Help:Non-English Language Content on Fanlore

Fanlore aims to document fandoms, fanworks and fan communities regardless of the language they are in. We recognize that fandom is international and fan activities may differ depending on the country they originate in. This is why we welcome and encourage contributions from fans from all around the world, and do whatever we can to help facilitate those contributions.

At the same time, Fanlore is currently an English-language resource, which means all content on Fanlore needs to be documented in English. This page will offer some guidance to editors who may be looking to add perspectives from non-English-language fandoms and sources, or who would like to see those added to Fanlore.

We invite you to also use the Talk page for this page to ask any questions on this topic, or make suggestions about how Fanlore can improve its resources for international fans. You can also contact the Fanlore Committee with these questions and suggestions.

English isn't my first language / My English isn't good, can I still contribute?

We welcome all contributors, regardless of how good their English is. We care about the content, not how well it is presented. Your contributions to Fanlore don't have to be done in perfect English - other editors will be more than happy to fix grammar or vocabulary mistakes.

What really matters is your perspective. Whether you want to document your experiences in the English-speaking fandom, or relay fandom history, behaviors and experiences as they happened in your non-English-speaking environment, Fanlore is interested in all of it.

What non-English-language perspectives can I add to Fanlore?

We can't emphasize this enough: your input is incredibly valuable. You can add non-English language perspectives and fan experiences to any page.

From a purely organizational standpoint, when adding content about fan experiences and practices, you can ask yourself:

if the content is uniquely relevant to a community of specific non-English speakers or if it applies to that fandom globally across both English and non-English speaking fans.

The answer to that question will help you decide how to present the information on the page. For example, you might want to add a dedicated section covering how non-English speakers from a certain culture engage with the canon, or how non-English fans headcanon characters differently, or you might list examples of non-English language fandoms' ships and tropes which are unique to that language or culture.

If you have familiarity with multiple fandom communities with different practices (for example, if you've spent time in both English- and non-English-speaking fandom spaces), you can also note any differences in fan interactions that you've noticed.

For example: Fancafes and lightsticks are a staple of Korean fandoms, but those types of fan expressions are not that common in other regions. Another example: in The Untamed fandom, while Wangxian is the juggernaut ship globally, the second most popular ship differs between the English-speaking fandom and Chinese-speaking fandoms.

Feel free to create separate pages for non-English-language fan practices and terms, just as you would for English-language fan practices! If you were a part of a non-English language fan community (for an English-language source material or not) we want to know what your experiences were! For example, the article Ripping is a glossary term from Lusophone/Portuguese-speaking fandom.

Remember that Fanlore doesn't have a notability requirement, and we practice a 'Plural Point of View' policy because we want all viewpoints represented. If you still have doubts, share your thoughts on the Talk page of the article you want to contribute to, and get opinions from other editors.

Can I quote from and link to non-English sources?

Inserting direct quotes onto Fanlore pages (often done with the Quotation template) is a common practice on Fanlore to illustrate all sorts of content (including, but not limited to fan comments, fanworks, canon source material, outside articles etc.)

You are more than welcome to use quotes from sources that are not in English. However, all quotes should also be accompanied by a translation in English - either below the original text or in a footnote. You can also link to non-English sources, such as using non-English websites as references, with a note specifying what language the source is in.

Translations of the quote don't have to be done by you. Machine translation, such as using services like Google Translate, is perfectly acceptable. However, if you feel the machine translation isn't entirely accurate (which can be a frequent problem for less common or more complex languages), you can go to the article's Talk page and add the TranslationRequest template.

For example, the phrase "jaram się jak choinka na święta", which denotes excitement and was at a certain time frequently used in Polish-speaking fandom on LiveJournal, is translated by Google Translate as "I am like a Christmas tree for Christmas", which is not a correct translation. But an editor who finds this phrase significant and wants to include it while documenting that part of fandom might struggle with translating what is essentially a slang expression. In this case, a TranslationRequest template could help connect them with a native speaker who can provide an accurate translation.

Side note: If you're using the TranslationRequest template, remember to include the details of what needs translating or what the issue is with the translation on the Talk page to make it easier for editors coming in later.

How can I ask for additional non-English language perspectives on a page?

If you see a page that could use a non-English language perspective (especially one you don't have), feel free to add an International Focus Request template, to let other editors know.

You can use the "because=" field of the template to include details about the kind of international focus you are looking to include, or why the current focus of a page is too narrow.

What should I call a page about the fandom for a non-English source?

When creating fandom pages where the original canon language is not English, use whatever name the fandom favors in English, such as its romanization or an English-language localization. For example, for 魔道祖师 the romanization is Mo Dao Zu Shi and the official English-language localization is The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. For this fandom, fans tend to use Mo Dao Zu Shi and abbreviate it to MDZS, so the Fanlore page is titled Mo Dao Zu Shi. You can also create redirects from alternate translations or localizations, as well as abbreviations like MDZS, and point them to the main page.

If there isn't a clear consensus among the fandom about what's used, the page name should fall back on the English translation of the name in any official release(s). If there isn't an official release in English, then the page name should fall back on romanization.

If there are other uncertainties, such as differences between romanizations, the editor is free to use their best judgment and we encourage starting a discussion on the Talk page, as pages can always be renamed/moved later on. The question of a fandom's name can often be an important discussion among fans and so this discussion could also be documented on the page itself. An example of this is the page for Aerith.

For more help on general page naming conventions visit Help:Naming Conventions.