I would request posters to kindly respect the de facto dominant language of the community in question. For example, if the topic is Hong Kong, we strive to exercise patience and practise moderation when listening to comments in Cantonese, lest the natives be shouted down, impersonated, or otherwise somehow prevented from participating in discussions about their own homes.
Most of the world is multilingual. As such, most topics will necessarily involve several languages. Natives have the liberty to express here in a language with which they feel comfortable, without being forced to perform the additional labour of translation, nor being forced into monolingual reservations.
Par exemple, je parle pas l'arabe, mais si on voulait discuter du maroc, on pouvait le faire en arabe (ou bien en berbère).
譬如講, 關於如何治理香港嘅問題, 我地可以使用粵語, 國語, 或者英文. 應以粵語為主; 如果唔識粵語, 可用國語或英語, 但請為粵語保留發揮餘地, 盡量注意, 唔好 threadjack.
Autre exemple, si on veut expliquer pourquoi la chocolatine est supérieur au pain au chocolat, on faire ça en français
It is easy to use a translation engine. If this is somehow not possible, please ask (preferrably in a kind and respectful manner) for clarification. If the response is not what you expected, it is possible to simply ignore the comment.
I hope that this initiative will promote informative, respectful, and frank discussion.
List of Topics
Pros and Cons: Different Models of Governance for the Sinosphere
Native: 未創立 | 未创立
Anglo: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=499667,
Languages: Chinese languages and dialects, with Mandarin as an artificial vehicular language
Pros and Cons: Different Models of Governance for the Eurosphere
Native: rien à voir pour l'instant
Anglo: no recently active threads
Languages: European languages and dialects, with Esperanto as an artificial vehicular language
(Note that English is no longer a major language in any European country after Brexit, but it can be used for topics specifically addressing the status of the UK in relation to the European Union.)
Pros and Cons: Different Models of Governance for the Anglosphere
Native: the entire forum. Or more specifically - viewtopic.php?f=20&t=490455, viewtopic.php?f=20&t=498379, viewtopic.php?f=20&t=467837
The topic of this thread itself is humanity's collective progress towards a world of mutual respect and understanding despite diverse needs and methods of communication. My personal opinion is that we should strive to overcome the sense of insecurity and fragility born of fear and ignorance, to actively step outside one's comfort zones, and to find courage in stepping beyond self-validating echo chambers. 作為現代人，我們很幸運，可以比較輕易地學習語言，了解不同文化。但係同時, 更多互動, 亦會帶嚟更多衝擊; 唔同嘅習俗, 唔同嘅歷史, 尚未完善嘅體制, 使唔少人感覺到迷惘, 甚至悲憤. Mais nous sommes sur le précipice d'un grand changement; j'espère que nous trouverons au bout du tunnel un nouveau siècle des lumières.
Moderation-related notes:
Please behave in a civilised manner with each other and refrain from creating additional labour for the moderation team. Drink some tea (or tisane or wine, as the case may be), and simply ignore an offending post (unless there is a critical issue, like child pornography). The Chinese discussion thread is a good example of how to gracefully handle this (https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=459613&sid=d32149634713e0d40d867cd70f4e32a6); there had been numerous attempts to derail the thread by people spamming copy-pasted slogans or flaming, but the natives have handled it with a remarkable degree of calm and patience.
In accordance with the ruling regarding multilingual threads (https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=500049&sid=d32149634713e0d40d867cd70f4e32a6), I clarify here that this particular thread was started in French, English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. As such, it should be permissible to converse in any of these languages. I clarify also that I do not find this behaviour 'rude' or somehow hurtful to my personal sensibilities.
I clarify also that this topic is created in good faith. I do speak all of these languages, and would appreciate the opportunity to engage with and to hear from people who also speak these languages, especially now when global travel is practically impossible.
