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Old 21st Dec 2014, 10:39 pm   #1
greenstar
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Default How to find non-English websites ?

I thought to start a new thread with this, having poor results with my search engine. I have often wondered why it is that search engines return almost entirely English websites for searches with English language names. I guess the obvious answer is that searches are only made with the words in the language entered. But this creates a real barrier, as there are an abundance of sites in non-English languages. I have tried translating key words to make a search, for example radio antique (French), antikke radio (Norwegian), with some but not very good results. One problem is that figures of speech in various languages may differ.
The best way to find such sites I have found are to follow links from English pages, where I can find them.
Surely search engines can find such sites? At least they should find sites with English page options, but I find in general that they don't, with almost entirely US and UK results!
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Old 21st Dec 2014, 10:57 pm   #2
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Try using a search engine specific to the country you're interested in for example:-

www.google.fr

and

www.google.de

You'll need to search on "Radio Ancien" or "Radios Anciennes" on the French site.
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Old 22nd Dec 2014, 1:38 am   #3
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Or 'TSF' for French sites.

Google does tend to prioritise English language sites if you are in an English speaking country. In fact it does a lot of manipulation of search results, partly to promote paid links but also in an effort to optimise the results for a particular individual. Try http://www.duckduckgo.com who don't do this to anything like the same extent.
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Old 22nd Dec 2014, 4:55 pm   #4
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Thanks Graham and Paul. It's not particularly effective - for example, in German vintage radio is the same - vintage radio. Searching google.de brings up all the English language sites you find with uk google! Same with Google Serbia! DuckDuck is great, I use it normally for it's anonimity, but does not seem to have non english options. Yet I know there are German vintage radio websites, and very good ones. I realised the internet will focus on the English speaking west, but didn't think it would be so difficult to search for even european sites. Yet you can tune an AM radio all over the world ... Back to the links!
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Old 22nd Dec 2014, 5:59 pm   #5
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

As far as I know "vintage" spelt like that is not a German word. They do use "antike" You need to search on "alte radio"

Be very cautious about using direct translation. Here in the UK we talk of "vintage radios" whereas in the USA it's "antique radios". Then of course there's "wireless" a word which now means something quite different to what it meant in the last century. To Joe Public the word "transistor" and "transistor radio" may mean the same thing. Every language has its quirks.

I think it's unreasonable to expect search engines to translate English into a myriad of other languages and then return the search results (presumably translated into English).

http://www.kalaydo.de/kleinanzeigen/...antike-radios/
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Old 22nd Dec 2014, 6:59 pm   #6
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Language locales are intriguing. Certainly in Germany what us Brits call "vintage" or "classic" cars are generally known as "oldtimers". Similarly what we call a mobile/cellphone the Germans call a "Handy".
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Old 22nd Dec 2014, 7:19 pm   #7
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Yup. In France "Car Boot Sales" are "Attic Sales".
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Old 22nd Dec 2014, 7:44 pm   #8
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

I would think it's a fairly obvious option for search engines - it is the 'Worldwide' Web after all, and everything is increasingly globalised. To avoid your website only being accessible in your own language, it would make sense for yourself, or the search engines using your language, to have translate options, at least for the title, and it be possible to choose an option in your own engine of choice to search in other languages and countries than your own - and the USA. Many good sites have English translation pages anyway, and even these don't come up, for example the Dutch site in the previous thread.
I am very struck by the lack of European, Asian, even Australian results in most searches, and how this appears to reflect the preferences inflicted upon us.
Thanks, Graham, for the link!
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Old 23rd Dec 2014, 12:28 pm   #9
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Some people had the idea to collect useful international radio links for others.
A sort of a link to links,thus a kind of jumpstart
An example:
http://www.tubedata.info/
At his site you can find a long list of radio collectors in
¨links to other sites¨

or for Germany:
http://www.jogis-roehrenbude.de/
and then (at the left) ¨ Meine top links¨

Jard N.

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Old 23rd Dec 2014, 4:06 pm   #10
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Brilliant! Two excellent sites and enough links to keep me going for a while. Many thanks Jard. Mods, I wonder if these could somehow be saved where most easily found?
Tony
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Old 23rd Dec 2014, 7:40 pm   #11
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

If it isn't stating the obvious, your region of choice can be selected from the advanced search options in Google and most other search engines.
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Old 23rd Dec 2014, 9:14 pm   #12
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

The Google ranking algorithms do prioritise sites which are referenced by other sites. Inevitably non-English sites will have fewer references. This forum does very well in searches because it is often referenced, particularly by antiqueradio.com which itself has a high Google ranking. Radiomuseum.org does well for the same reason.
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Old 24th Dec 2014, 3:26 pm   #13
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Thanks Paul and dsey, this is informative. I hadn't found the Google advanced search, which I have now. Like many obvious things, it didn't appear so to me. Being subject to conspiracy paranoia, I avoid Google, Microsoft etc, and use DuckDuckGo and Linux. I found the custom search in Duck under Advanced Settings. In Ubuntu, the Google page doesn't show it. Googling for Google, which I use when Duck draws a blank, I brought up a normal Google page, and found it again under 'settings'. This is obvious? Yes, looks like this will solve the problem. I suppose if anyone wanted it to be obvious there would be a tab 'advanced search' or 'custom search' under the search box. I expect these thing run by the 'KISS' principle - in my case, it failed!
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Old 26th Dec 2014, 12:51 am   #14
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Perhaps it's a Linux thing.
The 'advanced' option is fairly well displayed in the common Windows and Android browsers.
Anyway, I'm glad it helps
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Old 26th Dec 2014, 12:22 pm   #15
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by greenstar View Post
But this creates a real barrier, as there are an abundance of sites in non-English languages. I have tried translating key words to make a search, for example radio antique (French), antikke radio (Norwegian), with some but not very good results. One problem is that figures of speech in various languages may differ.
If it is of any help I can come with suggestions for Norwegian searches, Norwegian is my second language but almost as fluent as English to me.

Try "antikkradio" in one word, try also "Norskradiohistorisk" also in one word. Another might be Historiskradio, Swedish and to a certain extent Danish will both be different words despite them being "Scandinavian" / neigbouring languages.

Sometimes it is necessary to have a working knowledge of the language to string together two words correctly and get the correct results. Sadly my German is minimal but I can usualy read and get the gist of things.

Please do get in touch via "pm" if anyone feels the need, was there anything in particular you were looking for Greenstar?
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Old 26th Dec 2014, 12:24 pm   #16
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by greenstar View Post
Brilliant! Two excellent sites and enough links to keep me going for a while. Many thanks Jard. Mods, I wonder if these could somehow be saved where most easily found?
Here is one that I am a member of here in Norway:

http://www.nrhf.no/index.php
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Old 26th Dec 2014, 11:39 pm   #17
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Smile Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Hi,
I sometimes have the reverse problem where trying to access an English version of a site such as Amazon, for example, will insist on redirecting me to the French one because the 'system' know I an in France and/or my laptop is French. It can be very frustrating at times.
The French equivalent of an attic sale sale is a 'Vide Grenier', and a flea market is known as a 'Marche au puce'. If that's any help.
Cheers, Pete.
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Old 27th Dec 2014, 5:33 pm   #18
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Default Re: How to find non-English websites ?

Anthony, thanks, and Pete - this is great. I really just enjoy browsing and looking at designs of sets - my favourites are pre war. I have occasionally come across excellent non UK, mostly European, sites, sometimes - like the Dutch site in the last thread - with information about UK sets - I learn a lot from photographs alone. But it's been very chancy, and I have been wondering about how to search more effectively. Following links works very well, although some will be dead as pages come and go, and unfortunately the information with them. Hope you have all had a great Christmas.
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