This all thanks to the efforts of Translate.org.za and its volunteer community of professional translators.

 

In preparation for the official launch of the updated Firefox, users are invited to download the beta version of the translated browser for testing and input. The files can be downloaded free of charge at http://bit.ly/FxMzansi, and are available for Windows, Mac and Linux systems.

 

“We are very excited to be launching full versions of this popular browser in indigenous languages, which forms part of our ongoing efforts to convert as many applications into vernacular languages and in doing so, improve technology adoption and use in Africa,” says Dwayne Bailey, MD of Translate.org.za.

 

“Samuel Murray translated Firefox 3 into Afrikaans in June 2008 already, so the release of Firefox in Northern Sotho is a big step forward for us. It is the culmination of work that started last year through our participation in the African Network for Localisation (ANLoc), a project funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).”

 

While Translate.org.za has developed a number of language extensions for Firefox, the latest release of the browser will be the first that is a complete application in either Northern Sotho or South African English. Pheledi Mathibela was responsible for customising Firefox 4 to support Northern Sotho and the South African English version was customised by Dwayne Bailey.

 

There are also language extension packs – which are not quite as comprehensive as the full Northern Sotho Firefox version – which include Ndebele, Swazi, Southern Sotho, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu.

 

Full versions in other vernacular languages are expected to be released in future releases of the browser, although this is dependent on the readiness of fully-translated versions.

 

According to Translate.org.za, Northern Sotho is the home language of almost 10% of South Africa's population, and is the fourth most common language in the country after Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans. Although it is the predominant language in Limpopo, with more than 50% of the population using it as their home language, it is also widely used in Gauteng where approximately a quarter of its citizens speak Northern Sotho.

 

“We encourage people to download the beta versions in their language of choice and help us perfect the results of the many months of work put in to produce these versions,” says Bailey.