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Dear AI, can you translate the Rails Guide for me?

Kevin Luo on July 30, 2023

TL;DR; I used ChatGPT API to translate the Rails Guide into different languages: Taiwan's Traditional Chinese🇹🇼 https://ai.rails-guide...
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Yohei Yasukawa

Thanks for your informative article on translation! I am one of core maintainers of the Japanese version of Rails Guides.

there are already many repositories of rails guide in different languages, guides.rubyonrails.org/contributin.... However, the problem is that they're all out of date.

This would be true on some translation projects but not true, at least on the Japanese one. Our repository is still very active since we released in 2014, as well as rorlakr/rails-guides and morsbox/rusrails repos. On Japanese one, you can check out how we actively maintain it here: github.com/yasslab/railsguides.jp

But anyway, I know some of other translation projects are not actively maintained and I am personally interested in your approach. So I am glad if this information above helps your article more precise. :)

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Kevin Luo

Thanks for your comment!

However, the problem is that they're all out of date.

Sorry, I shouldn't have used "All". I checked the repos and I agreed with you the Japanese translation is pretty active. I'm so envy of that 🥹 If I remember correctly, not only the open source communities documents often have the latest Japanese translation but also a Japanese tranlsation book will be reelased very fast after a new computer-related book is published

Anyway, I think it's still a good idea to utilize LLM like ChatGPT to generate an initial version of translation. It can save a lot of time for the volunteers. Since translating a open source project document doesn't get paid, if we can make volunteers' lives easier, I guess it could make people more willing to participate in and stay longer in the project.

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Yohei Yasukawa • Edited

Yeah, using "Some" or maybe "Most of" instead of "All" makes this article more precise. ;)


P.S.

In the Japanese translation project we already use AI-powered tools like DeepL Pro for a draft translation since 2018. And yes, it helps a lot!

Also we do fundraising for the Japanese documentation, which helps to continue the project and reduce the cost to maintain. It definitely helps to learn, especially for new Rails developers in Japan. ;)

Our project is well-documented in Japanese but not in English because most of our expected users are Japanese speakers. But I hope our example helps to translate in other languages. :D

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Kevin Luo

I updated that

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Isis Tejeda

hi Kevin. Nice job on doing this. I was recently thinking of using ChatGPT to update the current version I have.
I am the one that translated the one for Rails 6 in Spanish (and yes not fully updated, a changed messed up the styling), and its a lot of work and hours to translate it the 'traditional' way. Due to time constraints, yes its hard to keep them maintained.

Will try to come back and see how your project continues. I'm curious if others are using the translations you did.

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Kevin Luo

Hey @isis, I haven't checked its status recently because my son was born after I finished this side project. 😁
Here's today's GA result of those websites
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I think most users are from Asia.

Anyway, after more than one year, LLM technology has improved a lot. e.g. the total amount of tokens can be much more than it was. I heard the concept of "embedding" recently: store the document in a vector database first and the access of it won't count any token. I think now what we'd better do is to wait a little bit longer. Let those tech giants compete among themselves and extend LLM's limitations as far as possible. Then we can start again. And I don't think it will be a pretty near future thing.

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Kevin Luo

@isis My other thought is that it might never achieve the highest quality based on the current LLM's approach because uncertainty or indeterministic is LLM's nature. Maybe we should provide open-source projects translators with a better translation tool which is assisted by AI

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Michael Tharrington

Wow, this is awesome, Kevin!

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Nezir Zahirovic

Great job!

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Jett Liya

In the vast landscape of web development, mastering frameworks like Ruby on Rails is pivotal for building robust and scalable applications. However, delving into the Rails Guide can often feel like navigating a labyrinth of technical jargon and complex concepts.

Enter AI, the beacon of hope for developers seeking clarity amidst the intricacies of the Rails Guide. With its advanced algorithms and natural language processing capabilities, AI offers a transformative solution to the challenge of translation.

Imagine a world where every line of the Rails Guide is effortlessly translated into clear, concise language, accessible to developers of all levels. No longer do you need to grapple with obscure terminology or convoluted explanations – AI bridges the gap between complexity and comprehension with ease.

From beginners seeking to grasp fundamental concepts to seasoned developers navigating advanced features, AI-driven translation promises to unlock the full potential of the Rails Guide for all. With AI as our ally, we can embark on a journey of discovery and mastery within the realm of Ruby on Rails, empowered by clarity and insight.

So, dear AI, can you translate the Rails Guide for me? The answer is a resounding yes – and with AI by our side, the possibilities are endless.

If you want to learn in detail about ai and ai tools to visit this website:
aichief.com/

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Renny Ren

You may use the gpt-3.5-turbo-16k model to address the token issue.

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Kevin Luo

yeah, but that only moderates the problem a bit since it still cannot swallow the whole article at once