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Halp - Anonymous proof-reading of self-translated paragraphs.

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Ever been trying to learn a language, and don't want to keep asking your native friends to proof-read for you? Halp is here to help. Ask anonymously, and get anonymous proof-reading on any paragraph you've attempted to translate yourself. 100% free, no ads.

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L
Maker
HI all, you can find my detailed rationale for making this quick app over at reddit (https://bit.ly/2X6ZarC), otherwise read on. I've been learning a second language for about a year now and it's going fairly well. I don't know anyone in real life I can practice with as I am from a small town with nearly no international citizens. I have an online friend who speaks the language natively but I don't like to question them incessantly, lest they get sick of me :-). Recently I tried out the app Tandem, which seems really good if you like to be actively engaged with people and build up rapport and so on. If you're like me (A Grinch ;-), sometimes this apparent need to build rapport with people when the main goal is actual proof-reading of sentences you are trying to translate can feel like a barrier to using it. With that in mind I've spent the last couple nights working on a project I'm calling Halp. The idea is anyone can anonymously put up a paragraph they have _already_ attempted to translate on their own, and then a native/fluent speaker can (also anonymously) proof-read and reply to them. It's 100% free, you don't need to create an account, I don't display ads (I *hate* ads), I don't collect any tracking information from anyone. If you request proof-reading I need to collect your email to send you responses, but it is never used aside to send you replies and is deleted after you get ~3 responses. Its success will depend on the kindness of others :P All feedback appreciated.
L
Maker
I should also say I'll be checking the English translations semi-frequently, so if you're a non-native english speaker who is working on English translations for your own product, I'll definitely be jumping on now and then to help proof read anything in the queue. Cheers!
Dmitri Kyle Brereton
This is a cool idea, what's the incentive for people to contribute though? Feel like it would get more usage if people had a reason to help out.
L
Maker
@dkb868 Thanks for the feedback. For the moment, just the warm fuzzy feeling you get on the inside. I've got plenty of ideas on how to incentivize people to contribute while maintaining anonymity - this is somewhat built into the back-end already. If there is significant demand / usage of the system as-is I'll look into implementing it (since this is currently just a tiny side-project).
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Maker
@dkb868 I guess I should also say I've actually had some really detailed responses to some of my own German proof-reading requests. *Really* detailed. In some ways the lack of incentivization is an intended push-back against FB, twitter, Instagram et al, and peoples desire for 'likes' / validation. Not like it will make a difference, but one can try ;-)
Dmitri Kyle Brereton
@sunfall Oh I'm actually surprised that people are willing to help just for the sake of it. Maybe they're training their proofreading skills, or maybe they're just good people. Either way, excited to see where this goes.