# Help with audio contents



## WildWest

Hello. I don't know if this has ever been brought up by another member before, but here is my suggestion:

As a non-native English speaker, I occasionally have trouble understanding what a native speaker has said on a radio show, or in a TV series. Actually, it mostly occurs with radio shows, where no subtitles are possible. I suggest a forum section where people, in every language, can ask their questions on audio contents. I think it'd be another good way of providing help. One may ask such a question after giving the relevant link:

"What does the speaker say at 3:26? I think it is ..., but I'm unsure."

What are your opinions of this?


----------



## pointvirgule

I'm all for it. There certainly is a need for this kind of support to language learners, and I think a separate forum is a great idea.  

It's time people had a place where audio/video links are actually allowed. Posts in that forum wouldn't have to be archived permanently; they could be automatically erased after a period of time.


----------



## Nicomon

Add my vote to this great idea!


----------



## WildWest

Thank you both for your support 

Some podcasts and radio shows, _This American Life_ for example, provide their listeners with transcripts of each episode on their website. They are easily accessible. However, other podcasts, for example _Hollywood & Crime_ by Wondery, do not.

The diversity of pronunciations may deceive non-native speakers of any language, leading them to think wrongly of the use of a particular word.


----------



## wildan1

This question has come up over the years and it has been discussed and debated by the moderators and WRF owner Mike Kellogg several times.

The challenge remains the same--when members post a streaming link, it requires a moderator to review it, since (unfortunately) some members have posted links that are not acceptable--for political, moral, copyright or other reasons. Quite honestly, as volunteers, our time is already full just monitoring the text-based forums and helping new members!

We do allow you to contact us in advance about posting a streaming link, and if that is done and the posting is approved, that is OK. The challenge is when you give us something that is quite lengthy and expect that we will go through a long link to find the one spot you want help with--most of us just do not have the time to do that.

If you know another member whose judgment you appreciate, there is no rule that says you cannot contact him or her by private conversation and ask for help that way.


----------



## WildWest

Thanks for the response.

I considered the idea of consulting native speakers via private conversation about my questions on audio files, but that would be plaguing them. They would feel like being bombarded by lots of questions, regardless of how willing they are to help. Actually, I wouldn't be so eager to ask, either. Anyway. I have got my answer. I understand the problems it may possibly cause moderators.


----------



## Nicomon

WidlWest has a point.  Regardless of how people are willing to help... their time may sometimes be full, too. 
After all, we are all volunteers on these forums.  

Wouldn't it be possible to elect one or a few new moderators who's only role would be to moderate that audio-based forum?
I wouldn't volunteer, but some people may actually like doing that, just as other prefer moderating text-based forums.

Perhaps with a rule to specify exactly where the audio spot is, just like WildWest wrote :  _
What does the speaker say at 3:26? I think it is ..., but I'm unsure.
_
Just an idea.


----------



## Paulfromitaly

Nicomon said:


> Wouldn't it be possible to elect one or a few new moderators who's only role would be to moderate that audio-based forum?


No because there isn't a moderator who can speak all the languages that are discussed on WR, so all the active mod should be doing it and, as we have already explained several times, it is not possible.
Besides, the WR forums are an adjunct to the WR dictionaries and they are designed and conceived as a written means of communication. Threads based on audio files are unsearchable and therefore useless for future reference.


----------



## Nicomon

My mistake.  I missed the "in every language" part of WildWest's post. That would mean launching an "audio-video mods recruitment campaign".


> Threads based on audio files are unsearchable and therefore useless for future reference.


  That may be the reason why pointvirgule suggested an automatic erase after a period of time.
I'm done arguing.  It seems clear that the answer is  no.


----------



## siares

Links to videos are allowed in CC, right? Maybe CC mods could say whether there could be a thread for these requests.


----------



## tsoapm

wildan1 said:


> (unfortunately) some members have posted links that are not acceptable--for political, moral, copyright or other reasons


I imagine the answer is the same, but I ask anyway: what if access were restricted to senior members, say? This mechanism already exists for some of the additional forums, doesn’t it?


----------

