The larger Wikimedia projects are having similar problems keeping (as in, not immediately repelling) n00bs. I've forwarded this post to foundation-l for discussion.

The barrier to entry isn't language, it's how n00b-repellent the culture can get. And it's not just English Wikipedia - it's quite a few of the projects. And every n00b-bump has a good historical reason, but that doesn't mean it isn't a problem.