I'm having a hard time finding how I can easily translate my typed course content into another language. I do not want 2 languages represented in one course, but rather I want to translate my whole course and test into Spanish. Is there a way to easily do this?
There is a multilanguage filter you can use
I don't think that feature does what I want. I would like a feature to take my content, which is written in English, and translate it to Spanish for me. In the feature you mention, I must have it translated already. Is this correct?
Wendi - I daresay there are machines out there which translate for you -for example on a Wordpress blog I helped with, they added the Google translate widget so that people could click it and it would translate the content into the chosen language. Perhaps that is something you could look into? However, in terms of presenting your course content in a different language I certainly wouldn't want to trust an automated translator over a human being. If it is just to get a quick idea of what is going on in the course, certainly, but if you want people to actually do your course in a different language over a period of time, I think you would need a human translator.
Definitely. Machine translators, with all the respect to what has been achieved so far, have still issues. Especially when translating from English into a language with significantly different grammar (in terms of gender etc). They can help a lot to understand the meaning of the text. But I would hesitate to present their output as a seriously meant course contents.
So, translations could be no pretty and fail much, with happiness...kinda like this...
There is no automatic translation feature for content in Moodle - you have to provide the translations.
I have presented at conferences on this several times and always with the comment that, while there are online automatic translation tools around (e.g. google translate, but also paid for systems), I personally would not trust any of them with my content in a published, meaningful course (I would and do where I just want a sample of language for demo purposes, the same way as I may use 'lorem ipsum' text, but never for meaningful content).
In fact, when I have presented about this, often the consensus of opinion in the room is that you don't simply need a translator, but a translator who understands the 'technical' language and phrasing that may be used in your content - that obviously depends on what your content is, but is not something I have found any linguists to be happy trusting to an automated translation tool.
As an example, try taking your content, using google translate to change the language, then try changing it back to the original language - usually anything beyond a very simple sample will come back with errors, or at least bits that do not flow the way you would want your quality of work represented.
In the spirit of having some fun at Christmas, I whipped your post through the Google Translate app, and put it into German, then into Spanish, and then back into English...
No automatic translation of content in Moodle - you need translations.
I have conferences about it several times, and always with the observation that presents, while there are automatic translation tools line around (eg Google Translate, but also for payment systems), I personally would not trust any of them with my salary by published, of course, useful (and I have to do, I just want a sample language for demonstration purposes in the same way that I can, "Lorem ipsum" text, but never to be used for significant) content.
In fact, when I presented above, the consensus of opinion in the room is often not simply a translator, but a translator who understands the language "technical" and the expression that can be used in content - which, of course, it depends on what your content, but it is not something that I have not found linguists happy relying on automatic translation tool.
As an example, try your content with Google Translate, to change the language, then switch back to the original language - usually everything a very simple samples back there with errors, or at least the bits that do not flow how you want your dargestellt.
LOL - Merry Christmas Andy, Nadolig Llawen
I think that proves my point - its ok for a rough translation, but you wouldn't want to run high value content through it as an example of a standard of professionalism for your content Of course, if you read back through the original post, the original English phrasing and so on isn't exactly what you might publish after proper content creation and proof reading etc either (rather than a quick forum post), which doesn't make it any easier for the translation services in the first place :D
And German and Spanish are probably among some of the best supported languages out there in terms of translation services.