MO: [ILAT] The path to Google Maori [fwd link]

[Neskie Manuel]

Weytk-p

> i) First I must apologise that it took 7 years to complete this project as
> from a pure translation perspective it isn't all that difficult. In some
> meagre form of defence I'd like to suggest that Google wasn't so essential
> to our children's knowledge acquisition back then as it is now, and perhaps
> the Māori language has only in recent years but in a state where this kind
> of localisation could be completed with the professionalism that it
> deserves.

Sometimes these things take a long time.  I find that it is difficult
to find people
who are technically inclined to do this type of work.  The translation
isn't hard
it is the process of using the internet and collaborating over the
internet.  Good
job on getting it down.  Maybe soon there will be Google in Cree/Ojibwa/Mi'kmaw?

> ii) I'd like to suggest that this is only a beginning. Google has a lot of
> other tools that need to be localised into Māori as well; iGoogle, Google
> Maps, Google Earth, Gmail, Google Desktop to name but a few. Their browser
> Chrome has recently been released. With relatively small languages such as
> ours finding sponsors to fund these ongoing translations is essential.

I think funding is an important part of this work, but an equally
important part is
training people in using collaborative tools to do localization work.
Ubuntu's localization
is handled through a web interface on launchpad.net and Debian uses Pootle, a
translation management tool servers.  I think localization work can
get a lot out of
existing Open Source Software infrastructure and workflows.

I would like to congratulate you on completing this project. In
closing I have a question about
Maori LInux?

===
Putucw
Neskie Manuel