A multilingual section may work, or it may be a disaster. 
We need to look at the pros and cons.
A multilingual category shouldnāt split the community, but instead help non-English speakers get their point across and be assisted with resources we have already.
Multiple languages in a thread sounds contradicting. If one language means X but the translation suggests Y, it could bring introduce some awkward (and useless) answers due to the language barrier. 
Iād like to think that our members would double check whatever translations they post to insure correctness.
Multiple languages in a thread sounds contradicting. If one language
means X but the translation suggests Y, it could bring introduce some
awkward (and useless) answers due to the language barrier
This is an English Language Forum and as such answers should always be in English; if the responder is competent in a second language my idea was to post a translation in that language. The down side of this might be that English only members might feel their answers and thoughts are less important.
Possibly have a linked separate single area for responders competent in a second language to provide answers in their second language ā¦ a link created in the original answer indicating what language ā¦ or maybe this isnāt available in Discourse either.
I know you stated already that a hide away or fold down option isnāt available in Discourse - is there any possibility it might be offered in an upcoming release or upgrade?
Are there Ubuntu* help forums in other languages? Maybe this multiple language idea is interesting but should be placed on a keep warm burner so to speak. 
If thereās a āspoilerā plug-in available for Discourse, we might be able to prod @Wimpy to add it.
There are individual forums hosted around the world talking about Ubuntu in their language. Ubuntu Forums have a āLoCo teamsā area, but not a dedicated support category. Iām thinking of a category that acts as a ābridgeā between our English topics, and discussions in native languages around Ubuntu MATE.
There are several forums that have multi-language sections and they all seem to do well!, it is worth noting that the Ubuntu Mate forum is still a fledgling and will need time to grow, once the Linux world is aware of UM, I think there will be a stark influx of new members from all over the world, using translation tools like āGotrans Oglelateā doesnāt always help as thing are often lost in translation but because the poster doesnāt know any different, they accept Googles translation as true!:
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/
The Linux community is already well-aware of UM.
It will be interesting to see how well this actually develops. Ideally, if thereās already a question in English and somebody translated it, theyāde repost that question or link to it and hope for answers in their native tongue. Alas, the problem here is who else would speak in the tongue of another that isnāt English, unless there are enough bi-lingual people who can work both in English and non-English subforums?
Certainly, the effort put into the idea is good, but I worry about the execution.
Iām bi-lingual (English/German) and I also can do a little bit of French, I think the idea of reaching out to the whole world with other language sections is the way forward!, I did say so above. As far as your point about implementation goes, it would get tiring very quickly for some as they would not only have to check English but also make very sure that the language they are responding to is also correct, a double whammy if you like!. 
Another point I would like to mention is that if you make a screenshot when answering a thread, you would need it in both languages!. 
Like the Mint forum?
As @tiox mentions, how this is executed is important.
If we just literally create a new category for non-English speakers, Iād say that would treat them like second-class citizensā¦ that could lead to abandonment if topics never get responses.
We should run a poll and see how diverse our community is.
To avoid the second-class citizen problem, I was thinking more towards encouraging the sharing of our existing (English) content and starting discussions in their native language ā whether talking about a media coverage, or a problem that has been solved by an [English] solution.
One step further is having a group of regular members whoād like to actively reach out to their fellow native speakers. Whether helping them and/or voluntary translating content, like announcements.
E.g. If @wolfman desired to translate his user guides, theyād be pinned for German users. 
So, @anon42388993, yes and no. We could create the categories and thatās it, or should we take a step further so weāre not leaving our non-English speakers feeling isolated?
Itās a simple problem, but hard one to get rightā¦ 
Just throwing it out there to get your opinions on the ideaā¦
How about a targeted Transifex project for the Support & Help Requests category?
Unfortunately, I donāt think thatās technically possible. Transifex is designed for translating programs and services, not as such a forum.
Even so, I see that as a lot of work for little in return.
to clarify, hereās the flow Iām thinking of:
Edit: actually, after being resolved, it could be submitted for review to forum admins who could then decide if the topic is of sufficient interest to the community to warrant translation, and then feed it to Transifex
Not a bad idea, but still sounds like a lot of work which might not be efficient, especially if the solution didnāt actually solve another personās problem.
Hereās the plan, take part in the poll:
I trough there are more community (Ubuntu) forums in different languages, maybe because we have it in Slovenian and we arenāt really that big.
Personally when I look for help or how to do something it helps when there are photos attached to it, even if they are in English or some other language, just to see when you can find something or how does it looks.
Sometimes words can have different meaning and if you are using your language you might not know what that could be or how itās translated. I even learned a few new Slovenian words while translating Welcome into my language lol
Maybe the topic name could include if there is post in another language, when users donāt understand English enough or have to use google to translate into it.
Also like idea of some beginner post being translated into most popular language if we have enough of that kind of users here.
Interesting you mention pictures; I donāt really do that because I believe that I write well enough to not have things lost in translation. But maybe, maybe I should add pictures of doing things in a live session for the UI bits, where applicable.
I like to think that I also write well enough ā¦ but OTOH some folks are visual learners so when appropriate I include screen captures
Hi @ouroumov,
I like your thinking but it would mean that someone is going to have to constantly work as a translator and would most likely not have time for normal posting on the forum, I wouldnāt take on such a job, I would answer any questions I could in German and as @lah7 pointed out earlier, I would also translate my own guides into German but I wouldnāt want to be working on translations every day, as good as your idea is, I donāt think it is practical!.
a picture paints a thousand words and that is why I use them all the time, it often speaks for itself and limits the amount of text that needs to be written to help solve a problem!.
@tiox & @pfeiffep I would agree with @wolfman pictures are great way to show how something is done, thatās why I usually always include it when posting stuff, maybe because Iām more visual type of person and donāt really like terminal all that much and usually have to read things multiple times to understand the meaning when is just words/havenāt done something like this before. On the other hand I post photos that help me explain what I wanna say sometimes that maybe I donāt really know how to describe exactly.
So I personally like to see photos and even videos of how things are done in the whole process, especially in the beginning when learning something new.
Thanks for all your feedback. We now have a new multilingual area for languages in demand ( )