I often reply under Japanese posts, and I always assume users will use a translator as I do, but maybe in the context of a Japanese instance or conversation this may look rude?
I don’t do it, but if I did, I would consider apologetically offering the machine translation inline with my post. Why put the burden on them to do it if you want it to be read?
Depends on the context, commenting in your native language is often totally okay.
Let’s say: a Japanese artist posting an art with Japanese caption, they would totally happy to receive comment from various language, displaying a cultural exchange.
This behaviour of native language comment is actually common in Asia and Africa, but not in Western countries…
Just be wary of joke or sarcasm that might interpreted as hate comment.
Actually I did it one time, but every response I got was in English even if the user was a Japanese speaker. So I started worrying that the translation was incorrect, even if it was specified that I wasn’t a Japanese speaker. I wonder if maybe, especially in the Fediverse context, Japanese users might be pretty used to English and Latin alphabet in general so that it may be easier to them if I just write using the language I actually know in order to avoid mistakes
Using English is totally okay!
I did it all the time and we interacted just fine.
Using machine translation can lead to mistranslation, even your heartwarming comment can be interpreted as hostile.
Everybody learns the Latin alphabet and English in school (used to be Jr high but pushed back to elementary recently). Proficiency levels are low, especially in speaking and listening, and shyness/fear of mistakes are factors. However, reading can be pretty decent. Of course, people very good at English also exist.
Could also be that many use machine translation, at least for the output side.
Generally Japanese posters enjoy knowing they have fans overseas! And it’s better to type what you intend than attempt to type in a language you cannot speak. It doesn’t look rude at all though~
I would be a little careful of words with opposite meanings though or idioms. Like “that song is sick” or “that’s tight”. Be direct with your post so the auto translator can pick it up properly.
いや、大丈夫だよ。
Honestly though, I think it depends on the context. I think it’s generally OK on open multilingual platforms especially with mixed audiences.
I see lots of English comments on Japanese vocaloid videos, for example, and I think most content creators enjoy having fans from abroad.
Ich_iel gets “mad” about it, but when they say “sprich Deutsch” just respond with “macht mir” and they get confused.
I guess, you could try to reply in Esperanto,it’s most non offensive language I know.
Yeah, that way nobody will understand it
Not really.
In Asia, people often just comment in their own language. Though, English is preferable for easier translation. Unless some extreme nationalist, most people simply happy to interact with you.
Edit: this is more common in Facebook. One single post will have various languages. Chinese, Hindi, Arab, Spanish, Swahili, and so on just in a single post. Sometimes, you can say that different social media, different internet culture. Twitter-alike social media usually more uniform in terms of language.
Just remember that it could be misunderstood, especially with sarcasm or joke.
I’ve seen Japanese artist deleted their account because they mistaken a joke towards their art as hate comment.Jokes never translate well. Even between somewhat-related languages, like western European ones. Best to just not.
More than that Japanese people have a completely different sense of humor from the stuff you usually see in the West. Even a fluent but non-native speaker will have a lot of their jokes fall flat simply because the Japanese and Western conceptions of a joke are very different. In what way? I have no idea, still trying to figure it out. I don’t know if that gap is that big in other cultures, but definitely best to just not.
Even if people are talking in English, it still can display cultural difference. Especially nowadays we get Singaporean English, Indian English, Asian English, etc.
For example, a word in English Asia have neutral meaning, but in American English it is a slur. Unfortunately a lot of Western people does not realize this and tried to “standardize” the language. People should learn contextual language instead of policing from their own cultural mindset. Especially, billingual or trilingual people often code-mixing language.
I’ve seen Japanese artist deleted their account because they mistaken a joke towards their art as hate comment.
Yikes! I wanted to comment that it would be clear that you’re using a translation service of some kind if you reply in a different language from the post, and the other part might take that into consideration — but clearly that isn’t a given.
I’d say, personal preference. There will always be some people that are going to be annoyed by it.
We lack a translate button. Rednote and weibo have translate buttons. We need that.
Hmmm… I thought it would be rude, but considering the consensus here, people speaking other languages should just respond using their languages to English comments and posts. There are way more non-English speaking people on the planet than English speakers. It would make the fediverse truly international if people did what you did!
Thanks for possibly starting a movement :)
drawing your conclusions from Lemmy demographics??
Mer chönd das scho probiere, aber denn müsst mer ja di ganz Ziit en Übersetzer zur Hand ha, wär denn doch nöd die best UX würdi säge. Das würd d’Neuakömmlige nur no meh verschüüche.
That’s not a language, it’s a dialect and nowhere near standard. I think there’s quite a difference between responding in a language that can be translated by existing translation tools vs whatever offshoot of a dialect you wrote that in. After all, people from the UK will respond in English, not Cockney, Geordi, Brummie or whatever else. And they don’t write words how they sound when spoken, which is what you’re doing.
Surprisingly your text was translatable by DeeplL
As to the UX, I don’t see the problem. Lemmy allows you to select which languages you want to see and if people consistently respond in a language you don’t wan to see, you can always block them. It’s a pity Lemmy doesn’t allow deselecting “Undetermined” because it would turn this into a non-issue.
I just used the TWP plugin to translate that comment inline and got, “We could try it, but then we’d have to have a translator on hand the whole time, which wouldn’t be the best UX, I think. That would only alienate newcomers even more.”
Is that not correct?
That’s perfect, exactly what I meant to say.
Neat!
My only complaint with the TWP translator - it doesn’t tell me the language/dialect that it translated from. Mind telling me what dialect (of what language) you wrote in?
Swiss/Allemanic German. Specifically I speak Zug’s dialect.
Thanks!
The point is that languages without large speakerbases might consider barging in with the most recognized languages rude, while languages with similar status might find it normal.
I tried translating something before posting it to the same language (Thai) and apparently nobody understood what I was talking about. But enough people understood English, so at least some people would have understood me if I just posted it in English. The others could try translating.
Responding in English, if this is your language, is not Anglo domination. A lot of people learn English as a second language, so many know it. If you translate to Japanese and post it, then when people translate it to English, or Spanish, whatever, it will make no sense whatsoever.
When I traveled to France, a Middle Eastern family came into the restaurant and asked for the English menu. They couldn’t read the French menu. But they knew enough English. That’s when I realized that restaurants in France offered English menus, not for Westerners, but because more people in the world were likely to understand it rather than French.
I post in English. Translating from English to Spanish is better than English to Japanese to Spanish.
I don’t think it’s a major offense to reply in your own language but since most of Lemmy is English speaking I try to respect the spaces that are clearly meant for something else.
I like to translate what I’m posting to whatever language the community is using. If I mention I’m using a translator the OP or another commenter will reply in English if they feel comfortable. !bubatzgartenclub@lemmy.world is one that comes to mind where this has happened in the past.
Nie mam pojęcia czemu my mielibyśmy to wiedzieć. Może zapytaj tych Japończyków?
Pierogi?
Listen here you little… well done
Also ich würde behaupten, dass es in der Tat nicht sehr cool ist einfach in einer anderen Sprache zu antworten.
My personal opinion is that it’s 2025 and translation is free.
thanks for literally devaluing all the work of my fellow translators and i that was stolen by Google and Bing and all the other crawlers/thieves.
it’s the same as with artists’ work being stolen by Stupid Diffusion and the rest.
not mad at you of course. but calling it free was too good a match for devaluing to pass up.
Think of it this way.
There’s an actual medical condition known as Chauffeur’s fracture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauffeur's_fracture
Back in the day, before the invention of the self starting engine, drivers would have to hand crank the cars, and sometimes a backfire would cause a particular type of injury.
Also, there’s a great line in the movie “The Interpreter” with Nicole Kidman.
Two UN interpreters are chatting about work. "I had a good one today. The American said it was “pie in the sky.” "
“Oh, that’s a tough one. What did you use?”
“Castles in Spain.”
“Nice.”
coincidentally, i hate the phrase “think of it this way”
Just don’t expect nuance or depth. Or, in case of languages that aren’t closely related to yours, to be understood.
Dos’t thou thinks’t that the wiley mechanicist can not create an operator that can plumb the depths of language with ease? Our language is as unchanging as the mountains, and shall ever be so.
Nay, I daresay I judge it not possible, goode Sir or Lady, notte now nor e’er.
Varlet! I bite my thumb at thee!
I be not bovveréd, forsooth.
Cheeky trull! Away!
Je ne pense pas
I’ve had more conversations than I can count with people I would never be able to talk to in person, all using our own native languages.
The original posts are in English, people comment in their native language, and I use a translator, then respond in my own language. Is the translator perfect? No! Neither is theirs.
With the way most translators I’ve used work, it’s easier for the non-native speaker to try translating, since the translator might try and use different words that entirely change the meaning, but likely list possible alternatives. A native e speaker will understand the alternatives while a non-native speaker probably won’t.
That’s my thought process anyway.
Never had anyone who wasn’t pearl-clutching or virtue-signaling complain about it. And I’ve had tons of conversations with people I’d never have talked to otherwise.
Just use a translator and state it in your post. You can literally do this with a simple right-click in firefox. Enough with the anglo domination.
