Proposal:Change languages quickly
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Summary
Using a simple menu, users would be able to effectively switch between different wikis.
Proposal
I frequently navigate quickly between languages on Wikipedia. Unfortunately, this isn't a simple task. Currently, unless you know the URL of the page you wish to visit, or unless the page you happen to be on has a translation that's been linked to the article you're viewing, there's no easy way to do this.
A simple menu at the bottom of the page or along the left margin would simplify this jump. The user would click a link with the default text "Jump to a different wiki". It would function rather like a drop-down menu, although it may require some more advanced intelligence. Because there are hundreds of wikis, there would need to be an easy way to select, for instance "German" from the list. Perhaps an interface similar to the SEARCH box would work well. A user might type G-E-R-, be shown a list of all languages beginning with those letters. GERMAN, DEUTSCH, and DE would all appear in the menu to assist in easier searching.
If no article is currently linked to that article in the destination wiki, the user would be redirected to the destination wiki's main page. However, if I was on DOG, which has a linked article in the German wiki HUND, I would be directed there.
In addition to languages, it would be useful if this navigation system could connect the user with other wikis such as the Commons, Species or Quotes wikis. These wikis would probably be best represented using their subdomain names, COMMONS, SPECIES, etc. Bob the Wikipedian 19:01, 13 August 2009 (UTC)
Motivation
This is especially useful for multilingual users.
Key Questions
Potential Costs
Virtually zero additional server load, since this already exists, even though it's currently inaccessible to users.
References
Community Discussion
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