Open translations in mathematics

Abstract

Translation, in full generality, is a nuanced and complex art form that requires serious expertise and a holistic approach. So how can we as mathematicians hope to “solve the problem of translation” in our domain? Furthermore, can we do so without making access to academia even harder for non-native English speakers or hurrying a domain collapse of non-English languages? I believe that the answer to both of these questions can only possibly be “yes” if we approach translation as a community-driven activity. In this talk, I will speak about my experiences in working on large translation projects with an open-source approach — the technology and methodology that was helpful for doing so, as well as some of the difficulties — and describe the sorts of resources that I believe would have been helpful. Hopefully this can form a starting point for community thought on the types of projects that we could focus on in the future. (This talk is a repeat of a talk given recently at the Isaac Newton Institute).