Work and passages
The work—John, Genesis, or the Iliad—is the stable unit. Passages are addressable fragments within it, not independent projects.
Portal guide
From reading to a verifiable editorial decision
Traditore lets scholars compare ancient texts, test alternative translations, and discuss them without losing who changed what, why they changed it, or which exact text each reviewer saw.
Start exploring01 · Vocabulary
The pieces of the system
Project
An editorial space with its own purpose, language, license, visibility, members, and criteria. Several projects may address the same work.
Branch
A complete translation line. Main is protected; alternative branches test hypotheses without altering it.
Commit
A versioned decision recording the previous and new text, author, rationale, category, and exact time.
Merge proposal
A request to incorporate specific changes from another branch into Main. It preserves the exact commits compared.
Release
A named, licensed, citable snapshot. Publication does not make that reading uniquely correct.
02 · Workflow
A typical journey
Find or create a project
Browse the catalogue by work. Start from the reference edition or copy a branch from a public project. The fork remains independent and records its provenance.
Work on a branch
Main is protected. Create a branch for a coherent hypothesis and describe its purpose.
Document every change
Choose a passage, write the new translation, and state its interpretive gain, cost, evidence, and remaining uncertainty.
Open a proposal
Propose the branch to Main. Every passage stays independently selectable for partial integration.
Review the exact text
Reviewers approve, comment, or request changes against a particular commit. Later edits cannot silently alter what was reviewed.
Integrate or preserve the alternative
An owner or editor integrates approved items. Rejected items, discussions, and branches remain part of the history.
03 · Permissions
Who can do what?
Permissions are scoped to each project. The same person may have different roles in different projects.
Owner
Full editorial control: members, branches, commits, proposals, reviews, integrations, and releases.
Editor
Can edit and govern the editorial flow, review, and integrate; cannot manage members or publish releases.
Reviewer
Can read, comment, and submit a review, but cannot alter or integrate the translation.
Contributor
Can create alternative branches, commit to them, and open proposals; cannot write directly to Main.
04 · Divergence
What if Main changes?
The proposal retains the historical diff submitted for review and separately shows later changes in Main. Non-overlapping work can be recreated against the new state. Changes to the same passage require explicit resolution. If Main already contains the exact proposed text, the editorial decision can be recorded without pretending a textual change remains.
05 · Access
Visibility and reuse
Public
Anyone can find and read it. A public branch may seed a new project.
Private
Only members can view it. It is absent from the catalogue and cannot be used as an external origin.
Fork
Copies text, work, language, license, and provenance—not members, permissions, comments, reviews, or proposals.
Three ideas to keep in mind
A branch is a hypothesis, not a folder.
A commit explains a decision, not merely saves text.
Integration records editorial judgment; it does not prove a translation definitive.
Ready to begin?
Explore an existing project or create your own.