Where does the website name come from?

It's a portmanteau of Polyglot+ Lit.

The programmer and other people also thought polyglotlit was too hard to say so it was voted down. So the site owner chose the alternate choice of "Polyglit". Polyglit also has a lot of puns that can be made. The site owner has a fondness for puns.

How was this website conceived?

The site owner, when young, and searching for books on her ethnicity, often found only stereotypes about her country. But as an adult, realized this was true for a lot of other countries.

When the site owner could read only part of Moon and Sun and thought it would be nice to have a site like viki.com to translate it. Then there were television shows that constantly mentioned books that were called classics that were not translated.

The site owner also saw duolingo, but it didn't meet what she expected it would do. She pitched the idea to viki.com who asked why she didn't do it. After a few months of being bothered by the idea, she decided to start the website.

Since no one wanted to start the website, she started it on her own given that she had the background, knowledge of websites, publishing industry, languages, and cultures.

How can I participate?

Head Moderator- Manages the people in the channel and lets them into it. Also settles disputes. Also manages the discussions between the team and coordinates the project. Helps establish the Project Bible with the help of the other people in the team.

Moderators- Manages the people for the language they are in charge of.

Head Translators- Oversees the translation and does the more difficult translations. Also checks for basic translation consistency. Sets the standards.

Translators- May have a medium proficiency rate of understanding of the material.

Spot Translators- Translate the sections they can understand, or do partial translations.

Head Editor- oversees the editing of the work once it is translated and checks for consistency of editing.

Copyeditors- Check the given translations of errors.

Quality checkers- Gives the final check for consistency of both translation and editing.

What do I get in exchange for my participation?

You can read a book, learn a language by either comparing and you get a free month's membership, ad free contingent on if you follow basic code of conduct. Just joining a team is not enough, you have to participate within the team.

What is a direct versus Second Degree translation?

A direct translation is say, French to German. There is less room for error in a direct translation.

A second degree translation is say, Japanese to English to Korean, in which case there is much more room for error, as in the famed telephone game. Often translations might be better expressed with a similar colloquialism which does not translate well a second time into another language. Or there are cultural expressions within the language that do translate in direct translation that would be missed in second degree translations.

For example, English does not have age rank expressions. Korean, Tagalog, Chinese, Japanese and a lot of other languages do have those expressions, in which case a direct translation is better.

We do not forbid second degree translations except when asked by the original author or their family. However, we do encourage direct translations.

How come I can't translate it to my language?

Either the language is not added yet (please check the list) or you are trying to do a third degree translation on the website. This means that you are taking a translation of a translation of a translation. The website forbids a third translation on the website as the work's integrity often slides with a third degree translation. (for example, Africaans to English to French to German) Direct translation is encouraged.

If the author requests to forbid second degree translations, the administration will follow their wishes and state so on the section.

How come my translation didn't show up?

Check your translations list. If someone translated after you in a different way, their translation will get the credit. Also if they translated it first before you did in the same way, they also will get the credit. If they do a direct translation, then they will also get credit before you. People may upvote or down vote your translation or the Head Translator may decide that your translation is not accurate.

Why is translation so difficult?

For those who don't know another language, they think that translation is simply grammar and vocabulary. But translation is more skilled than that. It takes translating also the cultural understanding and nuances in a way that is comprehendible to the reader without losing the integrity of the work. Sometimes things take a bit of thought, planning, arguing, etc. You can find out more here: http://www.polyglit.com/difficultiesoftranslation.php

I want translations faster!

You have 2 options in this case.

You can cheer for the translation team and give them encouragement.

You can work and help the team to work faster--you need not be a translator to help the team. You can also help with editing.

If neither option is amendable, then I suggest being patient silently rather than complaining. Moderators have discretion to remove/edit your comment if all you are going to do is complain about speed and not do anything to help. Translation is hard work. So please be understanding of that.

What kind of comments can get deleted?

If you post comments that violate the Terms of Service, Code of Conduct, post one liner comments such as "First." "Second" "Translate faster." those comments the Head moderator or moderators may remove. If you dispute a comment being removed, please address it to the Head Moderator for that channel and then to the administration. The Admin will send at minimum two people, Super Moderators, to mediate the problem and come up with a solution.

What are translator notes for?

Notes on the translation of words or phrases.

Cultural notes to clarify a translation when not clear inline.

They should not be used to "remind" the reader of what happened so far.

They should not be used to "explain" the words that the text is being translated into. For example, if you are translating into English, a definition of what "skeptical" is not a translation note. Either change the word by consensus, or rely on the reader to be smart enough to figure it out/look it up.

For the sake of the text, try to keep cultural and translation notes to only when needed.

Why am I not able to access translator notes?

Because you are not on the translation team's translator or editing branches. The Head Moderator may also be able to add notes. If you are on the team and your designation is correct, then please contact admin for help.

Are you going to let readers add translation notes?

No. This often leads to people being confused what the translation notes are for. If you have something that fits the criteria, ask the Head Moderator to either let you in or note the Head Translator or Editor.

What does a subscription entail?

For right now it guarantees ad free. Later on it'll include books you can't access on your own, plus access to the paid app which will allow you to compare different language versions of the book side by side.

What are the recommended romanization systems?

Please check the individual language sections.

Korean revised romanization with a modification ㅜ-->oo So Ajooma. This avoids confusion with the u.

Japanese romanization uses Hepburn with translator notes on kanji meanings when relavent.

Will you ever add a thumbs up button?

No. It creates competition, popularity contests, and unnecessary extra bandwidth. If you find a comment problematic, please report it rather than respond to it. Your local moderator will address your concerns.

Will you ever own Facebook or allow Facebook login?

Open ID will be allowed into the website to login, however, we will not allow them as part of the book translation staff. Please create a native account if you wish to translate books. This limits our liability and creates a stronger site culture.

How can I make a suggestion to improve the website?

We welcome suggestions from all levels of our users, as you help make this site what it is.

What are the company's policies?

[Link]

What is Public Domain?

Public domain is the life of the author and generally plus around 50-70 years, depending on the country that the author was born in. This means the original text is free to use and does not require a license.

Despite many books being in public domain, it does not mean that the majority of the classics are being translated. We at Polyglit encourage you to submit public domain book suggestions, especially classics.

Will you ever handle Self-published books?

Sorry, but no. Due to the fact that self-published books range in quality and that they may not be edited in their native language, plus there is a higher liability, we cannot take on self-published books.

I would like to complain about a Head Moderator/Moderator. How do I do that?

Please read all of the Code of Conduct. http://www.polyglit.com/codeofconduct.php.

If your behavior falls in the code of conduct violations they have a right to moderate your comment and the admin will back this up, especially if it fails the harassment policies about discrimination, the admin will not protect you.

Please try to resolve it with the person first.

If it's a moderator, then report it to a head moderator.

If it's the head moderator, then please report it to the admin with a copy of the complaints.

What you should expect:

It might take a while for your complaint to be addressed. This is because the site is limited on staff at the moment and we're trying our best. But this doesn't mean we don't care about your complaint

If we don't reply within a month, then you can send the complaint again.

When your complaint is recieved by a human being we will note you to that effect.

When your complaint is addressed we will have two people (Super Moderators) from the paid staff look at the complaint and its contents. We will mediate at first, if there is a clear violation, the Head Moderator and Moderators in question will get a warning. With three strikes they will be forbidden from being a moderator again. If on the same project, then the Head Moderator and Moderator will be removed from the project and replaced by another volunteer.

We at Polyglit.com take your complaints about harassment and discrimination seriously.