Crowdsourcing & community translation can be a frightening idea to traditional companies. Would we really want to put our life’s work in the hands of a random crowd with the task of localizing our ideas  for the world? Well, if the circumstances are right, yes!

It doesn’t work in every case, but crowdsourcing can be an effective method of translation, especially for tech companies of the last decade who have large communities of users to rely on for support and feedback. But for a company, like Facebook, who has implemented community translation for localization of it’s website into over 100 versions, how can quality be assured?

Build a Community

To initiate crowdsourcing, you first need a crowd. Facebook’s success was due to it’s large following even when it was still new and only available in English. The possibility to connect with and participate in the lives of people from all over the world through the internet was available, but never in such a way that attracted so many people. Once it’s popularity went international, the want for more translations sprouted. But facebook neither had the resources nor the time in it’s early days. Crowdsourcing translation became the obvious choice, and though it wasn’t really cheaper, it enabled a new language to roll-out in a matter of weeks.

With the community in place, a community of translators could be separated and groomed. Facebook’s system of crowdsourcing allows users to post translations for community approval. As people submitted answers, they could grow in popularity or be replaced by “more accurate” translations. When a translation had enough votes, it could move to the review stage where a member of the Facebook team could review the translations. As more and more translations came through, the team at Facebook wouldn’t possibly be able to keep up. A system to allow the community to submit and review translations was put in place.

Ranking & Credentials

Community members with a high number of up-voted translations eventually receive special recognition for their success in translation. With a new credentials, these members would be able to submit translations with more authority than new users. These types of motivations of progress for work done keep members translating and feeling good about it. People are inspired by recognition, and at the same time a high level of quality is assured. Also, translators are trained as they complete more and more translations, so it is as if they have even earned the new credentials, all through volunteering.

On-boarding & Outreach

Facebook is well known for connecting with it’s community. This is also one of the reasons that their community translation is so successful. During a talk from Aaron Babst, Lead Program Manager of Localization at Facebook, Aaron talked about how one of his small language communities was so passionate about their localization efforts, but they lacked some of the technology education and training to complete their translations. They pleaded for Facebook to send out an employee to assist them and work with them in person. The Facebook team obliged and sent out a team member. These types of efforts can motivate translators and ensure that quality is preserved. Also, senior community translators can assist their communities in on-boarding and outreaching activities, whether in person or online.

Communication

One of the most defining factors in successful quality crowdsourcing/community translation is communication. Though it seems obvious, communication within communities and with company representatives ensures that members feel their concerns are heard and that what they are doing is having an impact. If Facebook were to roll out their translation add-on and never communicate with their users, first of all quality would crash and burn, and second user base would evaporate. Crowdsourcing usually isn’t a more cost effective method and more concerning when thinking about Q&A, but if communication is integrated into the crowdsourcing translation method, great success can result.

Final Thoughts

Community is key to successful community translation. Look at the successes of Facebook, Twitter, and Mozilla. They have been shining star examples for the industry. Many things connect these three examples: all young companies, tech companies, user focused, international audiences… Most importantly, all of them are community based.