Te reo boots up for 21st century

By RENEE KIRIONA

The Maori version of popular Microsoft programmes came a step closer when the final stage of the project was passed on to Waikato University yesterday.

More than 2000 computer terms have been translated into Maori in a move that will bring the language to life in the Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Office Systems 2003 programmes.

In a ceremony at the university, Microsoft officials and the Maori Language Commission handed the university's Maori and computer science departments the job of applying those words to the software.

If all goes as planned, the Maori versions should be completed by February, said Microsoft New Zealand managing director Ross Peat.

"We started work on this idea four to five years ago and now that it's coming together we're excited about the opportunity it will have in terms of access.

"We're passionate about all New Zealanders having access to technology and if that experience is in one's preferred language then ICT learning and communication outcome are accelerated."

The initiative is part of Microsoft's linguistic partnership project which has so far converted 43 non-English languages around the world - including Japanese, Spanish, German and Thai - into its technologies.

Haami Piripi, chief executive of the language commission, which has just completed work on the Maori computer terms, said the software was sure to appeal to young Maori.

"The reality is that this is going to help us make our language sexy, more attractive to the 80 per cent of young Maori who don't know it."

He said Microsoft's involvement in the project had made him dismiss his view that the company was a "shark" in the sea of business.

"We have been able to avoid all of the politics and the mountains of paper work justifying why something like this should be done, because that so-called shark has come on board and funded it [to the tune of $200,000], and I thank them for that."

Over the next few months the university will translate and test the technology extensively before developing a language interface pack (LIP), providing a Maori language overlay that will cover 80 per cent of the two software programmes.

Tom Roa, head of Maori language programmes at Waikato, and Te Taka Keegan, a lecturer in computer science, said they were looking forward to the challenge.

"It's going to be linguistically challenging but I look forward to the day when I can click on the timata [start] icon and kokiri [boot] my computer.

"It's going to do wonders for te reo."

Mr Keegan said his students were keen to start work on it immediately. "It's essential for te reo Maori to be integrated into mainstream communication mediums and, since this involves technology, we're extremely excited about it."