Basic Language Translation Macros

Unlikely_Ghostbuster

So... How many times have you queued for a random veteran dungeon only to be dropped into a DLC run with someone who does not speak the same language as you?

No, I'm not getting all "MURICA" about this.

But some dungeons absolutely require (a) strict adherence to the mechanics and (b) at least a minimal amount of communication between group members. As it is often the case, if one member of the group doesn't respect the mechanics, then everyone wipes.

Yes, I'm aware there is an addon that allows a person to cut and paste text from chat into Google Translate, but there should be a better way. Many moons ago, when I played FFXI, I was consistently impressed by how easy it was to play with the Japanese players thanks to basic translation macros built right into the chat.

I say "basic" because the developers of that game knew most communication would be contextually constrained -- odds are slim we're going to try discussing organic chemistry or the delicate art of crochet while clearing mobs in a dungeon. Generally, the messages don't need to be very complicated at all when running a dungeon.

I can't tell you how many times I've wanted a basic way to say the following in various languages:
"Kill stranglers first."
"Kill totems first."
"Run to bubble of lightning."
"Activate synergy on statue."
"Go behind column."

I'm no PhD in linguistics, but these are very basic sentences structures that should be simple to parse into other languages with interchangeable nouns and adjectives.
1. Noun Phrase + Verb Phrase
2. Noun Phrase + Verb Phrase + Prepositional Phrase
3. Verb Phrase + Prepositional Phrase

PLEASE

I'm getting so tired of wasting hours and hours of my leisure time scaling language barriers.

WIZZARD2K

I think the biggest challenge would be conjugation. In your example, kill xxxxx first, you didn't specify the subject of the verb. Now I understand it to mean a second-person (could be singular or plural) imperative, but that's not easily deduced from the grammar unless you create a large library.
Without conjugation, simply translating verbs to infinitives or basic forms, it could create a lot of confusion in that situation leaving people wondering who is supposed to kill what.

monktoasty

Ranslatetay uorye ommay

MehrunesFlagon

honestly never met a Japanese person that didn't know English as a second language.

SirAndy

MehrunesFlagon wrote: »

honestly never met a Japanese person that didn't know English as a second language.

Same goes for Germans. It has been mandatory for every German to learn English for at least 50 years now so anyone 60 and younger will have had at least 4 years of English in school.

In fact, when i went to school in Germany, not only was English mandatory, we also had to pick another language (which one depended on what was available at your school, i picked French), so everyone was exposed to at least two foreign languages.

emilyhyoyeon

on EU I've run into several people who didn't speak english, german, or mandarin chinese (those are the only ones I know well enough). I guess they could've been pretending but in one case the person needed help so idk why he would have pretended.
Aren't there many many different language versions of the game? I think they could cover many languages with this system.

Unlikely_Ghostbuster

WIZZARD2K wrote: »

I think the biggest challenge would be conjugation. In your example, kill xxxxx first, you didn't specify the subject of the verb. Now I understand it to mean a second-person (could be singular or plural) imperative, but that's not easily deduced from the grammar unless you create a large library.
Without conjugation, simply translating verbs to infinitives or basic forms, it could create a lot of confusion in that situation leaving people wondering who is supposed to kill what.

The library wouldn't need to be huge. There are only so many verbs that are applicable, and only so many conjugations that would be necessary to communicate. 2nd-person imperative is needed when giving instructions, obviously. Any past-tense or preterite probably wouldn't be necessary without a time machine. We could even stumble our way through most dungeons without future-tense or conditionals.

No kidding, I can only think of maybe a couple dozen verbs that would be necessary for basic communication (emphasis on basic) given the very specific context of this game. So even if we wanted to go bananas and construct a lexicon of every conjugation of each verb in five or six languages, that's a finite list -- totally doable.

The way FFXI did it was to restrict players to selecting words from drop-down menus, only -- no typed text translations. Restrict the input and you're golden. No, it won't be perfect for every situation, but even rudimentary communication would be better than "sry no english" purgatory.