A translation upgrade is coming to oa.org in the form of a new language selector and web page translation powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and volunteer translators. The new software can even automatically open oa.org in a non-English language based on the language setting in the visitor’s browser.
Soon, all web page text on oa.org, including Find a Meeting search results, will be available in more than 40 languages, covering all languages for which OA has a record of active meetings, translated literature, World Service Business Conference delegates, and sizeable website traffic during the past twelve months. Languages that read from right to left, such as Persian, Hebrew, and Arabic will be supported with a specially developed page layout.
It is important to note that the launch of our new oa.org translation feature represents progress not perfection. Feedback in OA Region Nine about AI-quality translation indicates AI translation is a significant improvement over what was available previously but some translations are rough — and that is where OA volunteer translators can help. In addition, the new translation feature cannot translate PDFs and other downloadable files, so the World Service Office is looking at options to make more Document Library content translatable.
We are a growing, evolving Fellowship, and the request for parity among non-English-speaking OA members has grown stronger in recent years. We are listening! We hope our new translation feature does the job to carry the message to OA members worldwide and extends the hand and heart of OA even further to compulsive eaters who are still searching for a solution.