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-----Original Message-----
From: blitz-l-bounces@xxxxxx On Behalf Of Don Osborn
Sent: Saturday, October 06, 2007 12:01 PM
To: 'Dwayne Bailey'; 'Abdel-Karim Mardini'; 'Adama Samassekou'; 'Amar Gurung'; 'Ben Akoh'; 'Dawit Bekele'; 'Denis Jacquerye'; 'Alberto Escudero-Pascual'; 'Hadja SANON / OUATTARA'; 'L.Zenkouar'; 'Lee Van Munster'; 'Manal Amin'; 'Marcel Diki-Kidiri'; 'Marek Tuszynski'; 'Martin Benjamin'; 'Mouna ABAKARIM'; 'paa kwesi imbeah'; 'philipp schmidt'; 'Reinhard.Schaler'; 'Solomon Atnafu'; 'tariq chakour'; 'Tunde Adegbola'; 'Kim Wallmach'; boschse@xxxxxx; mala_sng@xxxxxx; lunghabo@xxxxxx; 'Adel El Zaim'
Cc: blitz-l@xxxxxx; 'Adama Samassekou'
Subject: Re: [Blitz-l] IDRC l10n project ideas
Hi Dwayne, Adel, all,
This is an important evolution for localization and multilingual ICT in Africa, as well as being a positive step by IDRC towards moving the process of developing projects and a network of localizers.
I've been tied up with several deadlines so please pardon the delay in responding. The table of project ideas is extremely useful, but also huge (not a criticism, just an observation). I ended up printing it out on nine pages, trimming them and taping them together to get a better sense of the whole.
Attached is a version of Dwayne's table with an added column with my comments on the specific items.
General comments:
1) Several items are already the focus of the PanAfriL10n wiki (Dwayne noted some of those). It would seem cost effective to build on that as a multifaceted resource for localization useful to several audiences (localizers, policymakers, ICT4D&E projects, etc.). At the upcoming workshop for the PAL project (regretfully, not all of you can be invited, but we will also bring in some new people) we can discuss how best to proceed with this.
2) It may be useful to diagram out the projects and their relationhips. In fact, as I read the PALDO and Voix et Textes proposals, it occurred to me that a much richer use of diagrams would really help to understand the projects, and in turn would also facilitate new understandings.
3) A minor point relating to the locales item. I hope that locales and localized software for the ELWCs* don't take up a disproportionate amount of attention of this(these) project(s). Not that these aren't important - and indeed as part of a package with African language software, for example, they can be quite useful. However, they are pretty much guaranteed to be taken up by someone, sometime, and completed without much effort. Where the funding is really needed is for less-resourced languages - which means just about all African languages, and even Arabic (which although it has a lot of resources going for it, still needs work in some areas).
All the best, and as they say in Bamanankan, Aw ni ce!
Don
* "European/Europhone Languages of Wider Communication" - some call them colonial, reflecting their origin; in most countries one or another is the or one of the official languages. ELWC was originally coined in the 1990s by an African linguist (Eyamba G. Bokamba at U. Illinois)
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dwayne Bailey
> Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 12:01 PM
> To: Abdel-Karim Mardini; Adama Samassekou; Amar Gurung; Ben Akoh;
> Dawit Bekele; Denis Jacquerye; Donald Z.Osborn; Alberto
> Escudero-Pascual; Hadja SANON / OUATTARA; L.Zenkouar; Lee Van Munster;
> Manal Amin; Marcel Diki-Kidiri; Marek Tuszynski; Martin Benjamin;
> Mouna ABAKARIM; paa kwesi imbeah; philipp schmidt; Reinhard.Schaler;
> Solomon Atnafu; tariq chakour; Tunde Adegbola; Kim Wallmach;
> boschse@xxxxxx; mala_sng@xxxxxx; lunghabo@xxxxxx;
> Adel El Zaim
> Subject: IDRC l10n project ideas
>
> I originally sent this to the blitz-l list last night but it seemed to
> not go through (big attachment).
>
> Hi All,
>
> Adel made an initial announcement on the Work Group mailing list,
> which many of you would have missed. The short story is that I will
> be helping him to scope and draw together projects that will form part
> of the three year African localisation project.
>
> Attached is my initial work to whittle down, refine and add to the
> list of projects generated in Marrakesh. The list is classified in
> various ways and has potential outcomes listed.
>
> There are tentative project leads for a few of the projects, this is
> not cast in stone but does indicate some of my thinking. If you are
> happy to take the lead on a project where you do see your name then
> that is great, if not just tell me or if you think you'd be a better
> lead also tell me.
>
> The time frame on this work is very very very VERY tight. So please
> commit whole heatedly. To make it clear, I am not writing proposals
> so they will not magically appear (I will of course be involved in
> those that I'm leading or participating in and I will draft the
> initial concept).
> We need to finish proposals by the end of October, allowing November
> for IDRC review, and December for contracting.
>
> My current workplan is as follows:
> 1) Get concept proposal generated for initial projects completed by
> Friday, latest Monday.
> 2) Work with project leads from Monday to refine the concepts and
> begin writing the proposal (I won't write but will review). A first
> draft needs to be complete by end of next week.
> 3) Project leads engage with partners to complete the proposal by end
> Oct.
>
> So now you see how tight it really is :)
>
> How you can help me:
>
> 1) Take ownership of a project
> 2) Give quick feedback to the attached list (additions, removals,
> projects you'd like to be involved in, etc)
>
> If you have any questions please ask.
>
> Thanks :)
>
> --
> Dwayne Bailey
> Translate.org.za
>