Microsoft launched Windows Vista in Amharic, and this becomes the first windows operating system in our national language. Apparently, Microsoft covered the cost while Ethiopian scholars did the translation. How cool is that? J There are also plans to translate the product into the other local languages. The free downloadable application is said to provide a native language desktop user interface. So you install the Language Interface Pack (LIP) and the user interface for Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2007 and Windows Vista is translated to the desired language. This is going to be tremendously stimulating for people who do not use computers because of the language barrier. Obviously the whole thing has additional advantages not only for Ethiopian users, but also for the Amharic language and other local languages spoken in · You know how we actually didn't have Amharic words for many technological words or phrases and we use the English word itself, or as recently is the case, we use the funny sounding Geez like phrases created by I don't know who. Eg, metehate mesekot for television. Well, now that reportedly 830,000 words have been translated into Amharic for this product, that means Amharic has been given a chance to improve itself. · As a result of our ethnic federalism and the constitutional right of people to speak, write and develop their language, some regions have now resorted to having their own regional official language and many communities are now getting education in their mother tongues. This process by itself has contributed to the improvement of these languages into written languages. So, now that there is a plan to launch the operating system into other local languages, this will help these languages improve, be accommodating for technology. In addition, speakers of those languages that are still in the process of being written languages for regional official as well as educational purposes will have reasons for working harder to develop their languages. I am no professional in matters of language, but I see these as possibilities. http://www.ezega.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?Page=heads&NewsID=2033 Www.microsoft.com/industry/government/locallanguage.mspx. |
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Windows Vista in AMHARIC
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