Translate Diyseeds
This page is intended for translators who wish to translate the project into a new language. Some details are necessary in order to carry out this work satisfactorily. In addition to the written translation, people will have to be found to record the explanations on the films.
A dedicated translation platform has been set up on our site to facilitate the entire process. Please read the information below before starting any translation work.
- What should be translated?
- The translation of the main title
- Inclusive writing and tone
- Notes on the written translation of films
- Verification of botanical information
- Voice recording
- Mixing and sending audio files
- Film presentation screens
- Accessibility and subtitling
- Access to the translation platform
What should be translated?
For a complete translation it is necessary to translate the films, the website and the information of the online video platforms. We encourage you to translate all content, although partial translations are welcome in cases where this is not possible.
Full translation of the films means translating the spoken explanations to written texts and then audio recordings. For the latter, the voices of different people will need to be recorded in a studio. You will also have to translate the written presentation of each film (the first 3 seconds).
The translation of the website includes the translation of all of its pages, navigation elements (menu, tooltips, links, etc.) and referencing (keywords, description).
The videos are also hosted on online video platforms. It will be necessary to translate the description, the chapters and the keywords of each video.
All text elements must be translated via our dedicated translation platform. This platform is ready for use and already contains all the text elements that need to be translated. We have put everything together in one place to make your life easier.
The translation of the main title
Diyseeds is the name of the project which brings together all the translated versions. Each language also provides a name that identifies it. For example, the name of the English version is “From seed to seed” which refers to the seed production cycle. The name of the French version is “Semences buissonnières” which indicates another way of producing seeds.
To translate Diyseeds you too will need to find a name for the film series in your language. Look for something original that is not too far-fetched and that refers if possible to the production of heritage seeds accessible to all.
Send us your proposals by email explaining the meaning of the names you have found.
Inclusive writing and tone
For gendered languages (which contain a masculine and a feminine) we invite you to use inclusive writing. This allows the two genders to appear equally in the text.
In French, for example, we will write “les paysan·nes passionné·es” to designate passionated male and female farmers (“paysans” for male farmers and “paysannes” for female farmers, we use a middle point to glue the two genders; “passionné” means passionated). So this also applies to adjectives too. When the resemblance between the two words is too far apart, we will write, for example, “les agriculteurs et agricultrices” (“agriculteurs» and “agricultrices” are other words to say respectively male and female farmers).
To simplify the reading of the text, the use of neutral terms such as “people” is encouraged.
The tone used in the translation should be natural and relaxed as Diyseeds is not an institution. Use informal fluency if it is relevant in your language. In general, try to use vocabulary that is simple and accessible to everyone.
Notes on the written translation of films
Great attention should be paid to the texts of the films as they will be used for audio dubbing. Once you have translated the texts on the platform, you can download and print them for the dubbing crew.
For each film, several names of vegetables can be given if several names exist, in particular for different geographical regions.
You will have to be very careful not to invert the botanical terms when they correspond to the images in the videos. For example, the female and male organs should not be reversed in the text when the video shows them in a particular order.
Verification of botanical information
After you have translated the text of each film, correct this translation by checking the botanical terms used in your language. Valuable help can be found with botanists or enthusiastic amateurs.
You can also use the AGROVOC thesaurus regularly updated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It brings together many official terms available in several languages. Access is free.
Voice recording
Technical recommendations: Lossless compression, WAV file format, 48 Khz, 24 bits.
When the film texts are ready, use the international version of the videos as a recording medium for the translated voices. The international version contains the images with the soundtrack (music, sound effects) without the voices. You can download it from our file transfer area.
Always have the texts read if possible by 1 male voice and 1 female voice for each film. Ideally, the voices of 3 to 4 male — female pairs should share the recording of the 40 films. The texts should be read naturally and without haste. Check the recorded voices from the texts so that nothing is forgotten and the match is accurate.
The recording studio should be chosen with care. Tests should be done before all recordings to ensure voices are fully audible and pleasant to listen to. The sound technicians must carry out the essential checks so that there are no extraneous sounds or too many reverberations (beware of passing cars, the noise of pneumatic drills etc).
Send us a recorded film as a test before making the rest of the recordings. Use our file transfer space by placing your test file in your language folder (not yet available).
Mixing and sending audio files
When the voices are recorded, it will be necessary to mix their volume with the soundtrack from the international version. Once the mix is done, you will send us only the audio master track of each film. We will then take care of exporting the videos with the audio tracks we have received.
To send us your audio files, use our file transfer space. You must place your files in a folder with the name of the translation language. Please use the naming convention below to name your files, especially if the alphabet is not Latin.
Film presentation screens
Films shown online display a presentation screen for the first 3 seconds of the film. This screen consists of the title of the project, the sub-title and the name of the film. It also contains the broadcasting license, a link to the project’s website and the logos of Longo Maï and the European Civic Forum. You can also include a logo of your association.
All presentation screens will need to be translated. You can download the international image file and edit it directly. This is a source image file in which the layers are to be modified. Once completed, the file must be returned to us on our file transfer space (not yet available).
If you cannot make the presentation screens yourself, please fill out the form provided for this purpose and send us all the necessary information (not yet available).
Accessibility and subtitling
The production of subtitles is possible in addition to the voices. Under no circumstances can they be embedded in the image and will be activated by the user if necessary. If you want to make subtitles, please let us know.
Likewise, if you wish to carry out a translation into sign language please contact us.
Access to the translation platform
When you are ready to translate the project, you will need to access our translation platform. Email us to request a translation account. You will need to provide us with an email address for your username. You will then be invited to choose a password.
Once your account is created, you can start translating by logging into the platform. This allows you to easily translate the texts one after the other by clicking on “next”. We use the free software Weblate, the documentation of which you can consult online if necessary. If you have any problem, please do not hesitate to ask us for help by email.
On the platform the texts are organized in “components” among which you can navigate to translate all the texts of the project. Consult the list of components below to locate the texts that interest you.
- Diyseeds.org — organizations contains organizations involved in seed production (website)
- Diyseeds.org — pages contains each page of the website
- Diyseeds.org — persons contains the Diyseeds teammates and people involved in seed production (website)
go to our translation platform read our platform manual
Thanks a lot for your help!