Linguo - The First Decentralized Translation Platform.

Linguo came to light due to our own internal needs for multi-language translation of Kleros content. As it turns out, you can get quality services at a low price when calling on the decentralized free market. Find out how to use it below.

Linguo is a simple to use decentralized translation dapp allowing both translators and translation requesters to interact in a completely trustless manner.

Linguo is so straightforward, it doesn't really need an explainer but we're going to make one anyway... and then have it translated on Linguo into various languages ofc.

Let's get started.

Translate Your Content

Enter linguo.kleros.io and you'll be greeted with the following screen (you may be notified to connect your Web3 wallet). Here, you can select whether you want to translate something, have something translated, or review anything that falls into the former two categories.

Our aim is to have content translated so we'll click on 'My Translations'.

You'll be taken to the following screen in which you can fill in all the details in relation to your content including: source language, target language, expected quality and price.

Note: More languages will be added in the future.

There are currently three varying quality tiers available:

Cost Effective. The conveyed meaning must be similar, but nuances might be lost. Occasional typos and translation errors are acceptable. Translators having a self-declared level B2 (CEFR) or higher will be able to see this task.

Standard. The meaning must be almost identical. Occasional typos are acceptable. Only translators having a self-declared level C1 (CEFR) or higher will be able to see this task.

Professional. The meaning and spirit of the translation must remain identical and the translator must reflect the style and nuances of the original text. Translators are expected to have their text reviewed before submission. Only translators having a self-declared level C2 (CEFR) will be able to see this task.

We recommend using the 'Professional' quality for white papers, websites and other technical documentation.

Give your translation an appropriate and relevant title, upload a PDF, JSON, text or other various document file type and add the amount of words required for translation.

Pricing

The pricing section is where it gets more interesting. Here, you will see three parameters: Deadline, MinPrice and MaxPrice.

The price rises linearly from the start date to the finish date offering an auction-like scenario for translators to decide their own personal acceptable price point for each piece of content.

For example, you can price your translation to be picked up quickly by opening with a high minimum price. Conversely, a broad spread between the minimum and maximum price set over a longer deadline (30 days, for example) gives a steadier price increase over time starting from a more reasonable entry point.

If you just want a fixed price translation with no price discovery, set both the Min and Max price to the same value.

Once you've set your desired price and deadline above, click 'Request the Translation'.

You will now pay the maximum price set for the translation and the gas fee to the Linguo contract. This functions as a temporary one way escrow of sorts and you will be refunded any outstanding balance from the maximum price as soon as a translator takes the job. This ensures the deadline to price ratio can be fulfilled.

In our example above, 1.5 ETH was transferred to the contract and 1.23 ETH returned after the translation was taken two days after listing at a cost of 0.27ETH.

The Dashboard

Clicking back on 'My Translations' brings you to the dashboard where you can see our recently posted job amongst others with a brief overview of the job along with current pricing and deadline info.

The 'In Progress' tab shows much the same info except, the price stated here is final.

For example, the second posting in the image below shows an English to Chinese translation of our juror starter kit accepted at the total price of 0.31 ETH ($144) or 0.26 mETH (0.12c) per word.

Work as a Translator

For those looking to work as translators the setup is just as simple.

Click on 'Work as a Translator' and you'll see a screen much like the one below. Here, you can see any of the open jobs which match your language skills. At this point, we haven't added any language skills so let's do that now.

Click on 'Update Skills'  

Once you're in the 'Set Language Skills' page, you'll be presented with a number of drop down menus in which you select the language you want to work in and the translation level you have for that skill.

Note: Only add language skill levels you are confident with otherwise, your translations will likely be challenged and you may not get paid!

Now that we've set some languages, you can see a number of postings have appeared. For two of those, we have the required skillset and one (greyed out) is not within our skillset and therefore, not able to bid on. If you have just arrived on Linguo for the first time, you'll be directed to the 'Update Skills' section above by default.

By clicking on 'See details' you can preview each translation including cost and the content to be translated.

If you're happy with everything, click 'Translate It'.

Take note, you must make a deposit at this point to confirm you will complete the translation in the given deadline. If not, you will lose this deposit and it will be paid to the original requester as compensation.

Once the translation is completed satisfactorily and there are no disputes, you will receive this deposit back along with the originally set payment for the work.

Dispute resolution - Enter Kleros Court

In the event that a translation requester is not happy, they have the option to dispute the work which in turn, sends it to Kleros jurors for evaluation.

Each case will be sent to the corresponding court as defined by the target translation language. Jurors are incentivized to stake only in courts they have sufficient linguistic knowledge.

Once a translation has been completed it will be visible in the 'Review List' tab. There is a 7 day review period in which the job can be challenged if the quality of the content is not up to the desired standard.

Click 'See details to move to the next screen'.

Here, you can view both the original and translated text along with the option to raise a dispute by paying the deposit and adding any evidence you have substantiating the claim.

Jurors staked in the corresponding court to the target language will be drawn to resolve any translation issues.

Note: In the first round of Linguo disputes, only 1 juror will be drawn. Jurors are nonetheless incentivized to carefully judge cases, as their incentives can depend on how larger panels of jurors rule in any future appeals.

To Conclude

Linguo can be used for all manner of content including white papers, websites, articles, video transcription and much more.

Using the linear pricing method coupled with a set deadline offers both sides of the deal a mechanism to get fair pricing, high quality and quick turnaround.

Where Can I Find Out More?

Join the community chat on Telegram.

Visit our website.

Follow us on Twitter.

Join our Slack for developer conversations.

Contribute on Github.

Download our Book