[sugar] [Localization] 9.1 proposal: Language learning on the XO.

[Yamandu Ploskonka]

Please be _very_ careful on any thought about teaching English with the XO.

Enemies of the project everywhere are just waiting for a chance, any 
chance, to call us yokels of the imperialist empire, and they would have 
a field day if the XO delivered EFL.

Of course we know that many locally parents want EFL, as they want Math, 
but there is a weird layer of opinion that would just be so happy to 
ruin the whoile project for short term political gain.

To develop _tools_ for language learning is _very_ good, as a general 
concept. 

Aymaran kids need to learn better skills in Aymara, and such tools would 
be useful, Castillian speaking kids skills in Castillian and would 
benefit to learn Aymara and Quechua also, but proposing Aymara and 
Quechua kids to be assisted to learn Castillian using the XO is already 
a delicate matter, proposing English is a definite no-no in these times.

Since all of this is a local decision anyway, I know of a deployment 
that, at the request of local parents and with local workers is 
developing EFL materials.

What I suggest is that as a team to focus in the _tools_.  Dictionaries, 
interactive tools (HablarConSara, etc).  Those can then be loaded with 
local language packs, and eventually, and as a local decision, other 
languages, which of course are not limited to English.  I listened to an 
NPR report the other day on how fashionable it is to have pre.schoolers 
learn Mandarin nowadays.

Yama