I met Miquel from Maneno at Barcamp Africa a few months ago. He told me about his start-up blog platform and their efforts to support localization. I was a fan then as I am now. Essentially Maneno operates by crowd-sourcing the translation of blog posts into various languages like Swahili.
I too recognize the importance of supporting local languages in software and in order to support this, you’ll now find a new section of the blog, Appfrica Luganda. This new section of the site offers headlines, RSS and stories translated into the Bantu language of Luganda. Since Appfrica is based out of Uganda, it’s an effort on our part to include the local audience, to help expose them to the ideas, philosophies and memes being discussed and shared. These translations are meticulously contributed by Appfrica Lab students in their spare time. Appfrica is already available in Italian, Chinese, French, German and Spanish using machine generated translators.
Many people like to use the argument that in X amount of years we’ll all be speaking English or Chinese anyways so why prolong the inevitable. Personally, I come from the philosophy that this makes localization even more important now. It helps people who aren’t fortunate enough to speak multiple languages communicate and get a grasp on technology and eventually into other languages. This builds confidence and encourages participation ultimately leading to a more inclusive web.
About the author: Jonathan Gosier is a software developer, writer and social entrepreneur. He currently lives in Kampala, Uganda where he incubates and invests in East African entrepreneurs as the CEO of Appfrica Labs. He's also a TED Fellow.
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This Blog in Luganda
I met Miquel from Maneno at Barcamp Africa a few months ago. He told me about his start-up blog platform and their efforts to support localization. I was a fan then as I am now. Essentially Maneno operates by crowd-sourcing the translation of blog posts into various languages like Swahili.
I too recognize the importance of supporting local languages in software and in order to support this, you’ll now find a new section of the blog, Appfrica Luganda. This new section of the site offers headlines, RSS and stories translated into the Bantu language of Luganda. Since Appfrica is based out of Uganda, it’s an effort on our part to include the local audience, to help expose them to the ideas, philosophies and memes being discussed and shared. These translations are meticulously contributed by Appfrica Lab students in their spare time. Appfrica is already available in Italian, Chinese, French, German and Spanish using machine generated translators.
Many people like to use the argument that in X amount of years we’ll all be speaking English or Chinese anyways so why prolong the inevitable. Personally, I come from the philosophy that this makes localization even more important now. It helps people who aren’t fortunate enough to speak multiple languages communicate and get a grasp on technology and eventually into other languages. This builds confidence and encourages participation ultimately leading to a more inclusive web.