# Can we drop the translation rule? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 31, 2024, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496 "2024-08-31T00:50:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/1 "2024-08-31T00:50:16Z")
As of the last couple of years, most Internet browsers contain universal translators that are of sufficient quality to make non-English content a non-issue. Given this, I’m not sure that there’s still much value in the ban on links to foreign-language materials? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/2 "2024-08-31T00:54:08Z")
I strongly support the translation rule. Most AI translations stink. The point of the writing may be lost. The fine, and sometimes crucial, details will certainly be lost. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/3 "2024-08-31T00:54:25Z")
There’s never been a ban on links to foreign-language materials. [What you got smacked down for](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caligula-declaring-war-on-the-sea-did-it-happen/1006489/3) was a post where, first of all, the entire content of the post was in a foreign language, and second of all, where none of the content was your own. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/4 "2024-08-31T00:55:38Z")
I’m one of the ones who flagged the [post in question which you made in the Caligula thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caligula-declaring-war-on-the-sea-did-it-happen/1006489/3). I’m using Firefox, and it did _not_ translate either the previews your links generated in your post, nor the actual sites once I followed the links, out of French. I just checked, using Chrome, and got the same (non-translated) results. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/5 "2024-08-31T00:56:03Z")
> posting untranslated in languages other than English, are both prohibited here. If that’s not true then feel free to ignore and close the thread. I misunderstood your mod comment. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/6 "2024-08-31T00:56:09Z")
I just worked to get it back in the rules. It fell out by mistake and it is very valuable. This is a moderated board and we can’t moderate non-English. I very strongly opposed this. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/7 "2024-08-31T00:56:34Z")
Right click and choose “Translate to English”. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/8 "2024-08-31T00:57:25Z")
To be clear, I had no idea that Chrome could do this. (Firefox does not, or at least, buries the tool somewhere else, just FYI). ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/9 "2024-08-31T00:57:33Z")
Anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/10 "2024-08-31T01:02:29Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Right click _where_? Now you’re making your readers do the work for you. > [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Anywhere. If you right-click the link box Sage\_Rat posted a drop-down menu will appear that should have a translate option. I use Firefox preferentially and it worked for me. But I’d still rather see an English-language link myself as not only are the AI translations sometimes somewhat rough, but the translate program can also sometimes break formatting in a wiki link in a way that is just a little annoying to parse. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/11 "2024-08-31T01:09:30Z")
I’ve asked for the this thread to be closed as I seem to have read too much into the mod comment but, in general, I’d say that there’s now enough content on the non-English pages of the Wikipedia and certain parts of the non-English internet, plus the level of translation has gotten good enough, that it’s very worthwhile to get into the habit of checking for location-specific information in the local language. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/12 "2024-08-31T01:11:43Z")
If nothing else, thank you for introducing me to the translation features in Firefox and Chrome. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/13 "2024-08-31T01:15:58Z")
I’m using Firefox in Windows 11. I got the translate to English option when I clicked on the title links in those two quotes, but not when I clicked on the post contents. It worked in Edge, however. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/14 "2024-08-31T01:17:45Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I’m using Firefox in Windows 11. Same here; I found the translation tool in Firefox in the main browser “hamburger” (three horizontal line) menu in the upper right hand corner. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-drop-the-translation-rule/1006496/15 "2024-08-31T01:22:32Z")
As requested, closed.