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Happy International Mother Tongue Day! |
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Dear Friends,
Happy International Mother Tongue Day!
Bet you did not know it was International Mother Tongue Day today ~ or even that there was a day set aside solely for the enhancement of Mother Tongue language appreciation and preservation. That is okay ~ it's the air we breath, so that's why we know! Today people all around the globe will celebrate International Mother Tongue Day, introduced by UNESCO in 1999 in recognition of the sanctity and preservation of all the vernacular languages in the world. We thought it was a great opportunity to remind people of what we are up to and why.
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In celebration of this day we are re-launching updated versions of all our mother-tongue software in all South Africa’s 11 official languages. It's a good day to remember that we were the first innovators to create the world's first all South African languages keyboard and release the first word processor and office suite available in Sesotho sa Leboa, isiZulu and Afrikaans. But back to the present ... we have just partnered with the Department of Communications and the CSIR in a commitment to mother-tongue computer software.
“It is time that South Africans took pride in their mother tongues and worked towards bringing technology into their world as opposed to trying to adapt their world to technology. Mother Tongue Languages Day is an appropriate time to celebrate this – and the Department of Communications, the CSIR and Translate.org.za are doing just that – celebrating our freedom,” says Dwayne (Director of Translate.org.za for new readers).
In a joint project funded by the Department of Communications and administered by the CSIR, we delivered OpenOffice.org and the Mozilla Firefox web browser in all 11 official languages. In celebration of Mother-Tongue Language Day, the Department of Communications, CSIR and Translate.org.za team are proud to announce an agreement that will see OpenOffice.org, Mozilla Firefox and Mozilla Thunderbird updated and maintained for three years. This will ensure that South Africans are now empowered to create documents, spreadsheets, email and browse the web in their home languages.
"We are doing it to increase access to technology and increase ICT skills and awareness, which will help to narrow the digital divide. Government is committed to creating a better life and more opportunities for each citizen and this is a tangible way to do that,” explained Wernher Friedrich, Director Internet Access and Software Development in the Department of Communications.
Another benefit to this all is that all South Africans can actively participate in improving the software, which is also in-line with the government’s policy to support Open Source Software in its procurement process and will assist organisations such as the Department of Science and Technology and the CSIR who are migrating to Open Source Software. “South Africa needs to stop supporting the overseas IT industry by sending millions of Rand to the so-called developed world in unnecessary licensing fees. It’s time!” says Dwayne.
 ONE FOR THE ROAD
“From the first to the last moments of our existence, from generation to generation, language accompanies, serves and creates us. It is at the heart of family life, work, school, politics, the media, justice and scientific research. It is also central to religion.”
UNESCO Director General, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, on this day last year.
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Dwayne Bailey
 (012) 460 1095
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www.translate.org.za
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