Press Release: Google Maori Launch goes Worldwide
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Potaua
Sep 6, 2008, 5:58:24 PM9/6/08
to Google Maori
To celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Maori 2008, a group of dedicated
volunteers has worked together to translate the Google homepage and
search interface into the Maori language. It is therefore our honour
to launch this valuable online language resource to the Maori
community, and to the world.
"The Google in Maori project has been a labour of love and reflects
the passion we have to providing digital platforms for Maori
communities. We also wanted to encourage Maori to consider work within
the IT sector, especially rangatahi (young people)" said Potaua
Biasiny-Tule, Managing Director of TangataWhenua.com, who helped to
spear-head the project.
"Our goal was to bring together a committed team of language
practitioners and leading Maori IT specialists to create a Maori
language tool that could be used freely and that would be relevant to
the digital world."
The team volunteered to translate the homepage as part of the Google
in Your Language programme, an initiative started by Google in 2001
that allows anyone to sign up as a volunteer to translate Google
products into languages they currently are not available in. The
programme has been a success because it helps pull from the knowledge
and wisdom of many, and allows people to help create web tools in
their own languages.
"At Google, our broader mission is to organise the world's information
and make it universally accessible and useful," Ashley Gorringe,
Marketing Manager for Google in Australia and New Zealand said. "An
important part of realising this mission is working to make sure that
people have access to information no matter where they are in the
world, or what language they speak."
"The translation of the Google homepage into Maori represents the
culmination of a tremendous effort on the part of the Maori language
volunteers, and has provided a wonderful new way for Maori speakers
the world over to connect with information and the global community
online."
The call for Maori translators to work on the project began in 2001
when Craig Neville Manning, Google's Head of Engineering in New York,
began coordinating with Dr. Te Taka Keegan. By 2006 over 68% of the
translations had been completed, and the New Zealand Māori Internet
Society put out the call for more volunteers. In June 2007, Potaua and
Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule begin facilitating the translations and
contacted Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori seeking their assistance. Wiha
Te Raki Hawea Stevens then began work translating the full list of
messages, and in April 2008 Dr Te Taka Keegan and Wareko Te Angina
began the final work of verifying the translations and checking them
for consistency.
During this time more than 1,600 terms and phrases, totalling 8,500
words, have been translated, allowing for the Google homepage, search
interface and search preferences to be viewed in te reo Maori.
"When we started, there was a collective desire to see Maori listed
amongst the more than one hundred language options for the Google
homepage and today, we have achieved that" said Mr Biasiny-Tule.
"It has been no easy feat, but with the support of Te Taura Whiri i te
reo Maori (Maori Language Commission) and leaders like Wiha Te Raki
Hawea Stevens, Ara Tai Rakena, Wareko Te Angina and Dr Te Taka Keegan,
this project is of the highest possible standard and is now ready for
launch."
The announcement was made at a launch event at Te Wananga o Aotearoa's
Taiwere Campus in Rotorua. Speakers at the launch included Huhana
Rokx, chief executive of Te Taura Whiri i te reo Maori, Ashley
Gorringe, Marketing Manager for Google in Australia and New Zealand,
Dr Te Taka Keegan from Waikato University and Hawea Vercoe, principal
of Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Rotoiti.
This stage of the Google Maori project was co-ordinated by husband and
wife team Potaua & Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule, who have been active in
developing online Maori communications since 2002.
"It is imperative to find resources that resonate with the next
generation of language users. The key is to find innovative ways to
attract them, thereby ensuring language sustainability," stated Mrs.
Biasiny-Tule. "Our hope is that Google in Maori is a profound step in
the journey towards the long term survival of te reo Maori."
Screenshots of the Google in Maori page and interface are available
here: http://picasaweb.google.com/press.cen...
For more information on Te Wiki o te Reo Maori 2008 please visit this
website: http://www.korero.maori.nz
For more information on the Google in Your Language program and
Google's language initiatives, please visit this blog post:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/0...
For more information please contact:
Potaua Biasiny-Tule -- Executive Director
07 345 8139
021 250 3521
pot...@tangatawhenua.com
http://www.tangatawhenua.com
David Griswold -- Google Inc.
+61 2 9374 4329
press-aus...@google.com
volunteers has worked together to translate the Google homepage and
search interface into the Maori language. It is therefore our honour
to launch this valuable online language resource to the Maori
community, and to the world.
"The Google in Maori project has been a labour of love and reflects
the passion we have to providing digital platforms for Maori
communities. We also wanted to encourage Maori to consider work within
the IT sector, especially rangatahi (young people)" said Potaua
Biasiny-Tule, Managing Director of TangataWhenua.com, who helped to
spear-head the project.
"Our goal was to bring together a committed team of language
practitioners and leading Maori IT specialists to create a Maori
language tool that could be used freely and that would be relevant to
the digital world."
The team volunteered to translate the homepage as part of the Google
in Your Language programme, an initiative started by Google in 2001
that allows anyone to sign up as a volunteer to translate Google
products into languages they currently are not available in. The
programme has been a success because it helps pull from the knowledge
and wisdom of many, and allows people to help create web tools in
their own languages.
"At Google, our broader mission is to organise the world's information
and make it universally accessible and useful," Ashley Gorringe,
Marketing Manager for Google in Australia and New Zealand said. "An
important part of realising this mission is working to make sure that
people have access to information no matter where they are in the
world, or what language they speak."
"The translation of the Google homepage into Maori represents the
culmination of a tremendous effort on the part of the Maori language
volunteers, and has provided a wonderful new way for Maori speakers
the world over to connect with information and the global community
online."
The call for Maori translators to work on the project began in 2001
when Craig Neville Manning, Google's Head of Engineering in New York,
began coordinating with Dr. Te Taka Keegan. By 2006 over 68% of the
translations had been completed, and the New Zealand Māori Internet
Society put out the call for more volunteers. In June 2007, Potaua and
Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule begin facilitating the translations and
contacted Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori seeking their assistance. Wiha
Te Raki Hawea Stevens then began work translating the full list of
messages, and in April 2008 Dr Te Taka Keegan and Wareko Te Angina
began the final work of verifying the translations and checking them
for consistency.
During this time more than 1,600 terms and phrases, totalling 8,500
words, have been translated, allowing for the Google homepage, search
interface and search preferences to be viewed in te reo Maori.
"When we started, there was a collective desire to see Maori listed
amongst the more than one hundred language options for the Google
homepage and today, we have achieved that" said Mr Biasiny-Tule.
"It has been no easy feat, but with the support of Te Taura Whiri i te
reo Maori (Maori Language Commission) and leaders like Wiha Te Raki
Hawea Stevens, Ara Tai Rakena, Wareko Te Angina and Dr Te Taka Keegan,
this project is of the highest possible standard and is now ready for
launch."
The announcement was made at a launch event at Te Wananga o Aotearoa's
Taiwere Campus in Rotorua. Speakers at the launch included Huhana
Rokx, chief executive of Te Taura Whiri i te reo Maori, Ashley
Gorringe, Marketing Manager for Google in Australia and New Zealand,
Dr Te Taka Keegan from Waikato University and Hawea Vercoe, principal
of Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Rotoiti.
This stage of the Google Maori project was co-ordinated by husband and
wife team Potaua & Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule, who have been active in
developing online Maori communications since 2002.
"It is imperative to find resources that resonate with the next
generation of language users. The key is to find innovative ways to
attract them, thereby ensuring language sustainability," stated Mrs.
Biasiny-Tule. "Our hope is that Google in Maori is a profound step in
the journey towards the long term survival of te reo Maori."
Screenshots of the Google in Maori page and interface are available
here: http://picasaweb.google.com/press.cen...
For more information on Te Wiki o te Reo Maori 2008 please visit this
website: http://www.korero.maori.nz
For more information on the Google in Your Language program and
Google's language initiatives, please visit this blog post:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/0...
For more information please contact:
Potaua Biasiny-Tule -- Executive Director
07 345 8139
021 250 3521
pot...@tangatawhenua.com
http://www.tangatawhenua.com
David Griswold -- Google Inc.
+61 2 9374 4329
press-aus...@google.com
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