Uganda gets indigenous language browser (fwd)

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Uganda gets indigenous language browser

Alastair Otter
September 15 2004
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=342

Uganda is today another of the countries that have made huge strides in
making technology more accessible to users that do not have English as
their home language. ICT Translations Uganda is today officially
releasing the Mozilla Web browser in Luganda, one of the most widely
spoken indigenous languages in East Africa.

The browser has been christened "kayungirizi" by the translators for its
ability to link users to various resources on the Internet.

James Wire, a founder of ICT Translations Uganda, says the translation
will "make it easier for first time Internet users to use the Internet
without feeling challenged by the English language. It is going to
attract many people who have been shying away from computers because of
language barriers."

He also says the translation efforts will very likely improve education,
particularly through the possibilities now of offering interactive
computer-based aids in indigenous languages. He also hopes the
translation will spur users to develop more local language content.

In an interview with LinuxPlanet earlier this week Wire said "Internet
access is becoming a key element in the lives of all Ugandans. Just
like a mobile phone, an Internet cafe has become the destination of
choice for those that want to communicate internationally.

"A lot of content is delivered to the locals through the use of
interactive CDs that display in Internet browsers. A localised browser
reduces the learning curve for that social worker in Kyanamukaka who is
supposed to sensitise the wanainchi using a computer."

Wire says one of the primary challenges in their translation efforts has
been the lack of words for much of the widely used English language
computer terminology. "Since Internet technology is a new phenomenon in
Uganda, local languages are short of technological terminology ... We
looked for nearly-there words or actually formulated new terminology.
We blended new generation lingua with the 'academic' Luganda," he says.

ICT Translations Uganda, is an indigenous organisation that hopes to
translate a range of free and open source computer software into
indigenous languages. Wire says the vision of the organisation is "to
see that the people within the East Africa region embrace and use
information and communication technologies to transact in languages
they are most conversant with, for accelerated social, political and
economic development."

Next on the agenda for ICT Translations Uganda is a number of other
indigenous language translations of Mozilla and then work will begin on
translating OpenOffice.org into indigenous languages starting with
Luganda and Luo. Following this the team hopes to work on translating
the X-Windows interface and localise a range of applications.

The translated software is available from www.translate.or.ug