# Questions with no context



## natasha2000

Why is this only in English Only forum?

I think this could be put in all forums, especially those who deal with translations.

It is very tiring to ask for context. It is also tiring to see (and there are each time more of those) threads that could be easily solved if a person that opened the thread only looked up the work in WR dictionary, not mentioning that WR is not the only dictionary available on Internet.

If something like this anouncement is started, then I think it should be started in all WR forums.


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## cuchuflete

Thanks Natasha.  We experiment in the EO forum, and if things work well, we share what we have learned with colleagues in the other forums.  We just posted the announcement a day ago, and if it helps—it seems to help when we enforce it—then I expect other forums will use something similiar if they need it.

We still have to remind people not to post translation requests in the monolingual forums, to look things up in dictionaries, to stay on topic....and to wash behind their ears. 

What can all the foreros do to help?

1- Do not reply to threads with no context. Report them.
2- Do not reply to threads asking for translations in the monolingual forums.  Report them.
3- Suggest, *politely*, to newbies that they read the forum rules and forum stickies before posting.  

Gracias,
Cuchu


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## natasha2000

Thaks for the quick answer.
I do all three. But the problem is, that there are other foreros who don't mind doing translations, begging for more context etc.

I know that all those things can happen because someone is new and doesn't know. But I noticed lately there are a lot of new people especially in Spanish-English forum, and the rules are sistematically broken, and when you say politely "don't do this next time" they don't even bother to answer, and continue the thread as if nothing were said. This is something that really bothers... Maybe more mods for this forum wouldn't be bad idea, since it is extremely active. I noticed that if nobody answers the thread in half an hour, the thread is already on the second page. This is really impressive activity for a forum, isn't it?
But then, this issue had been discussed here many times, so I guess there is nothing more new to say....


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## cuchuflete

The Spanish forums have not had the full complement of moderators lately, due to travel and other normal human events.  The staffing for that forum should be back to normal very soon.

Your help is appreciated, even if some people lack the courtesy to acknowledge it.


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## natasha2000

Thanks, Cuchu, for your words and for correcting the title of this thread.


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## Ilmo

natasha2000 said:


> It is very tiring to ask for context. It is also tiring to see (and there are each time more of those) threads that could be easily solved if a person that opened the thread only looked up the work in WR dictionary, not mentioning that WR is not the only dictionary available on Internet.


 
Me pregunto, si yo salté las reglas. Intenté estar un poco obstinado y obligarla hacer al menos algo para aclarar el significado de la oración presentada. Pero ella se ofendió por completo, no entendió lo que yo quería alcanzar.
En efecto, aunque me disculpé honestamente, me quedó "un mal sabor en la boca", para usar una frase común de mi lengua materna.


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## TrentinaNE

Ilmo, it sounds like some members may need an attitude adjustment.  If you want to bring a problematic post to a moderator's attention, please click on the "red triangle" to do so.  

Elisabetta


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## fenixpollo

Ilmo, en mi humilde opinión, no te pasaste de raya. Todos los días, trato de recordarles a los que no saben de las reglas cuando las rompen. Pero en cuanto muestren resistencia o una mala actitud, tal como hizo la forera en tu ejemplo, inmediatamente le pido ayuda a alguna moderadora.

I feel that my role as a senior member is to collaborate, assist and answer any questions I can; as well as to remind foreros of the rules when they transgress (but not to enforce the rules).


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## natasha2000

Pues, a mi se me ha caído más de la una y ahora ya no lo hago. Simplemente si veo algo que no está bien, clico en el triangulito y no me meto en ningún tipo de discusiones. Varias veces traté de hacer lo mismo que Ilmo y se me vino encima un mal rollo que no veas. Por eso, yo clico alos moderadores, y si ellos piensan lo mismo que yo, actuarán, y si no, pues, nada. Yo me he ahorrado una bronca.


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## cuchuflete

Ilmo said:


> Me pregunto, si yo salté las reglas. Intenté estar un poco obstinado y obligarla hacer al menos algo para aclarar el significado de la oración presentada. Pero ella se ofendió por completo, no entendió lo que yo quería alcanzar.
> En efecto, aunque me disculpé honestamente, me quedó "un mal sabor en la boca", para usar una frase común de mi lengua materna.



Puedo ver las dos perspectivas.  No estamos aquí para analizar ningún intercambio en particular. Hay que tener en cuenta que el tono, y no sólo el contenido, del discurso puede ejercer cierta influencia.  

I can see both sides of this.  We are not here to analyze any particular interchange.  It is useful to bear in mind that the tone, as well as the content, of the discourse can have an influence.


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## cuchuflete

The cited thread has the chatspeak issue that was "discussed", but is a painful example of the effects of a lack of context.  I'm fully fluent in English, but before attempting a translation of the topic sentence in that thread, I would need considerably more context to determine if there is a mistake in the original!

I think Natasha's advice, to use the red triangle, is a good one.  Further, a direct statement that context is needed is less apt to result in ruffled feathers.


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## kats

Finally I have learned what the red triangle is for!  I thought is was for threads that had off-color language, but then I noticed that most threads had it.  I wondered if I was so naïve that I couldn't recognize off-color language when I read it.
Now I'm wondering why some threads don't have the red triangle?


Also, is there a page in the forums that lists what the different icons mean?

Thanks.


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## TrentinaNE

kats said:


> Also, is there a page in the forums that lists what the different icons mean?


Usually all you have to do is run your cursor over an icon and a text description will pop up.  

Elisabetta


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## Jana337

kats said:


> Now I'm wondering why some threads don't have the red triangle?


When you are here as a guest (not logged in), no threads have them. Otherwise, all of them should.

Jana


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## natasha2000

I used red triangle here. But nothing happened.

click


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## Jana337

I managed to click on all red triangles in the thread. A random bug?

Jana


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## kats

Thanks, Elisabetta and Jana.


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