Re: [A12n-Collab] "Microsoft to launch applications in three Nigerian languages"

[Andrew Cunningham <andrewc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Don,

being in a cynical mood this morning, I'd suggest that your step one 
would dramatically slow down IT solutions. Standardisation processes can 
 crawl so slowly.
But properly research keyboards and verified locale data are important.

terminology is a very different matter, so some localisation we're 
looking at locally for our refugee communities form Africa and South 
east Asia, we're concious of the fact that in some ways terminology 
needs to be developed rather than gathered, and that works best if we 
engage with the communities and the identification and choosing of 
terminology becomes more communal, and they take some ownership of the 
final terminology, rather than having it imposed on them.
We've had to do something similar when looking at government terminology 
and jargon when working with translators and interpreters in refugee and 
new and emerging communities.
Andrew

Don Osborn wrote:
> Hi Andrew, I'm really interested to know more about what Microsoft is doing in this regard. Over the years we have seen some announcements followed by comments that the products have been slow to reach the market. Then something like the recent article on the "failure" of Microsoft's Swahili version.* 
>
> At the same time the "Classmate PC" project (similar in some respects to OLPC, 
> but different in others) is apparently opting for a kind of MS base, though I'm not 
> totally clear on that and am seeking more info on various aspects of the project 
> including localization.
>
> Then there are some questions like you pose, which relate to technical issues, standards, and marketing. 
>
> I don't mean to be too critical (being overextended myself I'm in a proverbial glass house right now), but it does raise questions re Microsoft's strategy and implementation. 
>
> I would like to suggest:
>
> 1) More coordination on issues of standards (such as keyboard layouts) and locales (this will receive focused attention from the new PanAfrican Localisation Network this year). This involves probably 4 main "stakeholders" (as we often say in international development): open-source community, proprietary interests (namely Microsoft), governmental standards, and international cooperation. The first two, if one may make a broad generalization, are not given to collaboration, which may make sense in some ways, but not for the languages and the end-users. The third is often non-existant, under-resourced, or not yet interested. The fourth is a catch-all category, but key within it would be on the one hand regional African bodies concerned with language (ACALAN) and ICT (UNECA/AISI and various others), and international donor/development agencies (of which IDRC is prominent; the OSI group including OSIWA and OSISA are among the few others to take any interest in this area - USAID 
and its usual contracting NGOs are mostly MIA on localization issues; French aid has its 
own agenda framed in terms of "langues partenaires"; and so on).
> 2) Better marketing. This is an issue for both Microsoft and, in some cases at 
> least, open source. One of the biggest and most frustrating (for me) gaps is 
> between localization products on the one hand and ICT for development & 
> education efforts on the other (OLPC being a happy exception). But the apparent 
> failure of a corporation like Microsoft to get products that it has spent resources 
> developing into the appropriate markets or niches is puzzling. Tunde as their 
> project lead in Nigeria, has even expressed concern and a request for help on 
> this.** (He actually sees the technical issues as less challenging, but it would 
> also be interesting to hear his thoughts on Andrew's questions.)
>
> I could go on with other thoughts on strategies, but maybe some of the list 
> members, including those in MS, will have some feedback, info, and other ideas.
>
> Don Osborn
> Bisharat.net
>
>
> * "Why Microsoft Swahili Version Failed" (Kenya) 
> http://lists.kabissa.org/lists/archives/public/a12n-collaboration/msg01098.html
>
> ** [PAL-en] Re: Microsoft to launch applications in 3 Nigerian languages http://lists.kabissa.org/lists/archives/public/pal-en/msg00187.html 
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: a12n-collaboration-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:a12n-
> > collaboration-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Andrew Cunningham
> > Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 10:30 PM
> > To: A12n tech support
> > Subject: Re: [A12n-Collab] "Microsoft to launch applications in three
> > Nigerian languages"
> >
> > interesting for what it doesn't say as much as what it does say.
> >
> > Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo only have input locales in Windows Vista
> >
> > Yoruba requires a version of Uniscribe and appropriate fonts to render
> > correctly, this combination currently restricts it to Windows Vista (if
> > you include need for UI font capable of rendering Yoruba.
> >
> > Microsoft currently do not ship Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba keyboard layouts.
> >
> > I'd assume that for a Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo LIPs for Office to be
> > useful, they'll need to roll out an ELK including support for these
> > three languages?
> >
> > Andrew
> >
> > Don Osborn wrote:
> > > The following item from Highway Africa News Agency (HANA) was seen on
> > > the HANA site at http://hana.ru.ac.za/article.cfm?articleID=1917
> > > (linked from their Weekly Digest). It has also been disseminated on
> > > SANGONeT at
> > http://www.sangonet.org.za/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=vi
> > > ew&id=9177&Itemid=1
> > <http://www.sangonet.org.za/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=v
> > > iew&id=9177&Itemid=1>
> ...
>
>
>
>
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>
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--
Andrew Cunningham
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Vicnet
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