Ted.com translation stats for September 2010

Monday, September 06, 2010

It's been about six weeks since the last update, and Bulgarian continues to do a phenomenal job. In fact, it's just one translation away from a total of 700 talks (!), and just 10 translations away from Spanish, which has the most. For a language of just 9-10 million or so one would think that there must be some sort of funding behind this in order to carry out such a sustained effort. Bulgarian is not showing any signs of slowing down as one tends to see on sites like Wikipedia, where small languages sometimes have a burst in the number of articles due to using bots, or simple short-term enthusiasm.

Anyway, here are the current stats.






Compared to six weeks ago the change is:

Arabic: 492 --> 557 (+65)
Bulgarian: 622 --> 699 (+77)
Chinese : 547 --> 665 (+118)
Croatian: off list --> 119
Czech: 81 --> 122 (+41)
Dutch: 210 --> 286 (+76)
French: 439 --> 538 (+99)
German: 304 --> 341 (+37)
Greek: 174 --> 204 (+30)
Hebrew: 356 --> 410 (+54)
Hungarian: 228 --> 261 (+33)
Indonesian: 87 --> off list
Italian: 435 --> 532 (+97)
Japanese: 320 --> 357 (+37)
Korean: 430 --> 498 (+68)
Persian: 133 --> 138 (+5)
Polish: 347 --> 410 (+63)
Portuguese: 655 --> 694 (+39)
Romanian: 368 --> 411 (+43)
Russian: 302 --> 350 (+48)
Serbian: 89 --> 119 (+30)
Spanish: 686 --> 710 (+24)
Turkish: 393 --> 451 (+58)
Vietnamese: 111 --> 161 (+50)


So Italian and French have sped up, German is a bit slow this time around and Persian has really dropped. Serbian and Croatian suspiciously have the same number. Let's check one video with a translation in Serbian and Croatian to see how they differ:
Serbian:

Ovdje sam prošle godine govorio o tome kako sam preplivao Sjeverni pol. Iako sam plivao prije tri godine, sjećam se kao da je bilo jučer. Sjećam se kako sam stajao na rubu leda, neposredno pred skok u vodu, i u sebi razmišljao kako još nikad nisam vidio mjesto na Zemlji koje je toliko zastrašujuće. Voda je sasvim crna. Voda ima minus 1,7 stupnja Celzijusa, ili 29 stupnjeva Fahrenheita.

Croatian:

Kada sam bio ovde prošle godine, pričao sam vam o tome kako sam preplivao Severni pol. Iako je to bilo pre tri godine, pamtim kao da je bilo juče. Sećam se stajanja na ivici leda, samo što nisam zaronio u vodu, i razmišljanja kako nikada nisam video mesto na Zemlji koje je tako zastrašujuće. Voda je potpuno crna. Temperatura je bila minus 1.7 stepen Celzijusa, ili 29 stepeni Farenhajta.


Hmm.

By the way, one wonders why there aren't any Maltese speakers out there who know Arabic and Italian and couldn't just use those as an easy way to speed up a translation. Referencing those two languages should provide the necessary terminology most of the time, and it wouldn't take much looking up in a dictionary at all to find just the right word.

And now ordered by number of talks:

Spanish: 686 --> 710 (+24)
Bulgarian: 622 --> 699 (+77)
Portuguese: 655 --> 694 (+39)
Chinese : 547 --> 665 (+118)
Arabic: 492 --> 557 (+65)
French: 439 --> 538 (+99)
Italian: 435 --> 532 (+97)
Korean: 430 --> 498 (+68)
Turkish: 393 --> 451 (+58)
Romanian: 368 --> 411 (+43)
Polish: 347 --> 410 (+63)
Hebrew: 356 --> 410 (+54)
Japanese: 320 --> 357 (+37)
Russian: 302 --> 350 (+48)
German: 304 --> 341 (+37)
Dutch: 210 --> 286 (+76)
Hungarian: 228 --> 261 (+33)
Greek: 174 --> 204 (+30)
Vietnamese: 111 --> 161 (+50)
Persian: 133 --> 138 (+5)
Czech: 81 --> 122 (+41)
Croatian: off list --> 119
Serbian: 89 --> 119 (+30)
Indonesian: 87 --> off list

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