Costs optimization - how vBET allows to use machine translation FREE and/or CHEAPER

[vBET]

It is not often used, but some forums can allow to include HTML tags in messages. In such case code HTML tag can be used (HTML no BBCode). Please note that there is no sense to translate code, that is why vBET by default do not translate content of BBCodes: code, php, html. But this do not include code HTML tag.

So if your forum allows to use HTML tags in messages, then it will be wise for you to turn on option:
Admin CP -> vBET -> Translation Options -> Don't translate code html tag

Please note that by default this option is disabled for better performance - as mentioned before for most forums it is not necessary. So do not turn it on if your forum, like most others, do not allow to include HTML tags in messages.

[vBET]

vBET allows for users with appropriate usergroups to use manual translations. This not only will increase quality of your translations (by corrections), but also can decrease number of automatic translations. If your quotas in machine translation providers will be over then pages can be partially translated. In such case vBET will still allow to translate it manually. So maybe it will be translated automatically anyway when quota will be available again, but maybe some of your users will translate it completely manually and this will save you some characters of next quota (and money if you are using paid machine translation).

So it is OK to allow users for manual translations, but still remember that this is potential arena for abuse. That is why vBET allows it only to users with appropriate usergroups. You can set allowed usergroups in:
Admin CP -> vBET Manual Translations -> Options -> Usergroups allowed for manual translation
By default it is allowed only for: Super Moderators, Administrators and Moderators. Please read description of the option for more details.

You can allow more usergroups to use manual translation.

More usergroups allowed for manual translations means potential more corrected and free translations, but also more potential abuse. That is why vBET allows you not only to set who is allowed, but also to track those changes, reverse it and even automatically ban users who abuse by manual translation. You will find more about it here: http://www.vbenterprisetranslator.co...nslations.html

[vBET]

We are adding new optimizations when we see such possibility.

It includes new places where vBET separates numbers, times, dates, usernames, corrections of bugs, sometimes adding whole new machine translation or language detection providers and other optimizations (including performance).

So please use always newest vBET version to be sure that you have best solution available

[vBET]

Some forums can have special areas which shouldn't be translated at all.

If you have such special pages which you do not want to be translated, then simply do not translate it. It is configurable - vBET allows to simply do this by option:
Admin CP -> vBET -> Translation Options -> Ignore URLs

[vBET]

If you are starting using vBET, then there can be lot of content to translate on your forum until cache will be filled. In such case your quotas can be used for old threads and you can have not enough for new ones. There is no sense your new threads to wait for next quota because of old ones.

We have solution for that case - you can simply set how many days for thread without answer makes it old one:
Admin CP -> vBET -> Translation Options -> Don't tanslate old threads
When you set it, old threads will simply not be translated.

Please note that by default it is disabled (set to 0). You can set it if you need it. Also you can switch the setting to higher number from time to time and finally disable, if you see that your cache is filling and you still have free quota (no partial translations visible on pages).

[vBET]

Option from previous hint can make some threads which was already translated not available on translated pages, because those become old after translation. But this is OK, because previous option is for new installations which want to focus on new posts and later fill cache for old ones. So it suppose to be disabled after all. Maybe after several changes to bigger value, but there is no sense to keep it for ever. Otherwise already indexed translated content can disappear from indexes (but not from cache, so when some answer will come then only new message will require new translation).

OK - but what in case when you do not want at all to translate some old threads. Newer - not when new answer will come. Not lose already translated content from index when replies stop coming...
Or when you want to rest from translations. Stop translating anything new, but not uninstall vBET and lose what is already translated and indexed.

For booth those cases your solution will be to configure option: Admin CP -> vBET -> Translation Options -> Translate only threads between date

You simply set here time period (from to) and only threads created in this time period will be translated. You can set:

• Normal time range - only threads created in this time range will be translated.
• Time range with really high future date as "to" - all threads from specified date will be translated including ne ones (because "to" is in the future - like year 3000)
• Time range with very low past date as "from" - all old threads created up to "to" date will be translated (all because "from" is the distant past - like year 1000)

[vBET]

This is more important when you have more spammer accounts created every day. Even when banned, such user can create new translations by his username added to GUI communicates on his member page. vBET separates and do not translates usernames when it is possible - unfortunately not always it is be possible.

So it is good idea to not show member pages for banned users at all - just error message instead (especially that banned users can still show their contact data on member page).
And vBET allows to block such pages by setting one option: Admin CP -> vBET -> Misc -> Block banned users member pages

Please note that by default this option is set, but it is configurable, because some forums can not have issues with spammers and some valuable member pages from old banned members (unlikely, but it is configurable, so make sure nobody disabled it and it is still on).

[vBET]

If you are still using vBulletin 3.x then it can be good idea to change it to 4.x

Please note that vBulletin 4.x is much more sophisticated. Has more hooks and allows for better integration. And in fact vBET is better integrated with vBulletin 4.x than 3.x. Because 3.x simply do not allows for some things.

Booth vBET versions 3.x and 4.x has same functionality (basically - 4.x supports blogs, CMS and friendly URLS which are not included in vBulletin 3.x so cannot be supported in vBET 3.x). But in 4.x in more places vBET separated numbers, dates, times and usernames from GUI texts and that means less translations. In vBulletin 3.x there are places where we simply have no way to separate numbers and additional translations can appear.

Still please remember that switching from 3.x to 4.x is a big step so better think about it a lot. There are other MySQL and PHP limitations for vBulletin 4.x, other versions of all plugins, additional license for vBulletin and so on (no additional license for vBET).

So think hard is it worth to do this. And even when you think it is, first block your forum, do full backup and then start upgrades - there is a chance that the backup will save you in case of troubles.
But it is doable of course - our very forum was first on vBulletin 3.x

[vBET]

If you generate on your server side some GUI parts which constantly changes then it can have big impact on translation costs by producing new translations constantly.
Of course users messages will be constantly changing - new ones, corrections, but this is valuable content and we want it translated.
Still translating some changing on server side text can be not the best idea.

So avoid this:

• Do not allow for it at all
• Use it in Java Script - it will change on client side and it will not be translated, since scripts cannot be translated
• Use it on sever side, but put changing text into no translated area. See here for more info how to not translate text (last section: Notrasnlate area)
• If changing part is username - then separate just username from rest of the text by no translate area from previous point
• If changing part is number, date or time - then separate it from rest of the text by any HTML tag (like span, i, u...)