Competition

Competition is seen as the mechanism that keeps organisations sharp. It drives innovation and it helps build a healthy ecosystem that drives innovation. WiktionaryZ now has its own competition; ProZ, the organisation of translators, has introduced their new service called Wikiwords. Wikiwords builds on the foundation laid by the KudoZ system; this is a system where translators help each other out with problematic words or phrases. The system has been in place for many years and resulted in a rich resource.

The new system is in its first iteration so it will be interesting to see how they will fix the issues we face in WiktionaryZ. One of the issues I discussed with Henry is the importance of definitions. A recent new concept is the English word Load, it was translated to the Macedonian Вчитува but as there is no definition at all, I do not know if the translation to Dutch of lading or laden is applicable. Another issue is that I would expect the word Load to be written like load.

Obviously, this is the first iteration of the software and I do wish ProZ well with their new project. It is however particularly in the first month that the policies are set and I wish them wisdom in setting the right tone and generating interest.

In the FAQ it is made clear that ProZ has not decided on a license yet. I hope that they will settle on the GFDL, this will allow the exchange of data, it will allow us to duke it out on technology, learning from each others approaches and at the same time collaborate on content.

I really want this friendly technological fight of who can provide the best technology and the best user interface while the data is there to be shared by all.

Thanks,
GerardM