To date, the Suda has never been translated into English, which restricts it to scholars with a firm knowledge of Greek. Its computer-file version is not searchable by any means other than exact string match in Beta code.
The goal of this project, called Suda On Line (SOL), is to translate the Suda into English and to make the resulting text searchable by topic as well as Boolean combinations of words or phrases.
Because the translation task is so large, no one person or even small group is willing to undertake the full task. Therefore, the project involves coordinating a large group of translators. The World-Wide Web (here, simply the Web) along with its platform-independent browsers allows us to center the work at one site and let a distributed group of translators access that site interactively. The entry point for all SOL users is http://www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/Classics/sol.html.
We will describe the various functions available to participants in order of increasing engagement. Some of our description reflects current implementation; in some places, we expect the implementation to eventually function essentially as specified, even if the implementation is not yet complete.
We classify SOL participants into four categories: guest, translator, editor, and managing editor. Members of each category are able to access SOL facilities appropriate to that category and all the preceding categories.