Just for your information we just launched the http://www.google.co.tz domain yesterday with Swahili as the default language. We are also hiring Luganda experts and this is just the start.
--Joe Mucheru+254722522135Google East AfricaSent from my iPhoneMorning!
Today we move to the final topic of our discussions: Socio-cultural issues.
The internet is increasingly being utilized as a means to deliver essential services including health (Telemedicine), education (e-learning) and governance (e-government services). This has lead to concerns that many may not take advantage of these developments due to socio-cultural issues such as language and other cultural barriers.
The English language continues to dominate the internet (http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm) however there are several successful initiatives that have enabled the use of other languages. Indeed, the Tunis agenda encouraged the realization of multilingualism leading to discussions on domain name management, access to local content, and protection of cultural diversity.
Kiswahili was recently voted an official language by the African Union, and there are already several initiatives that seek to introduce Kiswahili on the internet. With appropriate policies and incentives the internet can become a cultural platform specifically for the preservation of language. In your view is the use of the internet an effective means of language and cultural preservation?
Again, you are encouraged to contribute to previous discussion threads.
Kind regards
Mwende
Disclaimer: These comments are the author's own
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