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List:       olpc-localization
Subject:    Re: [Localization] Khmer localization
From:       Clytie Siddall <clytie () riverland ! net ! au>
Date:       2010-03-12 9:29:29
Message-ID: 0618D715-57D3-44DA-AE2D-473869F9AC28 () riverland ! net ! au
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To: OLPC Localization list
Cc: Nancie Severs (OLPC Vietnam), Javier Sola (KhmerOS), Cambodia Pride (OLPC), \
MaoVuth and Stephen Bognar (OLPC, Maddox Jolie-Pitt foundation)

Introduction for new participants
-------------------------------------------

On the OLPC Localization list, we started a discussion on support for OLPC projects \
(getting localizations enabled on the XOs, input and display in your language on XOs, \
Cheat Sheets, where to ask for help), initially due to enquiries from OLPC Vietnam \
projects.

Then Nancie Severs asked about general localization support and further translations \
for an upcoming Cambodian OLPC project. We are trying to connect the dots here.

(Note: the Khmer OLPC software localizations on the Pootle server:

http://translate.sugarlabs.org/

are at best only half-complete).

On 11/03/2010, at 4:50 AM, Edward Cherlin wrote:

> As the original Localization Administrator for Khmer, I am willing to
> take a hand in recruiting again.

Great! Please do so. :)

Nancie, please put Edward in touch with your Cambodian OLPC project workers.
> 
> I am pleased at the cooperation with other groups.

It's key to keeping any project going, but particularly one with low resources, in my \
experience.

> When I first approached Javier Sola, he was quite hostile to OLPC and Sugar.

That surprises me. I've never known Javier to be hostile to any effort. It's \
important to understand that people working within a country like Vietnam or Cambodia \
also have internal project constraints. It sounds to me as though he has been given \
quite strict guidelines.

Javier's response to our enquiry (emphasis mine) was:

> I am afraid that the XO is not part of the strategy of the Cambodian Ministry of \
> Education for computers in schools. We concentrate on giving ICT-based professional \
> skills in grades 10, 11 and 12, preparing students to enter the employment market. \
> We cannot put any efforts into the OLPC, as it is completely out of the scope of \
> our goals. Our strategy is to use desktops in classrooms of _high schools_. 
> There are nevertheless organizations that use them and who would be happy to \
> receive some more, in particular the Jollie-Pitt Foundation is using them in a \
> remote area near the Thai border, and were looking for some more. I would be happy \
> to make the contact. 
> Some people engaged themselves to work on a Khmer translation, but they did not get \
> very far, I am afraid.

He also directed me to Stephen Bognar (CC) as a contact.

I've worked with Javier for quite a few years now, and never found him anything but \
supportive, informative and above all committed to the wellbeing of his Cambodian \
community.

In any case, working with very low resources mean you have to focus your efforts on \
less projects, in order to achieve anything sustainable. Just as each OLPC project \
has to decide who can benefit from it (and thus who will not benefit from it), \
KhmerOS has had to do the same.

> 
> On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 12:25, Chris Leonard <cjlhomeaddress@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 5:59 AM, Clytie Siddall <clytie@riverland.net.au>
> > wrote:
> > > 
> > > 3. I will be sharing my  knowledge with an upcoming deployment in Cambodia
> > > too. Is there a language pack for Cambodia we can use as well.
> > > 
> > > Sayamindu? I notice that Khmer (the language of Cambodia) has only minimal
> > > stats on the OLPC Pootle, but that's mostly due to etoys being untranslated.
> > > Glucose, Fructose and OLPC Content are about half done. I don't know how
> > > recently anyone has updated those translations. Is any Khmer translator
> > > currently reading the OLPC Localization list? Please respond, if so.
> > 
> > Sometime back Mao Vuth of the Maddox Jolie-Pitt foundation (in Cambodia)
> > posted to the Localization list asking for some assistance with Khmer fonts
> > and language set up for their XO laptops and help was provided.
> > 
> > http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/localization/2008-October/001701.html
> > 
> > A little while after that, I did have some direct correspondence with Mao
> > (off-list), who indicated they had successfully addressed the font issue and
> > Khmer was  working well in Write and Journal.
> > 
> > Some pictures/news of the MJP XO deployment can be seen on their web-site:
> > 
> > http://www.mjpasia.org/news/2009/samlaut_goes_high_tech.htm

So we have two contacts for the Maddox Jolie-Pitt foundation in Cambodia. That's a \
good start, and at least they know about the OLPC Localization list.
> > 
> > > 
> > > Do you have someone who can translate a newly developed Activity into the
> > > Khmer language?
> > > 
> > > Like Vietnamese, Khmer is severely under-represented in localization.
> > > However, as noted at the top of this email, we are now also talking to
> > > Javier Sola of KhmerOS. Javier has pretty much single-handedly introduced
> > > and sustained Khmer as a software localization language. Javier, after you
> > > take your bow ;) , do you have anyone who would be interested in localizing
> > > for OLPC? It's a great project, aimed straight at the kids we know need it
> > > most. Someone young, who enjoys games, would be ideal. The language should
> > > ideally be that which the children use in daily life, as well as introducing
> > > them to common computing terms.
> > 
> > I very much agree with Clytie's point that there are any number of languages
> > where it is challenging to get sufficient on-line community engagement in
> > localization, including Khmer.  Unfortunately, the KhmerOS team (which has
> > otherwise done wonderful work on a variety of FOSS projects) does not see Sugar
> > localization as fit for their efforts.

Please see my comments earlier in this email.
> > 
> > To me the lesson of this is that it is critical for like-minded individuals
> > with an interest in Sugar / OLPC efforts in a given country or region band
> > together to coordinate their efforts.  I call this "weaving the grassroots"
> > and in many ways, it is through providing a central pivot point via e-mail
> > lists, RT queues, wikis, Pootle server, etc. that Sugar Labs / OLPC can most
> > effectively facilitate the leveraging of these individual efforts, but it
> > takes some real effort on the part of each individual effort to communicate
> > and coordinate amongst themselves (using the provided tools) to be able to
> > share resources like a Pootle-hosted localization effort.

I agree. It concerns me that different OLPC teams heading to third-world countries \
don't necessarily know about each other, or how to get help with their localizations. \
How can we change that?
> > 
> > In that context and with specific reference to Cambodia, I would point out
> > that there is another organization there with strong OLPC ties and a bunch
> > of XO laptops,  Cambodia-p.r.i.d.e.
> > 
> > http://www.cambodiapride.org/

I've used the "info" address posted on their website. Hopefully we'll have a \
real-person contact soon.
> > 
> > I have had correspondence with that organization and their president in the
> > past and I would encourage any effort in SouthEast Asia to reach out to them
> > as well as MJP to see what points of common interest there might be and to
> > look for opportunities to share digital resources and experiences.

Enough to go on with, Nancie? Please encourage your Cambodian project team to write \
to this list with ideas and/or queries.

from Clytie 

Vietnamese Free Software Translation Team

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