User:Aladdin Sane/B5-AS-notes

These notes are generally related to the Babylon 5 page on Commons.

List of notable B5 languages

This list makes an argument for each real-world language that B5 is spoken of in. The reason for the list is because Commons is in to doing the multiple language thing. This list is meant to be inclusive. The word "notable" in this context means the answer to the question, "What other languages have we seen others write of B5 in around the Internet?" I also justify the "Big 5" because lots of people read these languages (or at least speak them, I should say). Browsers today are sophisticated enough to display the fonts, if yours isn't, tough.

The list is in alphabetical order according to the English alphabet.

The translations are done in Google Translate (except German, which is already done), in the hopes that native-language editors will come by and correct them later.

List of ISO 639-1 codes

The "Big 5"

• Language – rationale

1. Arabic (ar, العربية) – One of the "Big 5" not otherwise justified.
2. Belarusian (be, Беларуская) – This is the language of the "The Great Maker's" ancestors, I believe.
3. Bulgarian (bg, български) – The article "Babylon 5" is a Featured Article in this language's Wikipedia, indicating editors have worked really hard on it, they must've cared.
4. Croatian (hr, hrvatski) – Notable because it is the native language (citation needed) of a major season star, and I believe leading to the series popularity in that region.
5. Dutch (nl, Nederlands) – Many B5 things are found in Dutch on Google, and I think one page may have been used as a reference that I noticed one time. Dutch Wikipedia has a working External Link at http://www.sfseries.nl/content.php?id=7.
6. English (en, English) – This is the language the show was originally produced in. A wide variety of English is used in the show, especially British and American varieties.
7. French (fr, français) – This language is used in subtitles on the R1 DVD's. Note that R1 DVD's cannot be sold (legally) in Europe or Mexico.
8. German (de, Deutsch) – Someone took the time to translate the B5 description on the Commons page into German. Also, many of our English Wikipedia Fair Use images originally came from a German web site.
9. Hebrew (he, עִבְרִית) – The article "Babylon 5" is a Featured Article in this language's Wikipedia, indicating editors have worked really hard on it, they must've cared.
10. Hindustani (hi, हिन्दुस्तानी) – One of the "Big 5" not otherwise justified.
11. Italian (it, italiano) – At least one Commons editor of the science fiction related stuff here speaks this language natively (User:Yoggysot). There are cultural references to things Italian via the character of Garibaldi.
12. Mandarin Chinese, simplified (zh, 官话) – One of the "Big 5" not otherwise justified.
13. Russian (ru, русский) – The 'ru' category has been added to the episode articles on EN WP. Also, someone took the time to translate the Russian text on Ivanova's quarters wall image into English (though the translation was deleted from the article per WP:TRIVIA which clearly states to delete all trivia (sarcasm; it never comes close to saying that)). Series creator claims general Russian ancestry, though the specifics are outside the scope of this list.
14. Spanish (es, español) – This language is used in subtitles on the R1 DVD's. Note that R1 DVD's cannot be sold (legally) in Europe or Mexico.

Gah, temporary confusion between Hindustani and w:Hindi.

Proposed text to translate

Babylon 5 (1993–1998 plus spin-offs) is an epic American science fiction television series and fictional universe created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers around the Babylon 5 space station, a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and wars. The series is noted for its heavy reliance on pre-planned story arcs over its five-year run, sometimes described as a "novel for television".

Note on translation

I tried to remove the word "run" from the text, I'm not sure the contextual definition will translate well. I asked about it at Wikipedia Reference desk/Entertainment, the best we could come up with is "air". In the sentence it would become "airing", which I think may be poor English.

Test template

Français : Babylon 5 (1993-1998, plus de spin-offs) est une science épopée américaine série télévisée de fiction et de l'univers fictif créé, produit, et en grande partie écrite par J. Michael Straczynski. Les centres de montrer autour de la station spatiale Babylon 5, un point focal pour la politique, la diplomatie, et les guerres. La série est connue pour sa forte dépendance de pré-arcs histoire prévues au cours de ses cinq menée l'année, parfois décrit comme un «roman pour la télévision".