Plan: translation discussions/feedback

[yoavf]

Based on discussions in WCEU 2019 contributor day, we'd like to allow translators and translation editors to communicate about specific strings and translations.

Core GlotPress implemented a "Notes" feature, but as a native GP feature, it lacks any type of notification support or any of the basic features we associate with comments or discussion (threading, mentions, spam detection etc).

Instead, we'd like to build a bridge between translate.wordpress.org and a per-locale specific translations forum.

This will include:

• On the GlotPress side, every original should have a link to a specific forum topic to discuss its translation to the locale. If the topic doesn't exist, it will link to a pre-populated form to create it. Otherwise, it will list the number of posts on that topic.

• The topics will be created in a translations forum for each locale (i.e ​https://he.wordpress.org/support/forum/translation/).
• The topics will link back to the original

Bonus:

• When rejecting a translation, the validator will be able to enter a comment about the rejection reason, which will be added to the topic as well.

[yoavf]

Some tasks:

Dev:

• Script to create a forum called translations in each one of the rosetta sites. Some sites need bbPress setup first.
• Form to post a new topic about a string (=original). Should automatically tag the topic with the project path, so that PTE can subscribe to the tag.
• Functionality to fetch replies from a topic for display
• Remove the "Notes" feature from core GlotPress.

Design:

• If the topic doesn't exist - link+form to create the topic (within GP UI)
• It topic exist, link to topic with helpful meta (Original author, date, last updated, number of replies)

[yoavf]

Additional tasks:

• Add indication to a topic if an original status has been marked as obsolete in GlotPress (and remove if the status is back to active)
• Specific UI for rejecting a translation that will also post to the topic (see ​https://github.com/GlotPress/GlotPress-WP/pull/900#issuecomment-387637732)

[ocean90]

The topics will be created in a translations forum for each locale

At the moment only ar.wordpress.org and he.wordpress.org have a forum for translation (without s).

[ocean90]

In 8969:

Translate: Add initial plugin for discussion implementation.

See #4518.

[ocean90]

In 8971:

Translate: Add custom action to extend meta section.

See #4518.

[ocean90]

In 8972:

Translate, Discussion: Retrieve REST API URL by locale.

See #4518.

[ocean90]

In 8987:

Translate, Discussion: Start with basic UI elements for creating a new discussion and rejecting with feedback.

See #4518.

[coreymckrill]

Would it be feasible to run bbPress on the translate.wordpress.org site itself, rather than connecting to forums over on Rosetta sites via the REST API? (As far as I can tell, bbPress does not currently have any REST API endpoints.) But I also don't know whether the way GlotPress handles the front end would allow for bbPress functionality.

If we did that, maybe the URL structure for the forums would end up being something like translate.wordpress.org/forum/he/.

[andreamiddleton]

I'm so enthusiastic about making it possible to reject translation submissions with feedback! Yay! A few questions:

1. Would both the PTE/GTE and the translation contributor be "automagically" subscribed to updates on the rejection + feedback topic? If so, it seems like we'll need add a note on the translation submission screen, so people know they'll get an email if their translation is rejected.
2. I'm assuming all the feedback will be publicly visible, right? I think this will be important, because then new contributors will be able to learn from other people's feedback.
3. When I think about what these forums will look like, though, I get a little sad... because they'll basically be repositories of rejection and criticism. While we're making feedback possible, could we also allow for an "Approve with feedback" option, so that PTE/GTEs could also share praise and appreciation for good translations?

[Nao]

Would both the PTE/GTE and the translation contributor be "automagically" subscribed to updates on the rejection + feedback topic? If so, it seems like we'll need add a note on the translation submission screen, so people know they'll get an email if their translation is rejected.

It makes sense that everyone is subscribed to the updates. We will need some sort of note to tell them they'll receive email (also, can users control notification setting from ​https://profiles.wordpress.org/me/profile/notifications/ for this?).

I'm assuming all the feedback will be publicly visible, right? I think this will be important, because then new contributors will be able to learn from other people's feedback.

+1 to publicly visible feedback.

When I think about what these forums will look like, though, I get a little sad... because they'll basically be repositories of rejection and criticism. While we're making feedback possible, could we also allow for an "Approve with feedback" option, so that PTE/GTEs could also share praise and appreciation for good translations?

This is very true. I try to use a positive & helpful tone for my feedback, but this becomes more important when the intraction becomes more visible to everyone. I'd love it if there is a feature that will make sure G/PTEs follows such practice.

[coreymckrill]

Given that these feedback discussions should include automatic notifications to interested parties, and they should be public, a bbPress forum seems like the best way to go. There are a couple of different ways that might work for implementation:

• Use the existing bbPress forums on the Rosetta sites, as suggested earlier in this ticket.
  • Pros: Forums are already set up on most/all sites. The forum UI is translated into the locale of that site.
  • Cons: The interaction between GlotPress and bbPress would need to be via the REST API, since they are running on separate sites. bbPress does not currently have REST API endpoints enabled. Also, each locale is a separate installation of bbPress, which could add complexity if there are configuration differences between the sites.
• Enable bbPress on translate.wordpress.org
  • Pros: GlotPress and bbPress code can run side-by-side during the same request, with no need to develop REST API endpoints. There would only be one bbPress instance to manage. The feedback discussions would be "closer" to the translation tools, since they would share the same domain in the URL.
  • Cons: GlotPress is currently configured to be accessed from the root of the site (via define( 'GP_URL_BASE', '' )), so rendering the front end bbPress UI is probably not possible without some kind of modification to GlotPress.

[evarlese]

From the original description:

every original should have a link to a specific forum topic to discuss its translation to the locale

I'm curious if this means that every string, regardless of status, will have its own thread in the forums? Or will a thread only be created for strings with feedback? In either case, one thing to consider is creating a good practice or process for managing spam, even if that means just checking that we can use Akismet or something along those lines considering the sheer number of threads that we'll be generating. (Which is also exciting, I should add!)

This may be a question for @ocean90, but I wonder if there is a way to leverage statuses in GlotPress, as well. Right now, when a translator gets feedback, the original string needs to be manually rejected (either by the translator or the editor) after providing a new suggestion (​related GitHub issue). Given the possibility, it may be useful to consider a workflow where strings can be edited after receiving feedback, without needing to reject the original.

[tellyworth]

Replying to evarlese:

I'm curious if this means that every string, regardless of status, will have its own thread in the forums? Or will a thread only be created for strings with feedback?

I imagine we'd only create threads as needed when feedback is given. We can perhaps lock the forums down so that only editors can create threads, and only by providing feedback. And perhaps replies are limited in some way also.

[SergeyBiryukov]

Replying to ocean90:

The topics will be created in a translations forum for each locale

At the moment only ar.wordpress.org and he.wordpress.org have a forum for translation (without s).

FWIW, ru.wordpress.org has a translations forum for more than 10 years now :)

[tellyworth]

How does this sound as a MVP solution? -

We create a special bbpress forum, one per locale, specifically for translation feedback.

Each forum would be on translate.w.org with a URL something like translate.wordpress.org/feedback/ru.

Only translation editors will be able to make new topics. Translators can reply.

From the transation UI, editors will have a link that takes them to a separate page on the translation feedback forum where they can either create a new topic for the string; or reply to the existing topic if there is one. This page will be a custom version of the bbpress New Topic UI.

When feedback is given, an email notification will be sent to the translator with a link to the bbpress topic.

I'm proposing doing things this way because all of the work can be done in a bbBress theme/plugin, rather than within GlotPress. I think that will be easier to get started than the other way around.

Later we can integrate a UI inside GlotPress.

[evarlese]

Chiming in to say I like this option for an MVP :)

Only translation editors will be able to make new topics. Translators can reply.

Not sure how much (or if) this will complicate things, but I would suggest allowing both General Translation Editors and Project Translation Editors to be able to start a new topic. For PTEs, permission to approve strings is per project, so that's something we would likely want to keep in mind for permissions.

[Nao]

I like the MVP idea too. The benefit of having feedback comments in GlotPress is it's easier to find, but at the same time, it may clutter the visual and the translation flow. bbPress is made for having comment interaction, so it already has all the needed features, that's a nice plus.

+1 to letting PTEs also start a new topic (in the future, if it requires extensive changes).

[Nao]

Feedback tool flow idea

[Nao]

UI Idea (just another additional one to the existing ideas)

[Nao]

Feedback screen

[Nao]

I added some more UI ideas based on @tellyworth's proposed MVP.