Microsoft South Africa (MSA), a global software leader, has introduced a pioneering language programme that will give a massive boost to initiatives aimed at proÂmoting multilingualism in South Africa.
The programme, called the Language Interface Pack, will initially be available in Afrikaans, isiZulu and Setswana and may be accessed through Microsoft’s latest version of Office 2007.
Jonathan Hatchuel, MSA’s Windows client and group executive, says schools that are part of the programme will receive computers with software already installed in the language they use. For example, a computer for a school that teaches in isiZulu would come complete with commands and toolbars in isiZulu.
Hatchuel says the software would be free of charge and all teachers and learners could download it.
The programme is part of MSA’s global local-language campaign. It aims to add the other official languages as the project unfolds.
The initiative echoes Education Minister Naledi Pandor’s sentiments about the need to develop and use the nine indigenous languages in schools (apart from English and Afrikaans).
In an address to a conference on language policy implementation at Unisa last year, Pandor said: “The role of language and access to language skills is critical to enabling individuals to realise their full potential to participate in and contribute to the social, cultural and intellectual life of the South African society.”
MSA spokesperson Kethan ParbÂhoo said the project is a product of “partnership” between various role players, notably the Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb), the National Language Board, various government departments, translators and the academic community.
Parbhoo said that aside from facilitating access to technology by ordinary South Africans, the programme also “facilitates the preservation of language and culture”. He added that language has been a barrier to computer usage and that through this effort this would be overcome.
Parbhoo said “standardising technical terminology” was among the first steps MSA took and that it worked closely with “academia to translate the core terms glossary for each of the languages in development”.
To retain the integrity and “linguistic excellence”, Parbhoo said MSA had sent completed glossaries to Pansalb for verification.
Meanwhile, Hatchuel said the reason MSA started with Afrikaans, isiZulu and Setswana is that overall they “are technologically advanced in terms of the use of phrases”.
He said the process took time, as MSA had to get “consensus” from the users of the languages involved. Although he could not give the actual figure of how much the project costs, he said it ran into millions.
Siphiwe Ntuli, who teaches grade nine at Stanger Secondary School in KwaZulu-Natal, gave the project the thumbs-up. He said the school started to use the software early last year and since then learners have shown great enthusiasm and drive to use the computers.
“I found that learners enjoy working on the computer and have grown in confidence simply because it is in the language they understand. There is that sense of closeness to it and as a result they are free to explore and learn new things on their own,” said Ntuli.
Marietta Alberts, Pansalb’s manager of standardisation and terminology development, said putting the project together was not easy.
“It is no easy task to develop terminology for the various concepts being used. The terminology and related concepts are known in English but not in the various official South African languages. Terms have to be coined for the various concepts to act as term equivalents for the English terminology.”
She said the process also involved other Pansalb technical committees such as the National Language Body, whose task it was “to ensure the terminology used adheres to the spelling and [cultural] conventions of the language”. This was also to ensure that no vulgar, offensive or politically incorrect words creep in, she said.
The next languages to be developed are Sesotho sa lebowa and isiXhosa.