Bitcointalk: decentralization, English language and hypocresy .

[NadiaHel]

Decentralization. Meaning? A way of everybody getting the same opportunities, no matter how they are doing in life? Meaning, maybe, something that is related to humanity's progress? The access of a new way of living for everyone?

Maybe the first step should be define what decentralization means to you.

In my case, I see bitcoin like an historical process leading to a new way of understanding power. By decentralization, I understand that everyone should have the acces to the information, being able to get to know what's going on in the economical new system and what goals are achievable by using it. Nevertheless, every time we try to decentralize the forum from the English language (about my local, Spanish), I always find the same kind of quotes, the type:
"We don't need to discuss forum issues in Spanish", or, "If you need to know something  about reputation, go to the English board".

Really? I've been in some places in my life and met the most interesting people. Unfortunately, given their own histories, many of them were unable to speak in English, and some others are just redundancts to come into de crypto world because they don't understand English.

So... isn't it kind of hypocrite? To stablish a language as the unique in terms of knowledge about something like bitcoin and, at the same time, to try to achieve decentralization?

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[xhomerx10]

It is extremely hypocritical.  If I were you and had such a command of the Spanish language, I would translate the information from the English language section into Spanish and post that information on the local board so that everyone in that local board has the same opportunity to understand all aspects of Bitcoin.  Nobody should be left behind due to a language issue.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

How do you propose to "decentralize" a forum where everyone speaks different languages?  I don't understand what you're a victim of here.  Is it that you want some sort of Meta section in the Spanish section?  If we all posted in different languages within the same thread, it'd be chaos.  I think you're putting way too much stock in the word "decentralization".  That's not some sort of new god or anything.

This sounds like a Meta issue, too.  It probably should be in that section. 

[NadiaHel]

How do you propose to "decentralize" a forum where everyone speaks different languages?  I don't understand what you're a victim of here.  Is it that you want some sort of Meta section in the Spanish section?  If we all posted in different languages within the same thread, it'd be chaos.  I think you're putting way too much stock in the word "decentralization".  That's not some sort of new god or anything.

This sounds like a Meta issue, too.  It probably should be in that section.  

Nah, probably I expressed myself wrong. What I was trying to say is that there is an inherent classism about language. One example could be that most all the locals -please, correct me if I'm wrong- depends on non-local admins for things to be changed. So, for instance, if the locals feel they need a new board, the process is always needing a translation and the final desition goes to someone who doesn't even understand the local language and have a partial vision, by the way.
Besides that, some of the locals answers lead into the examples I pointed out: to tell the people they should write in English. But not everyone has the possibility of expressing in another language (as you can see, even mine is quite limited, for I didn't get to express my idea properly in my first approach to the matter).
That makes the forum to be centralized, for the locals can't just grow by themselves into the crypto world, there is always an extra-step, there is always a need of having someone to translate their ideas in order to ask for what the need.
Since I do believe in the "Traduttore tradittore" motto, I just was trying to create a debate about how can it be somehow hypocrite to create a decentralized world with a centralized language.

[enhu]

The internet as a whole is decentralized which the forum is part of it. Don't make it so hard. Use google translate after all even those who translate ICO ANN thread uses it. English isn't also my native tongue, I find it hard to understand sometimes but I take time to read, find the meaning of a word and then read again. You adapt, its not them who will adapt for a local section.

[NadiaHel]

The internet as a whole is decentralized which the forum is part of it. Don't make it so hard. Use google translate after all even those who translate ICO ANN thread uses it. English isn't also my native tongue, I find it hard to understand sometimes but I take time to read, find the meaning of a word and then read again. You adapt, its not them who will adapt for a local section.

What I was trying to mean is that maybe locals need some independence, so they can grow independently and make their own path.
Maybe you don't agree, and that's ok, but there is no need of saying that it is a drama: this is about being able to grow into the crypto world even by being non-English speakers, as a community.

[paxmao]

As I see it, the Spanish speaking section is not limited except by ourselves, the members that participate. I don´t see any major limitation to the growth of local sections in terms of organisation, I see it in terms of participation and quality.

On a different matter, I think we spend too much of time discussing rules and "meta".

[suchmoon]

That makes the forum to be centralized, for the locals can't just grow by themselves into the crypto world, there is always an extra-step, there is always a need of having someone to translate their ideas in order to ask for what the need.

By that logic anything that requires any kind of effort could be called "centralized". The reality is that everybody has access to the information without lifting their ass from their chair and with the availability of translation tools and language learning tools that "extra step" is really a moot point.

But that's not what centralization means I think. It's the control aspect of it that defines centralization. Is the control of the forum centralized? Of course it is. By its nature it's a privately owned and managed forum. Translating everything to and from 50 languages like the EU does wouldn't make it any less centralized.

[Jet Cash]

Any community needs to have a lingua franca as a means of communication between members. Without this, it becomes a collection of communities rather than a single entity. Perhaps the greatest benefit that Brexit can give to the EU, is to allow them to implement their suggestion that English becomes the common language in their community.

Members of the sub-communities have the option of joining the broader English speaking community. This is not centralisation, but just members releasing themselves from a self-imposed restriction.