Understanding Localisation in Africa: The PanAfrican Localisation Project

1. Why localise in Africa, what’s involved, and a brief report on the PanAfrican Localisation project PanAfrican Localisation

2. Goals • Why localise in Africa? • Typical questions, objections • Reasons, current trends (examples) • Describe PanAfrican Localisation project • Specifics of languages & localisation • Keys to success & future prospects • Breaking news from Dakar

3. Definitions • African languages • Indigenous, indigenised, and “languages in Africa” • Localisation • Input methods (& last mile of i18n) • Software • Content • Software for content creation

4. What! Localise in Africa? Typical questions • “Doesn’t everyone speak English?” (or French or Portuguese…) • 2000 languages?! • The languages have no words for … (or no writing) • Languages with no future • Exacerbate sociolinguistic divisions • Technical hurdles

5. 1. “Doesn’t everyone speak English?” • Phrase heard ’round the world • Current markets are dominated by people who have Eng. or Fr. • Why would one who speaks Eng. or Fr. want to use another lang.? • Official languages are L2s; in fact many don’t speak them (well) • In fact, serious expansion of access requires attention to other languages

6. 2. Too many languages! • Ethnologue estimates some 2000+ languages in Africa

7. 2. Too many languages! • How many really? • What is a language? A dialect? • Splitters & joiners • Many are related • How to localise for so many? • Don't get stuck on the numbers • Question is really how to help people localise for themselves • Strategy: begin by disaggregating, start somewhere, learn as you go

8. 3. Languages with no words for … • Bad old notions of “primitive languages” • Colonial & racist attitudes • Characteristics of oral cultures • Contemporary language impoverishment? • “Bambara has no word for ‘research’” • African languages not for science & tech.? • Theory of Relativity in Wolof • Why do we say “mouse” in English? • Ex. of “zemi” in Fon

9. 4. Languages withno future? • Who will hire a speaker of Zulu? • Global English rules (& rolls) over all • “language of the stomach” • Zero-sum misconceptions • Maternal language or English/French? • “Only 1% can read local languages” • Economic vs. cultural issues? • Endangered languages

10. 5. Promote divisions? • Notion that validating linguistic diversity will aggravate divisions & lead to social problems • A concern of focus on “nation building” • Are languages really the cause? • Misconception that the end result of working with African languages is that one must dominate • Idea that many languages = bad communication

11. 6. Technical hurdles • Some have idea that it is not possible to use African languages on computers & internet, or that there are major technical issues • due to problems posed by special characters, diacritics, and non-Latin scripts • This misperception is not as evident now, but has stood in the way of more work (ex. as recent as 2003), and is itself is a hurdle... • experts who just don't understand

12. Truth of the matter • The language situation is complex • Languages not lacking • Linguistic heritage & diversity can be responded to creatively ... or neglected • There are trends toward both in Africa • Outsiders tend to ignore African languages • Neglect has its own costs • Localisation part of a creative response & needs broader coordination & vision • Relates to both development & ICT • The PanAfrican Localisation project is in this context

13. So, why is localisation important in Africa? • Acknowledge that most people don’t speak the dominant languages in ICT • Interfaces need to be localised for better access • … & content localised for more relevance • Recognition of local initiatives • Interest in ICT for development • Localisation also a “business” decision of donors & non-governmental organisations • Not so much driven by commercial needs • Language survival in information age?

14. Genesis of a project • Need to better understand localisation in Africa – actual & potential • Efforts exist (open source) • but without coordination, resources or sometimes clarity on what to do • Need to assist them with: • Networking (mutual aid, harmonization) • Resources (information, training, more?) • IDRC, Kabissa, Bisharat

15. PanAfrican Localisation Project • Consists of 3 parts: • Document • Workshop • Database

16. Workshop in Casablanca • Probably the first localisation event for Africa as a whole • Brought together 29 experts • Considered different dimensions of localisation • Current issues • Needs • Findings being incorporated into survey document • Has already facilitated collaboration

17. Database • Premise: there is a need for clear accessible information on languages & tools for localisation • Includes • Information for localisers • Basic language info • Character needs • Fonts • Locale status • Resources (people, institutions, ...)

18. Document • Survey of the localisation situation • Who is doing what? • Basic linguistic information on major languages • Language central to localisation • Current ICT & language policies & situations in the various countries • “Localisation ecology” – environment in which localisation undertaken

19. Who is doing what?Examples… • Software localisation • Translate.org.za (Sepedi, Zulu, Afrikaans) • KiLinux (Swahili) • ICT Translations Uganda (Luganda) • Many nascent efforts • Input / keyboards • The Nigerian scene: Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo • Others • Mobile devices • South African languages • Amharic • Other support projects (e.g., by OSI)

20. Basic language information • Clarity through specificity • Almost 90 languages / clusters • Need to begin somewhere • ~300-400 Ethnologue listings are covered • Ideologies, linguistics & language planning • Complexities arise when variation: • Runyakitara (Nyoro+Tooro+Nyankore+Chiga) • Yoruba (Oyo standard - strong) • Igbo (Onwu standard – weak?) • … & borders • Manding (Bambara, Jula, Maninka, Mandinka)

21. Example of complexity: Fula • 9-11 dialects, 15 countries, 20m people • 1 localisation, several, which? • Kaleidoscopic locales? Harmonisation?

22. Keys to success? • Local initiatives • Training (tech., organization) • Facilitate mutual aid • Tools (e.g., Pootle) • Information resources • Post-localisation “marketing” • Broader vision & planning • Local initiatives can’t see the forest • Cross-border languages • Strategy for outreach to areas with potential • Need to attend to the localisation ecologies • Widen network to other “stakeholders”

23. Longer-term issues • Sustainability of localisation efforts • Following through • Updating • Marketing, economics & competition • Links to education • Changing markets • Evolving sociolinguistic situations • Bringing in cutting-edge technologies • Machine translation • STT, TTS, advanced use of audio • Collaboration with other efforts • GILC, “Unicode & IDN,” others

24. A new African initiative • Example of increasing interest in localisation in & for Africa • “Internet domain names” as access pt.

25. Thank you • Questions…