Annotation Guidelines
A reference guide for evaluating Igbo translations. Bookmark this page and come back whenever you need a refresher.
What You Are Doing
You are comparing two AI-generated Igbo translations of the same English sentence. Your job is to pick the translation that a native Igbo speaker would consider more natural, accurate, and fluent. Then explain your choice in one or two sentences.
Your annotations are used to train AI models to produce better Igbo translations. Every annotation you submit helps improve how AI understands and generates Igbo language content.
How to Evaluate Translations
1. Naturalness
Does the translation sound like something an Igbo speaker would actually say? Avoid translations that read like word-for-word conversions from English. Natural Igbo uses its own sentence patterns, expressions, and idioms.
2. Accuracy
Does the translation correctly convey the meaning of the English sentence? Check that no important information is missing, added, or distorted. A beautiful Igbo sentence that says the wrong thing is not a good translation.
3. Fluency
Is the Igbo grammatically correct and easy to read? Check for proper verb forms, tonal marking consistency, and smooth sentence flow. Even if the meaning is right, awkward phrasing makes a translation worse.
4. No Code-Switching
A good Igbo translation should be in Igbo, not a mix of Igbo and English. Some borrowed words are acceptable when there is no Igbo equivalent (like "computer" or "phone"), but unnecessary English words mixed into Igbo sentences is a major quality issue.
5. Cultural Fit
Does the translation use expressions and phrasing that fit Igbo culture and communication style? For example, Igbo greetings, proverbs, and market language have their own conventions that a good translation should reflect.
Writing Your Justification
After choosing the better translation, you must explain why in one or two sentences. Good justifications are specific and reference the actual text.
Good justifications
- "A uses 'n'isi ụtụtụ' which is the natural Igbo expression for early morning, while B sounds translated word-by-word."
- "B mixes English words (play, compound) into the Igbo sentence. A is fully in Igbo."
- "Both are good but A captures the bargaining tone better with 'belata ọnụ ahịa'."
Weak justifications
- "A is better."
- "Sounds more natural."
- "I prefer this one."
- "B is wrong."
Ask yourself: if another Igbo speaker read my justification, would they understand exactly why I made this choice? If yes, it is a good justification.
Confidence Score
After each annotation, you rate your confidence from 1 to 5. Be honest: your confidence helps us measure data quality.
When to Skip or Flag
Skip a task when:
Both translations are genuinely identical or so close that you cannot tell any difference. Or if the English source sentence is unclear or confusing to you.
Flag a task when:
The source text contains offensive or inappropriate content, one or both translations are in the wrong language entirely, the English sentence is broken or incomplete, or the translations seem to be for a different source sentence. Use the flag button and select the reason that best fits.
Quality Checks (Golden Tasks)
Some tasks have a known correct answer chosen by expert annotators. These "golden tasks" look exactly like regular tasks: you will not know which ones they are. They help us measure annotation quality. There is no penalty for getting a golden task wrong, but consistently correct golden task responses help build your quality score.
Worked Examples
Study these examples to calibrate your judgment. Each shows an English sentence, two translations, the better choice, and why.
English: The teacher asked the students to open their textbooks to page forty-five.
Onye nkuzi gwara umu akwukwo ka ha meghee akwukwo ha na peeji iri ano na ise.
Teacher ahụ kwuru ka students open their textbooks to page 45.
Why: Translation A uses natural Igbo throughout, including the Igbo number form. Translation B mixes English words directly into the sentence, which is code-switching, not translation.
English: My grandmother tells the best stories about our village.
Nne nne m na-akọ akụkọ kachasị mma banyere obodo anyị.
Nne nne m na-akọrọ anyị akụkọ kacha mma banyere obodo anyị.
Why: Both translations are good Igbo with no code-switching. Translation A is slightly more concise and uses the common expression "na-akọ akụkọ" (tells stories) naturally. When both are acceptable, choose the one that flows more smoothly.
English: Please reduce the price, I am a regular customer here.
Biko belata ọnụ ahịa, a na m abịa ebe a mgbe niile.
Biko wedata ego ya, ana m azụ ahịa ebe a kwa oge.
Why: Translation A captures the market bargaining context naturally. "belata ọnụ ahịa" (reduce the price) is the standard Igbo expression. Translation B uses "wedata ego ya" (bring down the money) which is understandable but less idiomatic for price negotiation.
English: The meeting has been postponed until next week.
A kwagara nzukọ ahụ ruo izu na-abịa.
E mesịrị nzukọ ahụ ruo izu ọzọ.
Why: Both translations are grammatically correct. Translation B uses "E mesịrị" (postponed/delayed) which is a more precise Igbo verb for rescheduling. Translation A uses "kwagara" (moved) which is acceptable but less specific. This is a close call where either choice is defensible with good reasoning.
English: He drives a white Toyota to work every morning.
Ọ na-anya Toyota ọcha ga ọrụ kwa ụtụtụ.
O na-anya ụgbọ ala ọcha ya gaa ọrụ kwa ụtụtụ.
Why: Translation B says "ụgbọ ala ọcha ya" (his white car) which is complete and natural Igbo. Translation A keeps "Toyota" as a proper noun (acceptable) but drops the possessive and reads less smoothly. The brand name is fine to keep, but the overall sentence structure of B is better.