Last week, we announced we'd go 'english only' on the posts in the Natural Medicine community. This was a consensus decision by all our main team, including our dual language speakers. Whilst we didn't clarify that at the time (and probably should have!) it wasn't due to any desire to marginalise, separate or exclude non English speakers, but for aesthetic and convenience reasons. It can be super hard to read columns on mobile phones, or flip between paragraphs of one language than the other - in fact, can cause quite a headache! The aim is to get support for content, and if curators are skipping over dual language OR spending far too much time instructing people how to write in columns or making their posts clearer to read in dual language, well, that's no good for the curator or the person they're trying to find support for.
Furthermore, with beginnings of the @holos-lotus community on HIVE gathering Spanish speakers, it seemed the right thing to do - empower the Hispanic community to grow, whilst keeping the integrity of the English speaking content so it was much easier to navigate either language.
After conversations with the community about this declaration, we've acknowledged that 'single language' is the better option. That way, English speakers can always use Deepl or another translator extension on their browser to read great content from around the globe in all kinds of languages, supporting the wonder of a multicultural platform and all we stand to gain from it - friendships, wisdoms and abundance of many kinds.
We're also talking about how it might be possible to add a translator to the front end - we're not sure that it is, but it's certainly something worth looking into.
We're sorry if we caused offence - it certainly wasn't intended that way at all. We've always tried to be inclusive and to spread abundance to all, no matter where you come from or who you are, and will continue to do so. Many of you will attest to how we have always been about inclusivity in the past, and going forward, we're really warmly inviting you to share your awesome #naturalmedicine content - in whatever language you choose.
As long as it's only one!
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It seems to me a salomonic solution, all those who prefer to publish in #naturalmedicine, would choose the language of their preference to make their posts, and aesthetically it should be easier to read.
However, choosing a language other than English would give more work to the curators and we seem to be back to the starting point that brought us here. I guess we can be in a transition or test phase and see how things go, understanding that this naturalmedicine dynamic with a great consolidated team works permanently to provide a space for interaction, friendly and learning for the entire Hive Community, and has been characterized by the flexibility and openness of its moderators to receive ideas and constructive proposals for the Community.
In my personal case, I didn't feel excluded by the language because I always use the translator DeepL in my publications, so I thought I would use this method to adapt to the suggested language recommendations, considering that it is a great job that the curators do for all of us, I think it is good to contribute to make the interaction more fluid and their work more enjoyable.
Thank you for this opportunity and for the clarification.
Me parece una solución salomonica, todos los que prefieran publicar en naturalmedicine, escogerían el idioma de su preferencia para hacer sus post, y esteticamente debería ser más facíl su lectura.
Sin embargo escoger un idioma distinto al inglés, daría más trabajo a los curadores y pareciera que volvemos al punto de partida que nos trajo hasta aquí. Supongo que podemos estar en una fase de transición o prueba y ver cómo transcurren las cosas, entendiendo que esta dinámica de naturalmedicine con un gran equipo consolidado trabaja permanentemente para proveer un espacio de interacción, ameno y de aprendizajes para toda la Comunidad de Hive, y se ha caracterizado por la flexibilidad y la apertura de sus moderadores a recibir ideas y propuestas constructivas para la comunidad.
En mi caso personal, no me sentía excluida por el idioma porque siempre uso el traductor DeepL en mis publicaciones, de modo que pensaba emplear este método para adaptarme a las recomendaciones sugeridas sobre el idioma, considerando que es un gran trabajo el que hacen los curadores por todos nosotros, pienso que es bueno contribuir en que la interacción sea más fluida y su trabajo sea más ameno.
Gracias por esta oportunidad y hacernos la aclaratoria.
@miriannalis
From someone who hates using the translator to publish, comment and curate, I tell you, thank you very much!! this is what we want, more communities and more options, plus we all win here, both the author and the curator. I think it's a good idea. Very necessary. :D
De alguien que odia usar el traductor para publicar, comentar y curar, te digo, ¡muchas gracias!! esto es lo que queremos, más comunidades y más opciones, además aquí ganamos todos, tanto el autor como el curador. Creo que es una buena idea. Muy necesaria.
Brilliant to hear this confirmation from a Spanish curator, @pavanjr, and thanks for being part of the decision making team and being so amazing as a curator across communities AND curating for OCD!
Thank you very much queen, for your nice words, as always, you are a lovely person. We do what we can and I am happy to continue learning here. I Lov you :D
Thanks for the replies and all. I guess it's just, from a US perspective, saying "English only" carries SUPER racist, segregationist meaning; it's been used against immigrants and indigenous people since the dawn of this damn nation, with residential schools (such as the ones where they are finding mass graves of children right now in Canada), every wave of immigrant after the English showed up, and currently it's very much anti-Spanish when you hear someone say it (think Trump rallies where they are also yelling "build the wall"). I'm sure in other places it reads very differently (there's a glorious video online of two women in Wales wearing hijab who are speaking WELSH and this English woman yelled at them to speak English and they were like, "We're in Wales and speaking Welsh, idiot". There's another story about a couple from China I believe who were trying to move to Ireland and they filled out all their documents in Irish and got rejected and told to do it in English. To move to Ireland). Soooooo yeah I'm sure if it's read as bigotry and against whom varies a lot, but in the US you're almost guaranteed that it's bigotry against anybody speaking Spanish.
I'll be sad to see dual language posts go, as I like them. It helps me learn. But I acquiesce to your reasons as it is your group.
To assume...
It makes an ass out of that woman more than anything in this case. A good lesson in that.
Apologies that these are the connotations you get in America from that statement. When the world comes together it becomes harder and harder to not offend someone. It's not easy to find a balance, but maybe we need to come to a point of meeting halfway, where we try not to attack, but also try not to always assume attack. We had this conversation in the discord a while ago when things were lost in translation and two people got upset. Translators aren't perfect, so sometimes we just need to double check. It turned out neither side was trying to say what the other thought they were, but the translators weren't very tactful, because they don't understand nuances.
I can understand this feeling as a fellow 'Merican, but also having lived abroad, I also understand how it's good make language barriers visible. The reverse of this happened recently in my former town in Cambodia, where there is a lot of tourism, but yet much of the local population still don't speak English, Spanish, or Chinese, the big three tourist languages there.
Some shops put up signs that read "Khmer/Chinese only", or "Khmer/Chinese/English spoken here", etc. There was recently a violent attack by a white westerner on a Cambodian shop owner who spoke no English, and it all arose from a language barrier.
The whole thing was recorded on video with audio, so as a Khmer-English speaker I was curious to see where things went wrong. It was clear from the outside that this shop was on the edge of town and had no English language signs. The guy asked for a case of water in a very lazy American accent, and the shop-owner responded by saying "I don't understand" and "I don't have it" in Cambodian.
They guy then began cussing her out telling her he can see she sells water, and she's a racist for not serving him, etc. If she had a sign up that said "Khmer Only Spoken Here," perhaps this situation could've been averted. I guess what I'm saying is that it's all about the intentions behind any action, and that's what we need to be looking into.
On a lighter note, I'm immigration to Kentucky/Indiana with my Khmer family, and we've been roleplaying situations where someone will approach us in Wal-Mart and tell us to "stop speaking ching-chong bing-bong because this 'Merica and we speak English!" Well, let's just say even though my family doesn't speak great English, they can easily roast any American that gives them a hard time, so I think we're safe, and I can't way to see a Kentuckian get roasted by a Cambodian in a Wal-Mart.
Yes, this feels so much better. Thank you!
I'm disturbed by the assumption that everyone is capable of effortlessly understanding, speaking and writing in English.
I LOVE seeing posts in different languages and I love to learn languages - I also support everyone to speak in their own indigenous tongue, to best express what they are called to, especially in terms of Health and Truth.
Blessings, Tante Belle Cose und sehr gute Wünsche,
Clare