Hey everyone!
At Fandom, we're always looking at ways that we can make the fan experience even better! As part of that, we're excited to share a new experiment focusing on international editors who are just starting out. We want them to feel the joy of contributing to their favorite fandoms without having to start from a blank page. Ultimately, we want to improve the accessibility of wikis for international users—creators and fans alike! To start, we are helping communities translate their wikis to German. This is done with AI-assisted translation, which we then evaluate for accuracy, and we could use your help in evaluating this approach! Dive into this blog where we’ll tell you our goals for supporting new editors, how we’re creating this experience, and what this could look like for the Fandom community.
Concept, Exploration, and Discovery[]
Have you ever wanted to dive into creating content on a wiki and hit a language barrier? This initiative aims to alleviate that limitation, making the process less overwhelming. This is in no way meant to replace creators, or automate content creation on your wikis. The vision for this specific concept is to serve as a foundation, where there previously may not have been one. This can serve as a starting point for new editors who wish to build content in their native language, without having to start from a completely blank slate. encourages exploration, and invites new editors to discover the fandoms and lore they could not access before.
This experiment has allowed us to partner with editors and make the platform more accessible for everyone. We want there to be a time where, no matter the language you can speak or read, you are able to dive deeper into your favorite Wikis without hitting a barrier.
We aspire to find new ways to invite curious editors, connect with current editors interested in this initiative, and understand how interlanguage wikis can support each other. Editors are invaluable to us, bringing nuance, creativity, and a sense of identity to their wikis. We want to really encourage editors to explore new wikis, find fandoms they never knew existed, and unlock opportunities that were previously out of reach before.
Transparency and Technology[]
As visitors explore the wikis, they’ll see clear notices in the metadata indicating that some content has been translated using machine learning. This transparency ensures everyone understands how the information is created and shared on the platform. By using machine translation, and with the consent of editors, we’re providing localized versions of wikis to help new editors learn about and engage with content in different languages. From there, they can continue to edit, learn, and collaborate.
Think of it as a helpful launchpad—making it easier and more comfortable for people to contribute and encouraging cross-language collaboration. Ultimately, we hope this sparks curiosity and inspires editors to step beyond their comfort zones and dive into the vibrant world of international Fandom communities.
To shed some light on the process we:
- Asked permission from the Editor to use their EN page
- Ran that through an LLM (Large Language Model)
- We reviewed the translation done by the LLM and amended anything needed
- We reviewed every page again to be sure that the layout wasn't broken
Shogun Wiki[]
Entertainment is global and should be accessible to everyone. Supporting diverse content empowers editors to explore and contribute on Fandom and achieve the next step of their editing journey with the innovation of tools like machine learning. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions section below and stay tuned for more updates!
FAQs[]
- What should the community expect?
- This experiment will initially focus on German-speaking editors, but we hope to expand our reach to a larger audience and continue to diversify content on the platform over time.
- What is the scope of content translated?
- Just enough to flesh out the core content/create a good starting point for new visitors and contributors to pick up and run with the wiki.
- How are wikis kept up to date after translation?
- Everything will be brought up to current date- 2025. This will provide a good starting point for communities to expand upon.
- Do you give attribution to the users of the wiki you’re translating?
- Yes! Always! You’ll find it as the first history entry, with a link to the original page, indicating it's translated from there.
- How can I get involved?
- Review and participation from our community are essential for proper editing, and the EN users who partnered with us have all agreed to participate. Our goal is to support DE users and introduce new editors.
- With that in mind, if you’re interested in learning more or participating in this experiment, head over to the #internationalization-feedback channel in Discord to share feedback or reach out to Fandom staff directly! We would very much be interested in hearing from additional wikis who would like to be considered as we expand this program and include additional languages.
- Will Fandom provide customer support for these international wikis?
- As with all of our wiki's should you find you need support, please contact us. As our international presence expands, so will our support offerings.
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