The purpose of TCT is to get at the answer to a terminology question.  Discussion should be about this.  Suggestions of a particular dictionary or resource can help the asker find the answer, so that goes toward the question.

TEACHING the practice of translation, or assessing weaknesses and strengths in a colleague's procedure does not go to the purpose of TCTerms.  Some people who deem themselves to be professionals are insulted when they receive unsolicited lessons.  It is always wise to see if one can learn from such advice, and novices sometimes can, depending on the quality of the advice of course.  Nonetheless, that is not the purpose of TCTerms, and people do not post in TCTerms with the intention of getting translation skill tutoring.

Therefore I suggest that anyone interested in teaching translation skills or procedures to do so in this forum.  Write your article or advice here.  In TCTerms you might write "Have a look at [link]".  In this way also, if the other party is interested in what you have to offer - including disagreement with it - the discussion can happen outside of TCTerms, which is a glossary-building effort.

I have had to erase a long series in which someone's choice of dictionary use or research habits were approached, with a back and forth about such choices, recommendations etc.  It did not have anything to do with the term.

2.  QUESTIONS: Should be of a term, and in the source language.  A German to English question should be in German.  It should consist of one word or a small group of words that reasonably belong together.

3. FULL SENTENCES, PARAGRAPHS:  I think that the proper place might be over here, if you are having difficulty parsing and taking apart something complex.  I can think of no other place than the main forum.  A full sentence cannot be placed as a question.  "Please help with this paragrah" or similar as title doesn't work, because the title is your term, and the term being sought is not "Please help with this paragraph".

4.  ANSWERS:  Should be in the target language. A German to English answer should be in English, as though it were a dictionary answer.

These are things I am encountering as moderator. 

Maxi

Hi Maxi,

Let's try "Enter your TRANSLATION INTO THE TARGET LANGUAGE here".

Anatoly

""Enter your TRANSLATION INTO THE TARGET LANGUAGE (ANSWER) here".

Do not over-estimate the ability to comprehend the obvious.  Let's hope it gets read. 

Maxi

That's a good idea.........

AND, I think it would be a good idea to have a place outside the glossary where a longer discussion could take place. That had already been suggested by me and then there were not many comments except by you Maxi.....remember the idea of the closed forum button? Where people involved in an answer could pursue a longer discussion?

Also, a related topic is the Search feature...I can't figure out to get all answers say, in French to English, in that combination....let's say I want the last ten French-to-English answers....if I put nothing in the Search box, nothing is returned.

OK, now it reads "Enter your TRANSLATION INTO THE TARGET LANGUAGE (ANSWER) here."

Anatoly

Jane, some of your suggestions are programming issues that Anatoly and his team would have to work on - a demand on volunteer time.    There is feasibility and a time factor.

In the meantime, the place for these things are right here in the TCTerms section of the main forum.  That is why I have created this thread, for example.  Your suggested button can be, for you, a simple URL link saying "Look [link] here".  What do you think?

Maxi

You are amazingly fast!  Thank you, Anatoly!

Maxi

Now that's funny, Laurent...when I click on your link, it works. When I tried it myself, it didn't....I will try again...

Maxi: yes, that's OK....whatever....

Personally, I don't think discussions re terms are a bad thing. I answer two ways: either I just state it because I know it, OR, if it is difficult I argue it with a linguistic argument,  which is not dictionary based. In other words, I never put up dictionaries like wordreference. I think people should be discourage from "quoting" unreliable online dictionaries. Good ones are OK...

Recently, there was a term - and this has happened before - where a number of people disagreed with me and it turned out my answer was useful. [Please this is separate from the issue of mistakes I may make]. Had I not been able to discuss my answer at some length, the whole argument could not be presented.

Now, personal comments were made TO me. But I didn't make any personal comments. For example, I was accused of "running people down"....

It amazes me that when a discussion is complicated or complex, people often resort to personal comments instead of arguing linguistically.....