# layout/presentation issue



## GavinW

Hi, I've just come back to WR after a longish absence. 
I think the layout on the main screen for each forum, listing the threads, is too "busy", and could be pruned. I read "Thread started by" + [name] + [date] + [time]. Time? I think that's extraneous information. Cast your eye along and you get "last post sent by.." etc, with the time, which is important. But I don't think that, in addition to the date a thread was started, we also "need" to know the time of day it was posted. Too much, surely? Eliminating that piece of data would make the screen presentation less stressful on the eye. It would also, incidentally, help avoid the danger of the thread title itself being swamped by the "metadata" below. Incidentally, the metadata is in a larger font size, too.... I feel this doesn't reflect the appropriate hierarchy of information here: the thread title should be more prominent than the metadata, I feel, since it's more important information.


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## jann

Welcome back, GavinW. 

I don't quite understand.  Where are you seeing this extra information?  I just took this screenshot of the homepage of the English Only forum.   As you can see,  the words "thread started by" do not appear, nor do the date and time that the thread was created.

In the left column, I see the thread title with the name of the thread's author underneath.
In the middle column, I see the number of replies and views.
In the right column, I see the name of the most recent poster and the time/datestamp of the most recent post.

It's possible that some forums (or some interface languages) have extra information showing... but that's not deliberate.  Please let us know what forum you're looking at, post a screenshot, etc.  You might also try clearing your browser cache to force a reload of the forum template.


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## GavinW

I'm looking at the Italian-English forum. And the change just happened a couple of days ago, I think, together with the change in interface language to Italian. What I saw before then was the same as your EO screenshot. Now I get a ton of other data alongside the name of the person who started the thread. And I'd rather not have to wade through all that extra data. (Sorry, I don't know how to do a screenshot...). You say it's not deliberate, and ssuggest that different languages may generate different "reads" of what I'm calling "metadata". Do you think there's an argument for getting rid of the extraneous data? Thanks.


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## DearPrudence

Hello Gavin 

This presentation only appears depending on what language you use for the interface (Italian is among them).
If you want to change the language of the interface quickly, you can do so by choosing one from the dropdown menu at the very bottom of any forum page.
You shouldn't have that presentation if you use English for instance, no matter what forum you are viewing.
Conversely, you will have the same cluttered presentation, no matter what forum you are viewing, if you use Italian.

I agree with you that it would be a good idea to have the same lighter presentation for every language: let's see what the administrator thinks


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## mkellogg

Hi Gavin, good to see you. 

It is because nobody has offered a translation of that string to Italian.   How frustrating. There it is in the Italian interface, on one of the most important pages saying in English "Started by..." and not one person has thought "I'm going to fix that", clicked the link at the bottom of the Italian forums, found the string and translated it.  In fact, it has only been translated to Spanish, French and Catalan!  I guess this one is especially difficult since you see vBulletin's original English text in the Italian interface, but we ask you for the translation of my modified English text.

Somebody, please translate these two strings to Italian. (Change lang=14 to your language's value to change other languages.)  I will update the database later today and it will be fixed.

Anyway, does anybody have any ideas of how can I encourage more people to translate these interface strings?

On a related note, are the date, time and number formats correct for Italian?
12th June 2012 01:41 PM - that can't be right. I'll get "June" fixed right now.  What about AM & PM?
12,345.10 - is that the correct Italian punctuation in numbers or is it like Spanish?
Please tell me what they should be.
EDIT: I just changed everything to match with Spanish. Please tell me what is still wrong or could be better.

Mike


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## GavinW

Please see some embedded answers:



mkellogg said:


> Hi Gavin, good to see you.
> 
> -- Thanks!
> It is because nobody has offered a translation of that string to Italian.  How frustrating. There it is in the Italian interface, on one of the most important pages saying in English "Started by..." and not one person has thought "I'm going to fix that", clicked the link at the bottom of the Italian forums, found the string and translated it. In fact, it has only been translated to Spanish, French and Catalan! I guess this one is especially difficult since you see vBulletin's original English text in the Italian interface, but we ask you for the translation of my modified English text.
> 
> Somebody, please translate these two strings to Italian. (Change lang=14 to your language's value to change other languages.) I will update the database later today and it will be fixed.
> 
> -- I could see if I have time in the next few days. The spirit is willing but time... Also, I'm not a native speaker. And I'm not familiar with programming terms in Italian.... :-(
> -- Hang on, I just tried to click on the link at the bottom of the page inviting volunteer translators, and the link wasn't active (it didn't take me anywhere). Just my problem (my browser?) or a more general problem? If so, it might explain a lot....
> 
> Anyway, does anybody have any ideas of how can I encourage more people to translate these interface strings?
> 
> -- Ask a Mod? Seriously, I wish I could help you there. I have an inkling people are not sensitive enough to the need...
> 
> On a related note, are the date, time and number formats correct for Italian?
> 12th June 2012 01:41 PM - that can't be right. I'll get "June" fixed right now. What about AM & PM? -- AM and PM are fine, I believe. But 12th (etc) won't work (what are these, cardinals or ordinals? Can never remember, but you know what I mean...)
> 12,345.10 - is that the correct Italian punctuation in numbers or is it like Spanish? -- Italian: 12.345,10 (I don't know if that's like Spanish)
> Please tell me what they should be.
> EDIT: I just changed everything to match with Spanish. Please tell me what is still wrong or could be better.
> 
> Mike



Started by = "Cominciato da ..." (But I think it looks better with a colon, "Cominciato da: ..."

But I return to my original point: I think the time when a thread was started is redundant info and gets in the way. 
I watch this space for developments on some of these points.
Cheers. G.


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## DearPrudence

I clicked on 


> *WR forums needs your help
> Help make the forums better by translating the interface into your own language.
> Please come to translate a few forum phrases for everybody's benefit.*


that is:
http://www2.wordreference.com/translators/forumInterface/index.aspx?lang=14

and it is working for me on google chrome.

But in case you really can't connect, how would you translate:
*Started by ... on + date?
**Cominciato da ... il"*
_Eg: Cominciato da GavinW il 14/06/2012

_(if I understand correctly, we need to translate them so that we can get rid of them!  )


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## GavinW

Thanks for your answer, DP.



DearPrudence said:


> *Started by ... on + date?
> **Cominciato da ... il" *
> _Eg: Cominciato da GavinW il 14/06/2012
> 
> _(if I understand correctly, we need to translate them so that we can get rid of them!  )



Well, helping to get rid of (some of) this information is certainly an incentive (for me) to help in the translations! ;-)

EDIT: Thanks for the link, now I can see it. And now I can see the scale of the problem (missing stuff in Italian)


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## mkellogg

OK, I've updated the strings myself and now "Started by" has gone away. (You now have to hover over the OP's name to see when a thread was started.)


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