Category talk:German renamed units

Change of purpose[edit]

I like the idea but think the execution needs to be changed. The Wiki is in english so I think a category detailing the units that have German names would work better by having the german names (redirects) in the category or maybe even one of the few instances where a list article is the better option.--Dmon (talk) 10:34, 24 April 2020 (EDT)

The issue is even broader than that - which is why I've meant to write that as-yet unfinished Essay: BattleTech in Germany for a long time. German BattleTech is quite its own thing sometimes, and it's definitely not merely a direct translation of the english language stuff.
I agree that the category is of limited use as-is, and that it would be more useful if that category was for all the redirects from German unit names. And as for the list article, in fact such lists have frequently been published. One is in the BattleTech, Die Welt des 31. Jahrhunderts book; another is offered for download by current licensee Ulisses Spiele (here). It's probably also worth mentioning that Ulisses decided in or around 2013 to abandon the use of translated names, and exclusively use the original (english) names fortwith. Frabby (talk) 15:45, 24 April 2020 (EDT)
Hi, I should have read your comments, because today I started using the new category. Here is what I did: I added the category to all designs (so far: armor, Clan-tanks, war ships, jump ships, drop ships) whose german names differ from the english. I did create redirects for the german unit names and amended a/the "Note"-section of the design's article to indicate in one sentence the different german name. You find some examples for the different extent of translations here (Broadsword), here (Eagle (WarShip class)) and here (Gray Death Scout). I think by combining these three steps it creates a solid additional value for all users (german speaking or not). A mere list (in my view) would not help, because a lot of german names are completely the same like in english. You wouldn't recognize the changes easily. Plus such lists already exist and the benefit for non-german user is quite low. A category helps to easily identify solely the units, whose german names differ (and how), which might be of interest to non-german users, too. Plus plus :) it's a one time effort, because german names have been abandoned, so there is no need for constant maintenance. And finally: yes, German BattleTech is sometimes more than a mere translation. I would like to integrate that in an as-smooth-as-possible-way into existing articles (like here: The Kell Hounds or here Shrapnel), instead of separating it. What do you think? I would really like to go on and take the rest of it (btw: I use BattleTech, Die Welt des 31. Jahrhunderts). best regards Phasis (talk) 18:41, 24 April 2020 (EDT)

I did it[edit]

I am through. 318 unit articles have been changed, german name(s), sometimes a short explanation and this category has been added. I stumbled over two missing unit articles, the Chameleon Spy Plane (German name: Leguan) and the Quick Dart Spotter Plane (German name: Pfeil). Otherwise, I think the task is done. best Phasis (talk) 17:48, 19 May 2020 (EDT)