

[+Oxford Stone]

I was thinking of words like under in behind on opposite stile ivy tree bush lamppost fence gate magnet(ic) waist head water stump north south east west look stealth muggle danger log (both senses) box container paper... all that sort of stuff, with multiple columns for each language. Not foolproof but worth a try.

[cezanne]

I was surprised to see that the OP wasn't an American, or at least had found caches in Europe. I've cached successfully in several European countries. I'm not selfish nor arrogant to insist that international cachers use a non-native language.

 

I'm pretty convinced that almost all cachers who are very favorable about the suggestion "Whoever is able to write reasonable English logs should do so" come from Europe, aren't native speakers of English and typically speak at least three languages.

 

 

Cezanne

Edited September 16, 2013 by cezanne

[4wheelin_fool]

I translate logs by right clicking translate with Bing. The result is clumsy, but quick.

[+CanadianRockies]

Metric does not mean base 10.

It kinda does.

 

From its beginning, the main features of the metric system were the standard set of inter-related base units and a standard set of prefixes in powers of ten.

The metric system is based on groupings of 10 but all system based on groupings of 10 are metric.

It's not the same thing. You might just as well say that I see what I eat is the same thing as I eat what I see or that I like what I get is the same thing as I get what I like or that I breathe when I sleep is the same thing as I sleep when I breathe.

Of course I understand the U.S. monetary system isn't part of the International System of Units (i.e., metric system). I was just poking a little fun at the poster.

 

But I thought it was kind of humorous that the person who (probably jokingly) called the metric system "goofy" was advocating for U.S. dollars. Like the metric system, dollars and cents are based on the decimal system.

 

Even the word "cent" comes from the Latin word "centum" meaning hundred. And "dime" derives from the Latin "decima" meaning tenth. Pennies and dimes might as well be called centidollars and decidollars.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I translate logs by right clicking translate with Bing. The result is clumsy, but quick.

 

If we were required to write logs in English, non-English speakers would write their log in their native language, then use Google or Bing translate to cut-n-paste some questionable English translation into the online log.

 

 

 

[+Redfist]

Why English? Doesn't that make it "harder for tourists" who travel from non-English speaking countries? Perhaps the default should be German. Oh wait, the OP probably wouldn't like it.

 

How about... you translate from language X into your own language when reading. Copy/paste into a webpage (bing and google both have easy translators). That way you don't have to ask the world to change, you just have to ask yourself. Asking 6 million cachers to change has a lower chance for success than merely asking yourself to change.

 

I couldn't help but *forehead palm slap* when I read the OP's post. OMG....

Edited September 16, 2013 by Redfist

[cezanne]

Why English? Doesn't that make it "harder for tourists" who travel from non-English speaking countries?

 

The type of tourist the OP has in mind will certainly profit from English.

While I can write e.g. in French, I need to invest much more effort than for writing in English which is not much different to writing in my mother tongue. English is a must in so many professions and plays a special role in international communication. English plays a much larger role as a foreign language than as a native language.

 

When I started geocaching eleven years ago it was normal to log in English and I sticked to that habit until today with some exceptions.

 

 

How about... you translate from language X into your own language when reading. Copy/paste into a webpage (bing and google both have easy translators). That way you don't have to ask the world to change, you just have to ask yourself. Asking 6 million cachers to change has a lower chance for success than merely asking yourself to change.

 

I couldn't help but *forehead palm slap* when I read the OP's post. OMG....

 

My expectations about the lingiustic quality of texts I like to read are much higher than what online translators can provide.

I like multi caches and I like to read long logs, e.g. reports about hikes. What online translators produce is mostly garbage and much worse

than the English many cachers I know can produce.

 

Of course I'm aware that English logs cannot expected from anyone, but I'd prefer a situation like in the early years of geocaching in my home country.

 

Cezanne

Edited September 16, 2013 by cezanne

[+Redfist]

Why English? Doesn't that make it "harder for tourists" who travel from non-English speaking countries?

 

The type of tourist the OP has in mind will certainly profit from English.

While I can write e.g. in French, I need to invest much more effort than for writing in English which is not much different to writing in my mother tongue. English is a must in so many professions and plays a special role in international communication. English plays a much larger role as a foreign language than as a native language.

 

When I started geocaching eleven years ago it was normal to log in English and I sticked to that habit until today with some exceptions.

 

 

How about... you translate from language X into your own language when reading. Copy/paste into a webpage (bing and google both have easy translators). That way you don't have to ask the world to change, you just have to ask yourself. Asking 6 million cachers to change has a lower chance for success than merely asking yourself to change.

 

I couldn't help but *forehead palm slap* when I read the OP's post. OMG....

 

My expectations about the lingiustic quality of texts I like to read are much higher than what online translators can provide.

I like multi caches and I like to read long logs, e.g. reports about hikes. What online translators produce is mostly garbage and much worse

than the English many cachers I know can produce.

 

Of course I'm aware that English logs cannot expected from anyone, but I'd prefer a situation like in the early years of geocaching in my home country.

 

Cezanne

 

My expectation is that when I travel to another country, I better be able to deal with their language/laws/customs/etc. When I find English logs, I'm happy! When I find local-language logs, I'm not at all upset.

[cezanne]

My expectation is that when I travel to another country, I better be able to deal with their language/laws/customs/etc. When I find English logs, I'm happy! When I find local-language logs, I'm not at all upset.

 

I'm not upset if I do not find English logs, but as I said I would prefer English logs from everyone who is proficient in English and that's why I write my logs in English.

I also like to read and understand logs for caches that I will never ever get to visit.

As most caches nowadays get so many logs, it would not harm anyone if those who are fluent in English write English logs and the other write logs in another language.

 

I neither have the time nor the motivation to study all those languages that I would need to communicate with all the people I meet in their own language.

Learning how to greet, say thank you and other basic things like that is something completely different to trying to understanding complex texts.

I guess it is quite different to live in the US than in Europe close to several borders to countries where other languages are spoken.

The simplest way for me to communicate with someone from say Hungary, Croatia or Slovenia is certainly to speak English and not to speak Hungarian, Croatian, Slovenian or German. That's a fact and is not geocaching related.

 

As caching is concerned, if someone is mainly interested into following the GPS-pointer and limits the search to traditionals where the description and the logs are not important, than of course using online translators is not big deal. Personally, I prefer the same type of complex cache abroad than at home where the description and understanding it plays a major role. I have caches where in some parts of the description every single word plays a role and guessing will immediately lead to problems.

 

 

Cezanne

Edited September 16, 2013 by cezanne

[+Glenn]

I translate logs by right clicking translate with Bing. The result is clumsy, but quick.

 

I know what you mean. Sometimes my translations end up reading like this.

 

Click and translation of Bing right, I translated the log. It is a clumsy results, but it is fast.

Edited September 17, 2013 by Glenn

[+The_Incredibles_]

Why English? Doesn't that make it "harder for tourists" who travel from non-English speaking countries? Perhaps the default should be German. Oh wait, the OP probably wouldn't like it.

 

All tourists speak English, don't you know.

[+Redfist]

Why English? Doesn't that make it "harder for tourists" who travel from non-English speaking countries? Perhaps the default should be German. Oh wait, the OP probably wouldn't like it.

 

All tourists speak English, don't you know.

 

English is the international language of leisure.

[+torkel72]

Would make it easier for tourists that don't know the language.

Hello, Greenadventure.

 

I see that you geocache in various countries in Europe, so I can understand the basis for your suggestion. The use of a "standard" logging language in parts of the world where many languages are used could be helpful to those who like to hunt for geocaches in nearby countries, and I suppose English could serve as a good "standard" language, at least in Europe, where many do have some familiarity with it.

 

It couldn't be a logging requirement, but cache owners could make the suggestion on their cache pages if they so desired.

 

Having said that, you posted this suggestion in the Off Topic forum, which is an area reserved for discussions of things other than geocaching. Your suggestion would likely get more appropriate commentary if it was posted in the main Geocaching Topics forum. I'll notify the Off Topic moderators and ask them to move this discussion over there.

 

Hello cache_test_dummies

 

Thanks for the reply. A translate all logs to prefered langauge in the geocacheapp would be nice.

[+torkel72]

I translate logs by right clicking translate with Bing. The result is clumsy, but quick.

 

Not that easy in Android, as I know of, or?

[+torkel72]

Diverting this thread off to the main discussion forums before it's too late.

Thanks!

[+torkel72]

I was surprised to see that the OP wasn't an American, or at least had found caches in Europe. I've cached successfully in several European countries. I'm not selfish nor arrogant to insist that international cachers use a non-native language.

Sure it's helpful if the logs and page are in English, but the arrow still points to GZ. You just have to remember to switch your GPS to the metric system so it can tell you how far away you are in those countries.

 

Have found caches in my native country, Denmark, Germany and Poland.

 

I'm not selfish or arrogant, but looking up a cache on tour, and all logs are in Polish isn't much helpful.

Edited September 27, 2013 by Greenadventure

[+Little Hiawatha]

Would make it easier for tourists that don't know the language.

 

It'd make it easier for me if everyone in the world spoke nothing but English.

Edited September 27, 2013 by Little Hiawatha

[+Keokas]

Im hoping to learn a foreign language some day, preferably Finnish as thats where I most want to visit.

 

Logs should be posted in Finnish until I learn

 

Seriously though, logs should be in a language the finder is comfortable with, not everyone speaks English, it's a worldwide hobby, we shouldn't pressure anyone to learn our language.

Finnish is easy! For example 'TFTC' in Finnish is just 'KK' ;-) And here in Finland we don't have spelling competitions, since every school kid can spell any word in Finnish :-)

Also, Finnish is such a small language, that if people want to communicate abroad, they must know at least few words in some other language. Some cachers in Finland are still logging caches in English, like the practice was in the beginning of geocaching times in the early 2000:s

 

(P.S. I hate KK-logs!)

 

Edit. spelling :-D

Edited September 27, 2013 by Keokas

[+Glenn]

 

It'd make it easier for me if everyone in the world spoke nothing but English.

 

'oH chenmoH 'oH Dov'agh vaj pagh 'ach tlhIngan jatlh Hoch mamob'a'.

[+aviatik]

Very long log written in Danish ... on a cache above Lago di Garda in Italy.

 

Я нашел один тайник в Росии но записку написал на английском языке.