WhoWasInCommand.com is our way of publishing data about the organizational structure, geographical footprint and command personnel of security and defence forces around the world.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use the site, so at the platform’s launch (waaaaay back in October 2017) we included a Spanish language version, and in May 2020 we added French.
Over the last few months we’ve worked our partners at MNEMONIC to produce an Arabic version of the platform, which is now live. This is a slightly larger bit of work than either of the earlier translations, as it involved translation in addition to some engineering work to make the platform interface to work smoothly right-to-left.
The Arabic version of WhoWasInCommand.com is activated in two ways: use the language switcher at the top of every page and the page will reload in whatever language you choose; or, you can change the two letter code in the relevant part of the URL: whowasincommand.com/en/ for English, and whowasincommand.com/ar/ for Arabic. For example:
English: https://whowasincommand.com/en/organization/view/fffa0ffc-e7e6-4d82-9173-d91df2edaf5d/
Arabic: https://whowasincommand.com/ar/organization/view/fffa0ffc-e7e6-4d82-9173-d91df2edaf5d/
Presently, the four different localisations of WhoWasInCommand.com only change the appearance of the platform’s interface, and not the data it displays. For example, if we upload data that is in English, then it will appear in English even though the user has chosen to use the site in Arabic. We are working on a method of translating the data as well – when implemented, this will make WhoWasInCommand.com an even more valuable resource.
We are pleased with the result. So far the feedback from Arabic-speaking users has been positive about the useability and legibility of the translation. If you spot anything that can be improved, please let us know