The Centre for Text Technology (CTexT) at the North-West University (South Africa) are developing data for several African languages, viz. Hausa, Igbo, Kinyarwanda, Wolof and Yoruba. The developed data will be used in proofing tools such as spelling checkers and grammar checkers. These tools are important human language technology resources that enable speakers of the language to preserve and promote their language and culture while benefitting from Information Technology advancements.

This project is a part of Microsoft’s Local Language Program, a global initiative to provide desktop software and tools to their customers by collaborating with local experts (governments, universities and other interested parties). Their aim is to help build a robust local IT economy to:

- Help bridge the language and digital divide between developed and emerging markets.
- Help preserve language and culture. Help technology impact language and culture in a positive way.
- Help maintain the connections between communities.

In order to conduct this project successfully, we are currently sourcing any available resources, most notably electronic resources (word lists, corpora, etc.) and people (experts and assistants) to contribute to the project.

Should you have access to any resource, or if you could suggest someone who would be interested in being a subcontractor for us, please contact me: Sulene.Pilon@nwu.ac.za and provide us with a broad idea of your expertise/resources, as well as contact information (especially a telephone number and time when we can call you, if necessary).

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Hi Suléne, Belated thanks for your message. I'd be interested in knowing more about how the project is going.

In the meantime I've added a page on CTexT to the PanAfrican Localisation wiki at http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/CTexT

Don Osborn
Bisharat.net
PanAfriL10n.org

 
Several Nokia mobile phone models apparently have text menu support in Igbo. Does anyone have any experience with using this? How good is it?

See http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Nokia for a list of models.

TIA for any info.

Don Osborn
Bisharat.net
PanAfriL10n.org

Edited by author 11-23-2007 02:00 PM
During the last four weeks there has been a discussion about keyboard layouts on the a12n-collaboration list. The main topic is plans by the One Laptop Per Child project for a multilingual keyboard for its "XO" laptop. The keyboard layout would be intended to support languages of Nigeria (including Igbo) or the whole of West Africa.

If you are interested, see http://lists.kabissa.org/lists/archives/pu...a12n-collaboration/ (Note- this list is not an official OLPC forum)

The OLPC layouts are shown at:
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Image:WAfrica-Alt-1.png
&
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Nigeria_Keyboard

See also /m194

Don

The One Laptop Per Child project (OLPC) has a page for people who want to work on localization at http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Pootle#Sign-up . For languages like Igbo not yet in the table, it looks like you will have to add appropriate rows in order to enter your name.

Note link to their page on Igbo.

Don Osborn
Bisharat.net
PanAfriL10n.org

Hallo Don,
The registration and admin are not clear at all.
SOmetimes it is as if some of the people involved in
some of these projects just write for themselves or
people like them (whoever that might be).
There is NO SIMPLE WAY of registration or administring
a localization, apart from simply

Well, I have registered with the pootle localization site
and hope to read from them.
All the best.
Chinedu...

----------------------------------------
> Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2007 15:28:51 +0000
> Subject: Igbo language and ICT
> From: qtopic-17-tCcDxVXHgQxN@quicktopic.com
> To: qtopic-subs@quicktopic.com
>

_________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm0...STRIPMIME_JOINLINES < replied-to message removed by QT >

Hi Chindeu, I'm not sure how it works on their site. Apparently there are some sort of permissions involved? (Of course one can register on their wiki like one would with Wikipedia, but that's another matter.) You can put Igbo and your name in the signup table, but I don't know if that implies any recognition of your initiative. And although I know of some names in the hierarchy of OLPC I am not clear on who is managing translation of the interface. Maybe on the "localization" list mentioned on the page there would be more answers. Let us know how it goes. Don