Wikipedia:WikiProject Cross-language Editing and Learning Exchange/Guide

The Wikipedia Language Editing Exchange is based on the idea of language exchanges. In short, it helps you find a partner who speaks the language you are learning, and is learning the language that you speak.

To participate, first write a draft of an article in the language you are learning. Of course, you should make sure that the article does not already exist, or, if it does exist, that you are improving it! Once you have written the draft to the best of your ability, post a link to it in the appropriate category on the Exchange page. For instance, if you speak Japanese and are learning English, post it under "Japanese"/"I am learning English". Then, an editor who speaks English and is learning Japanese volunteers to edit the draft. In return, the editor may ask you to edit an article they wrote in Japanese.

What this is not for

1. Copyrighted materials! Copyrighted text is still copyrighted in translation.

2. Machine translations These are very confusing for readers.

3. Anything not intended for a Wikimedia project Although designed for Wikipedia, anything for other Wikimedia projects is also fine. However, your homework, your advertisement, or anything else not intended for Wikimedia is not allowed.

4. People who have not edited Wikipedia before If you are new to Wikipedia, welcome! We recommend that you practice editing in your primary language first to learn how to write for Wikipedia.

Common questions

Can I proofread an article even if I haven't written one myself?

Sure, but it helps if you can speak the primary language of the author.

What if I don't think the article is notable enough/is not neutral, etc.?

Mostly, those judgements should be made at the relevant Wikipedia, not here. However, articles that violate copyrights, are patent nonsense, or are otherwise extremely inappropriate may be removed.

Am I obligated to edit an article by the person who volunteered to edit mine?

No, but it would be the nice thing to do. If the topic is something you don't feel comfortable editing, just say so.

Can we do this in two languages that aren't English?

This is a new project, and right now it is only set up for people who are learning English or who already speak it. One day, hopefully, it will be expanded so that speakers of any two languages can interact.

How fluent is fluent?

For our purposes, you do not have to be a "native speaker" of a language to edit someone else's work in the language, but you should write it very well, so that a reader could not tell your writing from that of a native speaker.

Can I write an original article, or does it have to be a translation of another article?

Both are fine.

How do I create a link to Wikipedia in another language?

Before linking to the term, add a colon, the language abbreviation, and another colon. For example, [[:es:Intercambio_de_idiomas]] produces es:Intercambio_de_idiomas.