Red vs Blue ~ The Hyperlink Argument

One of my World editors, Luis wondered if it was best to leave a page with red text (linked to empty pages) or link it to another Wikipedia page in another language.  He asked this question on a Portuguese Wikipedia discussion page.

Ligações para artigos em outras línguas

Numa tradução, como devemos tratar as ligações para artigos que ainda não existem na Wikipédia de língua portuguesa?
Por exemplo, como cenário hipotético podemos considerar o artigo em inglês de en:Alma_Reville:

Frase original

They married on 2 December 1926 at Brompton Oratory in London; their daughter Patricia Hitchcock was born on 7 July 1928.

Qual é a forma correcta de tratar as ligações para os artigos que ainda não existem na Wikipédia de língua portuguesa?

Solução 1 - deixar as ligações a vermelho

Eles casaram a 2 de dezembro de 1926 na (igreja) Brompton Oratory em Londres; a filha Patricia Hitchcock nasceu a 7 de julho.

Solução 2 - criar ligações para os artigos em inglês

Eles casaram a 2 de dezembro de 1926 na (igreja) en:Brompton Oratory em Londres; a filha en:Patricia Hitchcock nasceu a 7 de julho.

Solução 3 - uma combinação das duas soluções anteriores

Eles casaram a 2 de dezembro de 1926 na (igreja) Brompton Oratory^inglês em Londres; a filha Patricia Hitchcock^inglês nasceu a 7 de julho.

Desde já muito obrigado.
-- Argenti 22h57min de 18 de outubro de 2012 (UTC)

The two Portuguese editors that responded felt that it was best to leave the red text in order to encourage other editors to get to work and create these pages.

Não se devem usar ligações para outras wikis no artigo. A solução de longe mais comum é deixar a vermelho porque mais cedo ou mais tarde alguém vai criar o artigo. Dito isto, há, no entanto, casos excepcionais que devem ser vistos isoladamente. É preciso ter bom senso e perceber se determinado artigo alguma vez irá criado na wikipédia portuguesa. Mas estou a falar de excepções muito excepcionais e raras. Por exemplo, quais serão as hipóteses de algum dia, mesmo daqui a vinte anos, haver um artigo na pt.wiki para um mayor de uma pequena cidade dos estados unidos em 1926? Na en.wiki podem ter feito a ligação interna porque até existe o artigo, mas aqui seria contraproducente. Polyethylen (discussão) 23h29min de 18 de outubro de 2012 (UTC)

Concordo com o Polyethylen. Luís Bonifácio (discussão) 07h59min de 19 de outubro de 2012 (UTC)

Compreendi perfeitamente. Polyethylen, obrigado pela resposta.

Argenti 13h45min de 19 de outubro de 2012 (UTC) 

One should not use links to other wikis in the article. The solution is far more common to leave the red because sooner or later someone will create the article. That said, there is, however, exceptional cases that must be considered in isolation. It takes common sense and realize if given article will ever created in the Portuguese Wikipedia. But I'm talking about very exceptional and rare exceptions. For example, what are the chances of someday, even twenty years from now, there is an article in pt.wiki for a mayor of a small town in the United States in 1926? In en.wiki may have made the connection until there is internal because the article, but here would be counterproductive. Polyethylen (talk) 23:29, 18 October

My opinion differs. I've really thought about this a lot over the last couple days. I've only recently learned how to hyperlink to other language Wikipedia pages, usually English, but I think that the Portuguese Penn & Teller page may be superior to the English page. But the citations used on the P&T page are in English, so by default the English page would be the correct hyperlink.

I don't think we are improving Wikipedia so that other editors can know at a glance what yet needs to be done. We are trying to educate readers with facts. Having something to link to is superior to having nothing. A page even with pictures can explain a lot. As I edit Wikipedia in many languages, I often have no idea what the link I'm clicking on will lead me too. Once the page loads I can usually figure it out by looking at the images.

Also I'm becoming quite familiar with Google Translate. With a quick copy/paste I instantly know what is going on (generally that is). The service is free and easy to use, so don't think that should be an obstacle to reading anything in another language.

The other reason we should clean up the red hyperlinks is because there is a majority of the world uninformed that Wikipedia exists in other languages than their own. I'm sure there are people who have forgotten that other languages exist (in Wikipedia and elsewhere).

Here is how you can join the Blue Hyperlink team today.

Go to a Wikipedia page in another language. On many pages you will find on the left hand side of the page a list of languages (written in that language, for example it won't say Spanish, but Español) Click on that blue hyperlink and you will be taken to that page. Possibly you will see red hyperlinks throughout the page. Figure out which one you want to tackle.

Click on the “Edit” tab at the top of the page. I guess it won't say the word Edit but it is the middle tab in exactly the same place as it exists on the English page. (clever huh)

You should be looking at a wall of scary text, made even more frightening because it is in another language, maybe not even in characters you recognize.

Find a hyperlink that looks like this [[James Randi]] this is what the code looks like when linking. This would send the viewer directly to the James Randi page in that language. If it is red text that means that the James Randi Wikipedia page does not exist in that language.

OR

It means that the words “James Randi” are not the way the word is written on his page. Maybe there is a spelling error? Or missing something, such in the case of Harriett Hall's WP page. If you want to link to her page you have to use Harriett A. Hall. To discover the correct spelling of the page, go to the page and copy/paste it into your hyperlink code.

Anyway

You have decided that the James Randi page does not exist in the language you are currently editing.

This is what the edit will look like when done correctly.

[[:en:James Randi|James Randi]]

Preview what you have done.

Leave a reason (yes I know it will be in English) for your edit

Click “Save”

These buttons “preview” and “save” are in the exact same spot as they are located in English.

Then look at the improvement you have made to the page. Now please BRAG on all your social networking sites at how amazing you are. Be sure to tag me on your social site so I can get that warm glow at how awesome you are.