On April 21, 2025, Ethos added a translation feature. Activity on the network, such as reviews, vouches and slashes, could be translated from any language into English with a couple of clicks. Ethos described it as the first of many steps in a broader localization effort it wanted to complete.
For a reputation network, that matters. Reviews, vouches and slashes are only useful to readers who can understand them. Translation widens the group of people who can read what others have written.
What the feature covered
At launch, translation into English worked on:
- Reviews
- Vouches
- Slashes
Ethos added that it even worked on “degen english” to English.
What it didn’t cover yet
Ethos was clear about the limits of the first version. Translation did not yet work:
- On comments
- Into any language other than English
- During daily contributions
On those gaps, Ethos said “we’ll get there.” It framed the release around a simple approach: learn by shipping, see what sticks, understand what people want and adapt. It also asked users to share what they thought of the feature.
A question for people writing in their native language
A couple of minutes after the announcement, Ethos posted again, this time in Chinese, quoting its original post. The post said Ethos had just shipped an update letting users translate Ethos activity into English, and asked: “Does this help you feel more confident in writing in your native language?” It again called the feature a small step in the overall localization Ethos planned to do.
That question points to the other side of the feature. Translation helps English readers understand reviews written in other languages, and it also means people don’t have to write in English for their reviews, vouches and slashes to be read. The posts don’t record how users responded.
This story first appeared on X.
