[Localization] Khmer localization

[Chris Leonard]

On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 5:59 AM, Clytie Siddall <clytie at riverland.net.au>wrote:

>
> 3. I will be sharing my  knowledge with an upcoming deployment in Cambodia
> too. Is there a language pack for Cambodia we can use as well.
>
>
> Sayamindu? I notice that Khmer (the language of Cambodia) has only minimal
> stats on the OLPC Pootle, but that's mostly due to etoys being untranslated.
> Glucose, Fructose and OLPC Content are about half done. I don't know how
> recently anyone has updated those translations. Is any Khmer translator
> currently reading the OLPC Localization list? Please respond, if so.
>
>
Sometime back Mao Vuth of the Maddox Jolie-Pitt foundation (in Cambodia)
posted to the Localization list asking for some assistance with Khmer fonts
and language set up for their XO laptops and help was provided.

http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/localization/2008-October/001701.html

A little while after that, I did have some direct correspondence with Mao
(off-list), who indicated they had successfully addressed the font issue and
Khmer was  working well in Write and Journal.

Some pictures/news of the MJP XO deployment can be seen on their web-site:

http://www.mjpasia.org/news/2009/samlaut_goes_high_tech.htm


> Do you have someone who can translate a newly developed Activity into the
> Khmer language?
>
>
> Like Vietnamese, Khmer is severely under-represented in localization.
> However, as noted at the top of this email, we are now also talking to
> Javier Sola of KhmerOS. Javier has pretty much single-handedly introduced
> and sustained Khmer as a software localization language. Javier, after you
> take your bow ;) , do you have anyone who would be interested in localizing
> for OLPC? It's a great project, aimed straight at the kids we know need it
> most. Someone young, who enjoys games, would be ideal. The language should
> ideally be that which the children use in daily life, as well as introducing
> them to common computing terms.
>
>
I very much agree with Clytie's point that there are any number of languages
where it is challenging to get sufficient on-line community engagement in
localization, including Khmer.  Unfortunately, the KhmerOS team (which has
otherwise done wonderful work on a variety of FOSS projects) does see Sugar
localization as a fit for their own efforts.

To me the lesson of this is that it is critical for like-minded individuals
with an interest in Sugar / OLPC efforts in a given country or region band
together to coordinate their efforts.  I call this "weaving the grassroots"
and in many ways, it is through providing a central pivot point via e-mail
lists, RT queues, wikis, Pootle server, etc. that Sugar Labs / OLPC can most
effectively facilitate the leveraging of these individual efforts, but it
takes some real effort on the part of each individual effort to communicate
and coordinate amongst themselves (using the provided tools) to be able to
share resources like a Pootle-hosted localization effort.

In that context and with specific reference to Cambodia, I would point out
that there is another organization there with strong OLPC ties and a bunch
of XO laptops,  Cambodia-p.r.i.d.e.

http://www.cambodiapride.org/

I have had correspondence with that organization and their president in the
past and I would encourage any effort in SouthEast Asia to reach out to them
as well as MJP to see what points of common interest there might be and to
look for opportunities to share digital resources and experiences.


cjl
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