Interview: Aynu Localization Team
2004-05-05
Last month, HIRANO Kazunari 通知するd the Native-Lang 連合 that Aynu localization had begun. Aynu is the language spoken by the Aynu (or Ainu), the indigenous people of Japan, 特に its 最北の island, Hokkaido. As Mr. Hirano pointed out, the localization 成果／努力 is important, both for technical and social 推論する／理由s. To me, it 論証するs やめる 明確に OpenOffice.org's ability to 橋（渡しをする） differences and give 発言する／表明する to silences, to 供給する all people the 道具 that enables them to engage on equal 地盤 with others. Below, is a 簡潔な／要約する interview I 行為／行うd 経由で email in English late last April.
Tell us about your team, who is on it, how they got together....
YOKOYAMA Hiroyuki: Mr. Hirano started this 事業／計画（する）. He sent me an e-mail to ask me to 協力する in creating an OpenOffice.org Aynu 見解／翻訳／版. I agreed. Then I asked Mr. Tazawa to 協力する on the 事業／計画（する） because I was 熟知させるd with his 技術 for the language in an Aynu speech contest. He agreed. Although I am not Aynu, I am a member of the Aynu PEN CLUB, a voluntary organization which both Aynu people and 非，不，無-Aynu people can join. The organization publishes the Aynu Times, an Aynu newspaper, for the rehabilitation of the Aynu language. I help make this newspaper. For example, here are my articles in Aynu and Esperanto: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~hel/JOKO/miaarti.htm.
HIRANO Kazunari: Yokoyama-san has told all about how the Aynu localization team was formed. They go to Aynu language classes 近づく their 場所s. They give themselves Aynu 指名するs, Yokoyama "Kumanesir," and Tazawa "Aysirosi." "Kumanesir (kuma-ne-sir)" is an Aynu 場所 指名する, which literally means "Crossbar 形態／調整d Mountain (乾燥した，日照りのing 政治家 - copula - mountain)." "Aysirosi" was a "示す carved on the tip of a bamboo arrow to show proof of one's 所有権." I am not yet. I have little knowledge about Aynu. I would like to learn it hard and give myself an Aynu 指名する in 未来. We are 招待するing Aynu people to join this 事業／計画（する） and other people who are 利益／興味d in it.
Why Aynu?
TAZAWA Takashi: There are three main 推論する／理由s for me to think that it is important to make Aynu localization of OpenOffice.org a success.
First, this 事業／計画（する） is very important and 緊急の to move ahead on the struggle for 自治 of the Aynu people. As you may know, the Japanese 政府 has not given an 公式の／役人 承認 to their 民族の 身元. The history 供給するs incontestable 証拠 that their ancestors 苦しむd 迫害 and 差別 from their neighbors, Japanese. To 設立する their ethnical 身元 not only in Japan but also all over the world, the success of this 事業／計画（する） is 絶対 imperative, I believe.
Second, this 事業／計画（する） will 生成する a 広大な／多数の／重要な hope to the other people whose languages are the most 危うくするd along the 太平洋の Ocean. Even if an 民族の group that does not have any characters or letters, they should have the 権利s to enjoy the 利益 of the 進歩 of コンピューター化. They can build up their own self-信用／信任. They should not を煩う a 広げるing gap between the （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状）-rich and the （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状）-poor in the age of コンピューター化.
Third, this 事業／計画（する） will enable the Aynu people to 生き返らせる their language, the 核心 構成要素 of their culture. Recently the number of the Aynu language learners is 増加するing. It is undoubtedly difficult to 生き返らせる a culture once almost lost. But a lot of the Aynu people have never given up the 復活 of their culture. Not a few people has done their best to keep their dream come true some day.
There will be a lot of 障害s to realize their dream. But it is doubtless that the success of this 事業／計画（する） makes their dream a reality.
YOKOYAMA: Because I am an Esperantist, I regard the language 権利s and the language 多様制 as important: the human 権利s to enjoy the language of one's own choice (LANGUAGE RIGHTS) and the language variety as 不可欠の source of 濃縮すること for human (LANGUAGE DIVERSITY). Just for 言及／関連, here is Prague Manifesto of the movement for the international language Esperanto. http://www.uea.org/info/angle/an_manifesto_prago.html
Aynu are the indigenous people in Hokkaido, Sakhalin and so on. As I am a member of the Hokkaido Esperanto League, it is natural for me to work with Aynu people on activities 関心ing Aynu language.
My biggest 推論する／理由, why Aynu, is that I myself am very 利益／興味d in it. Aynu culture embraces the symbiosis of human and nature, which people today almost forget. Just for 言及／関連, here is an explanation for Aynu culture. http://www.ainu-museum.or.jp/english/english.html.
HIRANO: I want to 証明する that OpenOffice.org can be localized with any spoken language, even if they didn't have their 初めの letters or they have very few native （衆議院の）議長s.
What are the difficulties that you've 遭遇（する）d in localizing OpenOffice.org (OOo) to Aynu?
TAZAWA: We do not have enough knowledge or experience to 遂行する this 事業／計画（する）. Moreover, we are now 苦しむing a 厳しい 不足 of 協力者s. It is true that we are placed in the same 状況／情勢 of Don Quixote. Although we are in the same 使節団 of philosophy, we 批判的に 欠如（する） the necessary number of 協力者s.
YOKOYAMA: Aynu is the people who are losing their own language because of the 統合，差別撤廃 政策 of the Japanese 政府 since the Meiji 時代. Recently there is a tide in the world to 保護する the 権利s of indigenous people. In the 国際連合 a 審議 proceeds on "草案 国際連合 宣言 on the 権利s of Indigenous Peoples, E/CN.4/Sub.2/1994/2/追加する.1 (1994)". に引き続いて such a 世界的な tide, a 国会 man from Aynu and other people 関心d made 成果／努力s to 制定する "行為／法令／行動する for the 昇進／宣伝 of Aynu Culture & Dissemination of Knowledge Regarding Aynu Traditions (1997)" which became a 法律 recently. But the 法律 only 焦点（を合わせる）s on their culture. It does not really 演説（する）／住所 "the indigenous 権利s". I hope that "国際連合 宣言 on the 権利s of Indigenous Peoples" be 解決するd in the U.N and 批准するd by the Japanese 政府. Then the 状況／情勢 regarding Aynu would be 改善するd.
草案 国際連合 宣言 on the 権利s of Indigenous Peoples, E/CN.4/Sub.2/1994/2/追加する.1 (1994). http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/TestFrame/31dbf0b76b02b9db8025672b005df92d?Opendocument
行為／法令／行動する for the 昇進／宣伝 of Aynu Culture & Dissemination of Knowledge Regarding Aynu Traditions in JAPAN (1997) http://www.frpac.or.jp/english/zaidan/e_law.html
As a language of indigenous people, Aynu language has not developed along with 近代化 because of the 統合，差別撤廃 政策 and 差別. It has almost no modern 条件, 含むing those for computer terminology. It is very difficult to translate such 条件 into Aynu because we cannot find 権利 words which fit to 条件 of 使用者 interface with ソフトウェア such as OpenOffice.org.
What elements in OOo made (or make) the localization easier?
HIRANO: Functionally OpenOffice.org has got a good localization 枠組み 含むing a 道具 "localize." Even if it is buggy a bit, "localize" can 抽出する all 条件 which should be translated as a GSI とじ込み／提出する. (I still don't know why it is called GSI). Translating it, anyone can localize OpenOffice.org with his or her mother language. And we have the 広大な／多数の／重要な OpenOffice.org community. I learn a lot from the 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） such as dev@l10n and dev@native-lang. Of course l10n Web pages and the IssueZilla help. Localization (l10n) 事業／計画（する）s are led by the very 価値のある developers who advise us, give us （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） and point us to 資源s.
Where should there be 改良s?
TAZAWA: We are in 悲惨な need of help from all people on the globe. 特に from 民族の groups who have 完全に different value 概念 from European and American countries. We want to learn from 追跡（する）ing and fish catching 民族の groups if we can.
Of course, as a 事柄 of first 優先, we must be 専門家s in some field 関心ing this 事業／計画（する）. We are three now. Mr. Hirano guides us in the proper direction. Mr. Yokoyama supports us with rich knowledge and experience on 計算するing and the Aynu language. I do translations. Nonetheless, we need help from all over the world.
HIRANO: A ja.oo.o member has 設立する that the “localize” 道具 is programmed with C++. He says it can be better written by perl. Are we continue using it for localization? 抽出するing 条件, translating them and putting them 支援する? Isn't there a better way to do?
Aynu language doesn't have ISO codes. Should we depend on ISO codes to localize OpenOffice.org? I think localization 道具s and buildability need 改良.
YOKOYAMA: Aynu localization is in an 実験の 段階, far from stable. We are doing what we think we can. As for the language code, which Hirano-san について言及するd, we are asking the Japanese 基準s 協会 a proper 議定書 to 適用する and request for ISO codes. 現在／一般に in Japan the Japanese 基準s 協会 取引，協定s with ISO639-1 and ISO639-2, which are discussed in the ISO TC37 委員会.
How have the OOo teams helped? Where would you like more help?
YOKOYAMA: We want to learn from other localization teams, who paraphrased the 使用者 interface 条件 with simple and 理解できる words for themselves or created new words for them.
HIRANO: I 抽出するd the 使用者 interface 条件 from the source and put them on the Web, where our team members can see anytime. Also I put parts of them to the Wiki as a localization workspace where our team members can work anytime. But they are not 十分な. I know some native-lang 事業／計画（する）s introduce a Web translation 道具 and an （太陽，月の）食／失墜-enabled 道具. Both of them are not 平易な to get 任命する／導入するd and used. It would be 高く評価する／（相場などが）上がるd if their 取り付け・設備 始める，決めるs and documentation are 用意が出来ている.
Finally, what do you see for the 未来?
TAZAWA: If the Aynu people can use OpenOffice.org in an 効果的な manner, it will be a 広大な／多数の／重要な 資源 for them to make their dream come true, that is, the 復活 of their culture. Late on in the 近づく 未来, they will be able to 遂行する their 自治. For that 目的, the localization 事業／計画（する） of OpenOffice.org is 必然的な in this （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） age.
YOKOYAMA: Not only Aynu but any indigenous people on the globe can choose a language they want to use, enjoy and develop it without 苦しむing 差別. This is my wish.
HIRANO: Tens of Hundreds of localized 見解／翻訳／版s of OpenOffice.org....
Thank you all for your time and 成果／努力!
