Impact scoring: Adjust translation weighting to reflect actual contribution volume

[dionysous]

I am opening this issue to suggest improvements to the Recent Impact scoring system. As shown in the screenshot below, the current implementation functions effectively as an "Activity Score" rather than a real "Impact Score."

Why is that?

The system currently treats a single string translation and a high-volume effort (hundreds of strings) as identical daily events. This creates two distinct issues:

1. Incentivizes "Gaming": I observe that contributors are incentivized to artificially throttle their work (drip-feeding) to maximize points, rather than contributing when I have the time or capacity.
2. Devalues Significant Effort: A contributor who spends many hours on a single day working on complex translations is scored the same as someone who spends five minutes on one translation.

I propose the following adjustments to better align the score with actual output while preventing massive point inflation:

Option 1: Fractional Scaling

I propose implementing a diminishing returns model where the first contribution establishes a baseline, and subsequent translations provide fractional growth.

• Base Logic:
  • The first translation = 1 contribution (for strings > 0).
  • Every additional translation within the same 24-hour window = 0.01 points.
• Calculation:
  For a total of $n$ translations in a day, the formula would be:
  $$Score = \lfloor 1 + ((n - 1) \times 0.01) \rfloor$$
• Example: 110 translations results in 2 contribution points ($1 + 1.09 = 2.09$, rounded down to $2$). The points per string could linearly decrease each 100 strings, e.g. to 0.0075 and than to 0.005 etc.

Option 2: Batch/Block Contributions

I propose grouping translations into "contribution blocks" to maintain a logical scale that recognizes volume.

• Logic:
  • 100 translated strings are grouped into a single "contribution block."
  • Each block counts as 1 contribution (applying the 3x multiplier for high-impact status).
• Benefit:
  • This rewards scale and high-volume work while keeping the impact scores within a predictable, incremental range that is easy for the community to understand.

Goal

I want the Recent Impact score to reflect community contributions more accurately, ensuring that volume-based work is recognized while maintaining the incentive for regular engagement.