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RSRO Update: Communication Concerns!!!
By GEN Damon Lightwind
Unit: The Rebel Squadrons
General Announcement, Dec 14, 2007
Back to Articles
Unit: The Rebel Squadrons
General Announcement, Dec 14, 2007
Back to Articles
I. Opening
II. RS Translators
III. Research and findings
IV. Projects
V. BP Notes & Mentions
VI. Closing
I. Opening
Every once in a while we hit the proverbial bump in the road as it were. I came across such a bump and the trick is not to panic. The best thing is to do is continue to move forward to find solutions to address the problem. As you all know I have had problems communicating with some of the Cadets as they join the RS. This is due to my unfortunate lack of knowledge of another language besides English.
I feel this problem is not confined to just the cadets and the academy. It affects the RS as a whole on multiple levels such as Recruitment, External Affairs, the RS Academy, and RSA Primary Instructors ….etc. You might ask how it can affect all of those areas of the RS. Well it all has to do with communicating with others any way we can and if there is an issue we must find a way around it.
Which I have found a way in regards to a few of the Cadets and I have to thank MAJ Hyde for stepping up to help. He has acted as my intermediate contact between me and some of the Cadets. I also have a few suggestions to help address this quicker as new members join us. Three things I think could help in this area and seem easy to implement but don’t quote me on that.
The first is add to the join page a primary language spot to fill out so once they confirm we can help them better out of the gate. I feel that waiting for them to edit there profiles is not a reliable option as we might have once thought.
Second is set up an interactive meeting as a part of the BP and could be held on an IMer or IRC. This Orientation style setting would allow the BP Instructor a chance to diagnose what help the Cadets need.
Lastly we could add a language listing to the skills on the Profiles. This way it gives those that can speak other languages the option list them as an ability. Also it gives us the ability to find help in this area when needed.
II. RS Translators
I have always tried to come up with new ways to help the RS grow as a whole. In light of recent communication issues I’d like to have as many of you as possible to join the Recruiting Office as translators for the RS. Some of you have stepped up to answer my forum post and offer your expertise in other languages for this I thank you all. You might ask what your role would be as a translator in the RO.
Well it would be bigger than you think it would be because you’d be utilized both internally and externally. First you’d be an Assistant Recruiting Officer and help expand the recruiting area. Second you’d be able to assist the Academy when problems arise with communication. Third you may be called upon to assist the Minister of External Affairs when needed to help with Alliances and Mergers.
You’d also be called upon to help with projects around the RS that call for a person with your talents. So as you can see you’d be playing a very important role for the RS and its future growth. The way I see it is the more of you that take on this role will help to meet any and all of these types of challenges down the road.
III. Research and findings
I have also done some research to find some short and long term solutions to help us as well. I have found some things that could help us now though they are limited at best. The one thing I need to know is dose IRC have the ability to translate language to the receiving client’s primary language? The reason I ask is I noticed something on in the IRC client I use. What I’ve noticed was my IRC client Ice Chat appears to have an Interlingual feature. Ice Chat is a more windows friendly IRC client and has some cool features like a buddy list. Also its a totally free download with get this no trial period which means you get the full version straight up. For more on Ice Chat click the link I've listed below:
Ice Chat
I continue on to XFire and found it has the potential to aid us in this area. I went digging around the Xfire home page and found that it translates the site in to German and English. I also took a look at the XFire forum page and know that they are working on translating the site to more languages. Also It gives the user the ability to set there Primary language for the application itself to a great number of languages commonly used. Again this is just speculation I’m not sure it XFire can work in this capacity. If any body could confirm this in would be greatly appreciated. For more info on this click the link I've listed here: XFire International
The next thing I came across was WorldLingo which is an online Translator. Again it’s limited but has the ability to translate text, web sites, and E-Mail. Although it has a 500 word limit when it comes to translating text it can help with small messages. The website translator portion can be very useful to help translate pages on the site. How ever it can only translate sections at a time of the longer pages. This can be done as you scroll down until the current section of that page stops and you see the translation arrow. by clicking this arrow it will translate the next section of the page. Again the longer the page the more time you will have to do this. Also remember for all aspects its limited to the language pairs that it lets you select in the drop down menu. There is also what appears to be an Interlingual IMer listed there as well that you can download but does not appear to be user friendly. For more info on WorldLingo click the link I've listed here: WorldLingo
Now I give you the best thing I came across too this point which is very user friendly an IM translator. This free program is compatible with all IM devices we currently use like ICQ, MSN, YIM, AIM, and XFire if need be. I did a test run on this by leaving that Cadet I told you about an offline message translated into Spanish. The very next time I signed on YIM received a reply and was able to translate it back into English. So I have to say that I have confirmed that the IM translator is very simple to use. You just type you message you want to send in the top box hit translate button. Then you can copy the translated message to paste in the IMer of your choice. I also has a quick button to flip around to reverse translate incoming messages. However I must inform you its limited to only a few sentences at a time. To check out the IM Translator click the link I've listed here: IM Translator
These are my short term solutions I have found that can helps right now and I hope to find something more to serve us long term. This doesn’t mean that the human translators are not going to be needed when I do find something better for us to use. Just the opposite because programs like these can assist us but can’t always understand and translate everything correctly. Also they can’t add that personal touch that is key to help forge new relationships and promote growth for the RS as A whole.
IV. Projects
The general recruiting efforts are on going and continuing as normal. Aside from that I have main two projects that I’ve got on the table to help with those efforts to continually move forward. One of which I speak of is the Recruitment video I’m still working on. For those that have seen my forum post and have offered something to this project I thank you. I look forward to receiving the data from you all soon. My hope is to have the first phase prototypes out to vote on sometime in the New Year. For those that don’t know click the link I've listed below for more info on this Project:
Forum Post: RSRO Update: Video Project Data Collection Time
The other main project I’m working on is something that RA Licah Fox pull out of mothballs in light of recent communications issues. The RS World Project is which I speak of and looks to help address these issues. The Project looks to translate key RS info into most of or all to the world’s languages. This is why I need those of you that can help translate this info into those languages. For those of you that have stepped up to help with this I thank you and I know we have a lot of wiki work to do. The instructions for the project are quite simple but if you have any questions ask me or Licah. For others of you that are interested in helping out on this let me know. For info and instructions for the RS World Project click the link I've listed below:
RS World Project
V. BP Notes & Mentions
Note to all CDT’s to 1LT’s check your BP status because some of you are a point or two form completing the BP. Well others of you are mere points away from your promotion to either LJG or 2LT. As always I’m here to assist you if your have trouble with any of the tasks and feel fee to drop me a line if you need too.
Now that I have covered that I would like to give a few mentions to those that have recently complete the BP. Also to give kudos to some of those RS members that have contributed to RS growth by bring in new members of recent.
CPT Naes Draw- Talk about cutting close in completing the BP a day before you got promoted to CPT. Also for bringing in 1LT Swifty Chapple for this I thank you and congrats on your promotion as well as receiving your BP Master’s Ribbon.
1LT Swifty Chapple- You are by far the most eager and energetic person I have worked with on the BP. Once you got started you blew through your tasks over a matter of days. Then you met your academy requirements for the VSG and flew your first mission shortly there after. Your eagerness to want to help the academy anyway you could hit a snag at first. However you stayed positive and eventually were rewarded for your patience and willingness to help out. For this I congratulate you for your hard work, receiving your BP Master’s Ribbon, your promotion to 1LT, and your appointment as XO to the XvT Undergrad Course. Keep up the good work and I see many more opportunities will be headed your way.
1LT Benito45- I happened to catch you on one night and you finished your last task to earn your BP Master’s Ribbon. Congrats!!!
1LT Adhemar Voltin- Thanks for getting back to me and working with me to finish your BP to get your Master’s Ribbon. I know it’s easy to get wrapped up in things around the RS that your having fun with as well not realizing that you were even listed on the BP. Of course being here long before the inception of the BP is also a very good reason not to realize it either. Anyway thanks again and Congrats!!!
2LT Teu Veld- I know you finished your BP a while ago and just wanted to thank you for bringing in 2LT Christine Magarin. Helping the RS to grow is always appreciated thanks again.
2LT Christine Magarin- Since your arrival you have battled though PC problems to stay active as well as complete most of you BP tasks. Which I look forward to helping you finish the BP once your ready to do so. However the reason I mention you is for bringing in CDT Romulus Raidoner Mandalore and for this I thank you. I have spoken with him a few times on IRC and have caught him in the middle of something each time, however I remain positive that I will get him started on the BP soon. Anyway keep up the good work and thanks again!!!
VI. Closing
Well I hope that you all find this post informative and helpful. I will continue to research for anything that can assist us in our efforts and share them with you. I look forward to any question or ideas you have regarding any thing in this post or recruitment in general. I can be found most of the time on IRC channels #RSRO or #RSA. If in the event I’m listed as out or away just leave me a message and I will get back to you when I return. Or if you prefer leave me a PM on the site or shoot me an E-Mail.
BGN Damon Lightwind
RS Chief Recruiting Officer - RSRO
RSA New Members Dept. XO
RSA Primary Instructor - BP Training Dept.
II. RS Translators
III. Research and findings
IV. Projects
V. BP Notes & Mentions
VI. Closing
I. Opening
Every once in a while we hit the proverbial bump in the road as it were. I came across such a bump and the trick is not to panic. The best thing is to do is continue to move forward to find solutions to address the problem. As you all know I have had problems communicating with some of the Cadets as they join the RS. This is due to my unfortunate lack of knowledge of another language besides English.
I feel this problem is not confined to just the cadets and the academy. It affects the RS as a whole on multiple levels such as Recruitment, External Affairs, the RS Academy, and RSA Primary Instructors ….etc. You might ask how it can affect all of those areas of the RS. Well it all has to do with communicating with others any way we can and if there is an issue we must find a way around it.
Which I have found a way in regards to a few of the Cadets and I have to thank MAJ Hyde for stepping up to help. He has acted as my intermediate contact between me and some of the Cadets. I also have a few suggestions to help address this quicker as new members join us. Three things I think could help in this area and seem easy to implement but don’t quote me on that.
The first is add to the join page a primary language spot to fill out so once they confirm we can help them better out of the gate. I feel that waiting for them to edit there profiles is not a reliable option as we might have once thought.
Second is set up an interactive meeting as a part of the BP and could be held on an IMer or IRC. This Orientation style setting would allow the BP Instructor a chance to diagnose what help the Cadets need.
Lastly we could add a language listing to the skills on the Profiles. This way it gives those that can speak other languages the option list them as an ability. Also it gives us the ability to find help in this area when needed.
II. RS Translators
I have always tried to come up with new ways to help the RS grow as a whole. In light of recent communication issues I’d like to have as many of you as possible to join the Recruiting Office as translators for the RS. Some of you have stepped up to answer my forum post and offer your expertise in other languages for this I thank you all. You might ask what your role would be as a translator in the RO.
Well it would be bigger than you think it would be because you’d be utilized both internally and externally. First you’d be an Assistant Recruiting Officer and help expand the recruiting area. Second you’d be able to assist the Academy when problems arise with communication. Third you may be called upon to assist the Minister of External Affairs when needed to help with Alliances and Mergers.
You’d also be called upon to help with projects around the RS that call for a person with your talents. So as you can see you’d be playing a very important role for the RS and its future growth. The way I see it is the more of you that take on this role will help to meet any and all of these types of challenges down the road.
III. Research and findings
I have also done some research to find some short and long term solutions to help us as well. I have found some things that could help us now though they are limited at best. The one thing I need to know is dose IRC have the ability to translate language to the receiving client’s primary language? The reason I ask is I noticed something on in the IRC client I use. What I’ve noticed was my IRC client Ice Chat appears to have an Interlingual feature. Ice Chat is a more windows friendly IRC client and has some cool features like a buddy list. Also its a totally free download with get this no trial period which means you get the full version straight up. For more on Ice Chat click the link I've listed below:
Ice Chat
I continue on to XFire and found it has the potential to aid us in this area. I went digging around the Xfire home page and found that it translates the site in to German and English. I also took a look at the XFire forum page and know that they are working on translating the site to more languages. Also It gives the user the ability to set there Primary language for the application itself to a great number of languages commonly used. Again this is just speculation I’m not sure it XFire can work in this capacity. If any body could confirm this in would be greatly appreciated. For more info on this click the link I've listed here: XFire International
The next thing I came across was WorldLingo which is an online Translator. Again it’s limited but has the ability to translate text, web sites, and E-Mail. Although it has a 500 word limit when it comes to translating text it can help with small messages. The website translator portion can be very useful to help translate pages on the site. How ever it can only translate sections at a time of the longer pages. This can be done as you scroll down until the current section of that page stops and you see the translation arrow. by clicking this arrow it will translate the next section of the page. Again the longer the page the more time you will have to do this. Also remember for all aspects its limited to the language pairs that it lets you select in the drop down menu. There is also what appears to be an Interlingual IMer listed there as well that you can download but does not appear to be user friendly. For more info on WorldLingo click the link I've listed here: WorldLingo
Now I give you the best thing I came across too this point which is very user friendly an IM translator. This free program is compatible with all IM devices we currently use like ICQ, MSN, YIM, AIM, and XFire if need be. I did a test run on this by leaving that Cadet I told you about an offline message translated into Spanish. The very next time I signed on YIM received a reply and was able to translate it back into English. So I have to say that I have confirmed that the IM translator is very simple to use. You just type you message you want to send in the top box hit translate button. Then you can copy the translated message to paste in the IMer of your choice. I also has a quick button to flip around to reverse translate incoming messages. However I must inform you its limited to only a few sentences at a time. To check out the IM Translator click the link I've listed here: IM Translator
These are my short term solutions I have found that can helps right now and I hope to find something more to serve us long term. This doesn’t mean that the human translators are not going to be needed when I do find something better for us to use. Just the opposite because programs like these can assist us but can’t always understand and translate everything correctly. Also they can’t add that personal touch that is key to help forge new relationships and promote growth for the RS as A whole.
IV. Projects
The general recruiting efforts are on going and continuing as normal. Aside from that I have main two projects that I’ve got on the table to help with those efforts to continually move forward. One of which I speak of is the Recruitment video I’m still working on. For those that have seen my forum post and have offered something to this project I thank you. I look forward to receiving the data from you all soon. My hope is to have the first phase prototypes out to vote on sometime in the New Year. For those that don’t know click the link I've listed below for more info on this Project:
Forum Post: RSRO Update: Video Project Data Collection Time
The other main project I’m working on is something that RA Licah Fox pull out of mothballs in light of recent communications issues. The RS World Project is which I speak of and looks to help address these issues. The Project looks to translate key RS info into most of or all to the world’s languages. This is why I need those of you that can help translate this info into those languages. For those of you that have stepped up to help with this I thank you and I know we have a lot of wiki work to do. The instructions for the project are quite simple but if you have any questions ask me or Licah. For others of you that are interested in helping out on this let me know. For info and instructions for the RS World Project click the link I've listed below:
RS World Project
V. BP Notes & Mentions
Note to all CDT’s to 1LT’s check your BP status because some of you are a point or two form completing the BP. Well others of you are mere points away from your promotion to either LJG or 2LT. As always I’m here to assist you if your have trouble with any of the tasks and feel fee to drop me a line if you need too.
Now that I have covered that I would like to give a few mentions to those that have recently complete the BP. Also to give kudos to some of those RS members that have contributed to RS growth by bring in new members of recent.
CPT Naes Draw- Talk about cutting close in completing the BP a day before you got promoted to CPT. Also for bringing in 1LT Swifty Chapple for this I thank you and congrats on your promotion as well as receiving your BP Master’s Ribbon.
1LT Swifty Chapple- You are by far the most eager and energetic person I have worked with on the BP. Once you got started you blew through your tasks over a matter of days. Then you met your academy requirements for the VSG and flew your first mission shortly there after. Your eagerness to want to help the academy anyway you could hit a snag at first. However you stayed positive and eventually were rewarded for your patience and willingness to help out. For this I congratulate you for your hard work, receiving your BP Master’s Ribbon, your promotion to 1LT, and your appointment as XO to the XvT Undergrad Course. Keep up the good work and I see many more opportunities will be headed your way.
1LT Benito45- I happened to catch you on one night and you finished your last task to earn your BP Master’s Ribbon. Congrats!!!
1LT Adhemar Voltin- Thanks for getting back to me and working with me to finish your BP to get your Master’s Ribbon. I know it’s easy to get wrapped up in things around the RS that your having fun with as well not realizing that you were even listed on the BP. Of course being here long before the inception of the BP is also a very good reason not to realize it either. Anyway thanks again and Congrats!!!
2LT Teu Veld- I know you finished your BP a while ago and just wanted to thank you for bringing in 2LT Christine Magarin. Helping the RS to grow is always appreciated thanks again.
2LT Christine Magarin- Since your arrival you have battled though PC problems to stay active as well as complete most of you BP tasks. Which I look forward to helping you finish the BP once your ready to do so. However the reason I mention you is for bringing in CDT Romulus Raidoner Mandalore and for this I thank you. I have spoken with him a few times on IRC and have caught him in the middle of something each time, however I remain positive that I will get him started on the BP soon. Anyway keep up the good work and thanks again!!!
VI. Closing
Well I hope that you all find this post informative and helpful. I will continue to research for anything that can assist us in our efforts and share them with you. I look forward to any question or ideas you have regarding any thing in this post or recruitment in general. I can be found most of the time on IRC channels #RSRO or #RSA. If in the event I’m listed as out or away just leave me a message and I will get back to you when I return. Or if you prefer leave me a PM on the site or shoot me an E-Mail.
BGN Damon Lightwind
RS Chief Recruiting Officer - RSRO
RSA New Members Dept. XO
RSA Primary Instructor - BP Training Dept.