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English speakers of the fedi.

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devsoftwareinterface
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  • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

    Iff English is your second language, how are these verbs tusually translated to *your* language in software interfaces?

    J This user is from outside of this forum
    J This user is from outside of this forum
    jjj@functional.cafe
    wrote last edited by
    #56

    @eltonfc I don't understand the question. But in Swedish, the "Close" alternative would be "Stäng", which is an imperative. The infinitive would be "Stänga".

    eltonfc@bertha.socialE 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • sarajw@front-end.socialS sarajw@front-end.social

      @eltonfc oddly if I am thinking about software in German, I think I expect the infinitive 🤔

      compfu@mograph.socialC This user is from outside of this forum
      compfu@mograph.socialC This user is from outside of this forum
      compfu@mograph.social
      wrote last edited by
      #57

      @sarajw @eltonfc This poll was the first time I thought about this! How interesting. I read imperative „Save! Open!“ but in German it’s aways translated as infinitive. It would actually be really odd in a really fun way if those menu items were translated as commands. „Speichere!“
      Oh, why not go for a royal order?
      „So möge er denn speichern!“ 😁

      eltonfc@bertha.socialE 1 Reply Last reply
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      • J jjj@functional.cafe

        @eltonfc I don't understand the question. But in Swedish, the "Close" alternative would be "Stäng", which is an imperative. The infinitive would be "Stänga".

        eltonfc@bertha.socialE This user is from outside of this forum
        eltonfc@bertha.socialE This user is from outside of this forum
        eltonfc@bertha.social
        wrote last edited by
        #58

        @jjj what motivates de question is that in English, the infinitive and imperative forms are identical. In Portuguese, they are translated in the infinitive: "Fechar" instead of "Feche" or "Fecha"

        J malcontato@bolha.oneM 2 Replies Last reply
        0
        • compfu@mograph.socialC compfu@mograph.social

          @sarajw @eltonfc This poll was the first time I thought about this! How interesting. I read imperative „Save! Open!“ but in German it’s aways translated as infinitive. It would actually be really odd in a really fun way if those menu items were translated as commands. „Speichere!“
          Oh, why not go for a royal order?
          „So möge er denn speichern!“ 😁

          eltonfc@bertha.socialE This user is from outside of this forum
          eltonfc@bertha.socialE This user is from outside of this forum
          eltonfc@bertha.social
          wrote last edited by
          #59

          @compfu @sarajw that raises a great question: do you treat the Computer as "du" or "Sie"?

          1 Reply Last reply
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          • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

            English speakers of the fedi. In a software with the interface in English, Reading a menu with verbs such as Save, Open, Close, Edit, Format etc., do you read them as imperative (an order: "do this") or as an infinitive (the "base form" of the verb, like "to do this")?

            Are you a native speaker or have English as a second language?

            #Dev #ux #ui #software #interface #translation #uiux #uxui #gui

            leo_wallentin@mastodon.socialL This user is from outside of this forum
            leo_wallentin@mastodon.socialL This user is from outside of this forum
            leo_wallentin@mastodon.social
            wrote last edited by
            #60

            @eltonfc strong #4 (as e.g. an 'edit' menu will often contain not so much a list of things to edit, as a list of editing related features)

            1 Reply Last reply
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            • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

              Iff English is your second language, how are these verbs tusually translated to *your* language in software interfaces?

              tusharhero@mathstodon.xyzT This user is from outside of this forum
              tusharhero@mathstodon.xyzT This user is from outside of this forum
              tusharhero@mathstodon.xyz
              wrote last edited by
              #61

              @eltonfc I have simply never used computer interfaces with my native language, so I can't say.

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

                @williamoconnell examples of "save" being interpreted as infitive may be:

                "[I want to] save [the file]"
                "[I must] save [the file]"

                Of course, imperative is something like "Computer, save this file"

                williamoconnell@mas.toW This user is from outside of this forum
                williamoconnell@mas.toW This user is from outside of this forum
                williamoconnell@mas.to
                wrote last edited by
                #62

                @eltonfc Interesting, I think I always thought of it as imperative, but I guess in other languages it would typically be localized to be the infinitive? As an English speaker the idea of writing something like "I want to save the file" on a UI sounds unnatural to me; as though you're just giving the computer information and it's going to make its own decision.

                1 Reply Last reply
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                • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

                  @jjj what motivates de question is that in English, the infinitive and imperative forms are identical. In Portuguese, they are translated in the infinitive: "Fechar" instead of "Feche" or "Fecha"

                  J This user is from outside of this forum
                  J This user is from outside of this forum
                  jjj@functional.cafe
                  wrote last edited by
                  #63

                  @eltonfc I understand that. As I wrote it is the same in Swedish. I don't understand what you mean with how they are usually translated. That would depend on the original text, I can't say how often either is used in general.

                  eltonfc@bertha.socialE 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • ylyej@mastodon.bahia.noY This user is from outside of this forum
                    ylyej@mastodon.bahia.noY This user is from outside of this forum
                    ylyej@mastodon.bahia.no
                    wrote last edited by
                    #64

                    @hobbs mds eu sempre entendi como infinitivo

                    1 Reply Last reply
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                    • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

                      English speakers of the fedi. In a software with the interface in English, Reading a menu with verbs such as Save, Open, Close, Edit, Format etc., do you read them as imperative (an order: "do this") or as an infinitive (the "base form" of the verb, like "to do this")?

                      Are you a native speaker or have English as a second language?

                      #Dev #ux #ui #software #interface #translation #uiux #uxui #gui

                      donutage@mastodon.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                      donutage@mastodon.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                      donutage@mastodon.social
                      wrote last edited by
                      #65

                      @eltonfc Interesting question! I can't say I'd ever really thought about the grammatical tense/mood of menu items before, but my gut says they read as imperatives (also, we call them "commands", right?). I know German, on the other hand, renders them as infinitives (although I guess those could also be interpreted as formal imperatives).

                      1 Reply Last reply
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                      • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

                        English speakers of the fedi. In a software with the interface in English, Reading a menu with verbs such as Save, Open, Close, Edit, Format etc., do you read them as imperative (an order: "do this") or as an infinitive (the "base form" of the verb, like "to do this")?

                        Are you a native speaker or have English as a second language?

                        #Dev #ux #ui #software #interface #translation #uiux #uxui #gui

                        leonardof@bertha.socialL This user is from outside of this forum
                        leonardof@bertha.socialL This user is from outside of this forum
                        leonardof@bertha.social
                        wrote last edited by
                        #66

                        @eltonfc Já vi esses verbos descritos como sendo imperativos (em diretriz de interface gráfica, provavelmente do GNOME, provavelmente não a atual), mas na minha cabeça é infinitivo. Infinitivo para eles seria "to make", não "make"

                        1 Reply Last reply
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                        • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

                          Iff English is your second language, how are these verbs tusually translated to *your* language in software interfaces?

                          leonardof@bertha.socialL This user is from outside of this forum
                          leonardof@bertha.socialL This user is from outside of this forum
                          leonardof@bertha.social
                          wrote last edited by
                          #67

                          @eltonfc quer resposta em português também??

                          eltonfc@bertha.socialE 1 Reply Last reply
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                          • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

                            Iff English is your second language, how are these verbs tusually translated to *your* language in software interfaces?

                            hugu@masto.donte.com.brH This user is from outside of this forum
                            hugu@masto.donte.com.brH This user is from outside of this forum
                            hugu@masto.donte.com.br
                            wrote last edited by
                            #68

                            @eltonfc o infinitivo em inglês seria "to close", certo?

                            1 Reply Last reply
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                            • jleedev@mastodon.sdf.orgJ jleedev@mastodon.sdf.org

                              @eltonfc

                              "why is the software calling me a dolt?" https://folklore.org/Do_It.html

                              The 1992 mac hig doesn't address this directly but does label a button "Don't Save".

                              On the one hand, it can't be the infinitive since it doesn't have "to", but I had to look up what the "plain form" or "base form" of the verb is even called.

                              The 1992 hig calls them verbs or actions, which makes more sense than claiming that it really is imperative.

                              dcporter@better.bostonD This user is from outside of this forum
                              dcporter@better.bostonD This user is from outside of this forum
                              dcporter@better.boston
                              wrote last edited by
                              #69

                              @jleedev @eltonfc The intention of these menus and button titles was definitely imperative. I'm surprised that there's the two options are so close – and I'm extra surprised and very intrigued that ESL folks are reporting 2x in favor of infinitive.

                              jleedev@mastodon.sdf.orgJ 1 Reply Last reply
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                              • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

                                @jjj what motivates de question is that in English, the infinitive and imperative forms are identical. In Portuguese, they are translated in the infinitive: "Fechar" instead of "Feche" or "Fecha"

                                malcontato@bolha.oneM This user is from outside of this forum
                                malcontato@bolha.oneM This user is from outside of this forum
                                malcontato@bolha.one
                                wrote last edited by
                                #70

                                @eltonfc @jjj “infinitive and imperative forms are identical” apenas nas flexões verbais em que acontece o bare infinitive, não? Que é quando precedido de verbos modais ou alguns verbos específicos. Eu aprendi que exceto esses casos a flexão infinitiva exige preposição “to”

                                1 Reply Last reply
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                                • dcporter@better.bostonD dcporter@better.boston

                                  @jleedev @eltonfc The intention of these menus and button titles was definitely imperative. I'm surprised that there's the two options are so close – and I'm extra surprised and very intrigued that ESL folks are reporting 2x in favor of infinitive.

                                  jleedev@mastodon.sdf.orgJ This user is from outside of this forum
                                  jleedev@mastodon.sdf.orgJ This user is from outside of this forum
                                  jleedev@mastodon.sdf.org
                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #71

                                  @dcporter @eltonfc It makes me wonder, outside the computer what verb form is used for a to-do list in various languages.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
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                                  • leonardof@bertha.socialL leonardof@bertha.social

                                    @eltonfc quer resposta em português também??

                                    eltonfc@bertha.socialE This user is from outside of this forum
                                    eltonfc@bertha.socialE This user is from outside of this forum
                                    eltonfc@bertha.social
                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #72

                                    @leonardof arrgh limitação do Moshidon que não mostra o idioma, só o botão para mudar

                                    leonardof@bertha.socialL 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • J jjj@functional.cafe

                                      @eltonfc I understand that. As I wrote it is the same in Swedish. I don't understand what you mean with how they are usually translated. That would depend on the original text, I can't say how often either is used in general.

                                      eltonfc@bertha.socialE This user is from outside of this forum
                                      eltonfc@bertha.socialE This user is from outside of this forum
                                      eltonfc@bertha.social
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #73

                                      @jjj my point is that the same string "Close" is translated to Swedish in the imperative form and to Portuguese in the infinitive form. I'm curious how it's done in other languages.

                                      J 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

                                        @leonardof arrgh limitação do Moshidon que não mostra o idioma, só o botão para mudar

                                        leonardof@bertha.socialL This user is from outside of this forum
                                        leonardof@bertha.socialL This user is from outside of this forum
                                        leonardof@bertha.social
                                        wrote last edited by
                                        #74

                                        @eltonfc 😅

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • eltonfc@bertha.socialE eltonfc@bertha.social

                                          English speakers of the fedi. In a software with the interface in English, Reading a menu with verbs such as Save, Open, Close, Edit, Format etc., do you read them as imperative (an order: "do this") or as an infinitive (the "base form" of the verb, like "to do this")?

                                          Are you a native speaker or have English as a second language?

                                          #Dev #ux #ui #software #interface #translation #uiux #uxui #gui

                                          wordshaper@weatherishappening.networkW This user is from outside of this forum
                                          wordshaper@weatherishappening.networkW This user is from outside of this forum
                                          wordshaper@weatherishappening.network
                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #75

                                          @eltonfc tbh as a native english speaker I've gotten to the point where I see those words in menus as *nouns* rather than verbs. (I may have been computering too long, that's a valid observation)

                                          1 Reply Last reply
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