English-Only

[Godwynn]

Greetings,

I received a private message today about my (former) signature. It was in the German language and was Alle Menschen werden Brüder. Which is German for All men become brothers. My user title was An die Freude which is German for to Joy. I was referencing the Choral of my (former) avatar's 9th Symphony. I feel it went nicely together with the avatar and was most pleased with it.

I had this avatar/user title/signature combo for I'd say almost a year or maybe a little longer. That's fine, maybe the moderators missed it for so long. To be honest, I would find large paragraphs in a foreign language without a translation to be quite obnoxious (which is why I provide translations in the German help thread.) I think my four word long signature was fine, easily verifiable, and quite famous. I went through the forum rules and found no such rule about an English-only policy.

I did not want to revert back to my old signature and user title without first getting some clarification, or perhaps even convincing Thunderfall that short foreign language signatures should be tolerated.

Obviously, this can be abused. Might I suggest a thread here in Site Feedback where the signature must be posted beforehand, with a verifiable translation, and then approved by the mods before it be implemented in the signature?

 

[kramerfan86]

I think famous little phrases and quotes should be allowed.

 

[cypher132]

I'm cypher132 and I support this thread.

Any user should be allowed to use any language as long as it isn't offensive in any way. I find a phrase saying "All men become brothers" is in no way offensive.

 

[dot]

Greetings,

I received a private message today about my (former) signature. It was in the German language and was Alle Menschen werden Brüder. Which is German for All men become brothers. [...]

I did not want to revert back to my old signature and user title without first getting some clarification, or perhaps even convincing Thunderfall that short foreign language signatures should be tolerated.

Obviously, this can be abused. Might I suggest a thread here in Site Feedback where the signature must be posted beforehand, with a verifiable translation, and then approved by the mods before it be implemented in the signature?

Godwynn, I see an infraction coming. It's borderlining on PDMA.

I do, howsoever, support the quoted suggestion for the site.

@the moderators: If it means anything to you at all - Spare him! It's a good suggestion and he wouldn't have gotten any feedback without this thread.

 

[Earthling]

Godwynn, I have to say I fully support you getting both your sig and user title back. Also, I really am at a loss as to why the language policy seemed to be implemented in full-force in like the past two weeks. I saw it happening to posters who posted various snippets in actual foreign languages but didn't seem to abuse any other forum rules; also in a semi-joke thread some posts of mine and other posters that were in English but broken were just deleted. I too know that the rule isn't listed anywhere on the site that I can find and while it's nothing that bothers me personally, since I don't have any plans on using any foreign language in the near future, I still want to know what's up. At the least, as you say, things that are well known or simple phrases should be allowed.

On top of this, I'd think the community would be pretty unanimous in favor for reasonable uses of other languages. I think even posters who think "ah be poosting dah gud ting" (verifiable translation: I am posting good things) and such as humor, spam, or political commentary, of which there are quite a few, would go the extra step and see that another language is no less worthy than such improper english.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Greetings,

I received a private message today about my (former) signature. It was in the German language and was Alle Menschen werden Brüder. Which is German for All men become brothers. My user title was An die Freude which is German for to Joy. I was referencing the Choral of my (former) avatar's 9th Symphony. I feel it went nicely together with the avatar and was most pleased with it.

I had this avatar/user title/signature combo for I'd say almost a year or maybe a little longer. That's fine, maybe the moderators missed it for so long. To be honest, I would find large paragraphs in a foreign language without a translation to be quite obnoxious (which is why I provide translations in the German help thread.) I think my four word long signature was fine, easily verifiable, and quite famous. I went through the forum rules and found no such rule about an English-only policy.

I did not want to revert back to my old signature and user title without first getting some clarification, or perhaps even convincing Thunderfall that short foreign language signatures should be tolerated.

Obviously, this can be abused. Might I suggest a thread here in Site Feedback where the signature must be posted beforehand, with a verifiable translation, and then approved by the mods before it be implemented in the signature?

So based upon your recent, and somewhat ambiguous experience with the use of foreign phrases in titles and signatures, you would like to know if it might be possible to get some kind of pre-approval for use of a foreign phrase without providing an ever present translation.

It seems a reasonable request and it is made better with the addition of a public approval thread where the phrase and translation are somewhat vetted by all. It certainly is worth a bit of discussion.

i have selected my avatar, title and signature carefully and with purpose as many here do, and I think that thoughtful combinations should be encouraged. From your story, it appears that a Napoleon avatar and "vive la France" title would be subject to censure. Given that CFC is so international and that even its English speaking bias is very educated in world cultures, we should not fear small doses of non English just be cause we cannot see its translation immediately. Perhaps pre-approved, untranslated text should be limited to seven words or less.

I like your idea!

EDIT: I would venture that any approval thread might well prove to be interesting and educational too.

 

[Theige]

I also believe this a very reasonable request.

Because a user title/signature in a foreign language is not an attempt to openly communicate in that language, or circumvent rules with inappropriate content (which is the reason for English only I assume?) I fail to see why it should be a violation of the English-only rule.

 

[Elrohir]

I'd just like to add my agreement with what has already been said. Of course, this is a forum owned by an American, and the standard language should remain English. But I don't see why we can't have small snippets from other languages in our signatures or user titles, especially if there's a verification process to ensure that banned content isn't being slipped in 'under the radar.'

 

[lemonjelly]

I must say, I agree with Godwynn. I can't see any harm in small quotes in other languages, especially famous quotes. And, if there was a thread where you had to post them before, then it couldn't be abused, either.

 

[Bill3000]

I'm going to have to agree with the above. If it's pre-approved by a moderator, and the translation is verifiable, it should be allowed. While we are an English-speaking forum, that's really reserved for conversation, not phrases in signatures. Verifiability makes it easy that, say, it can't be curses or insults or the like.

 

[arcticnightwolf]

I'm cypher132 and I support this thread.

Any user should be allowed to use any language as long as it isn't offensive in any way. I find a phrase saying "All men become brothers" is in no way offensive.

i fully agree with his/her statement

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Seconding godwynn.

Also how come latin in sigs is allowed without translation ? I see those around all the time.

Also does lolspeak needs a translation too ?

 

[Truronian]

I echo the above sentiments. Could even make the foreign text hyperlink to the approval thread... then curious folk could see the translation.

 

[Sharwood]

I agree with this idea. I also really think the English-only rule should actually be added to the Forum rules, as I've seen new posters get infracted for posting in other languages occasionally.

Hell, I don't even have a problem with large non-English posts, so long as a translation is required. Yeekim and red_elk post Russian sources quite often, and provide their own rough English translations, as there aren't any official translations. I have absolutely no problem with that, but I suspect that if they did it in OT, they'd be infracted.

 

[Fifty]

I too agree with Godwynn & the rest.

 

[J-man]

I've seen other users with non-English signatures too. (doesn't rolo has a Portugese one?)
so I agree with Godwynn

 

[Mirc]

I fully agree with all that's been said in this thread.

In fact, I also wanted to have a Latin and German signature (I decided against it only because I was too lazy to find a good formatting). Thanks Godwynn for starting this, it is a very reasonable thread and I fully support the ideas posted above.

 

[classical_hero]

As long as the Foreign language is very short and well known, then it can be used, but otherwise it should be translated.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Latin should also be required to be translated.

 

[Mirc]

There are so many Latin proverbs and phrases used in English that you'd have a hard time enforcing something like that... And they are usually so well-known that you can find out their meanings and messages (which may be quite different, as with all things like this) in the three seconds it takes to copy&paste and google them.