Wales is a bilingual society where both Welsh and English are treated equally. Until now, software packages haven’t typically provided a user interface in Welsh, creating challenges for Welsh speakers and learners.
With the prevalence of Microsoft® software, the translation of their current desktop applications (Windows® XP and Office 2003) into Welsh is a key initiative in addressing this need.
Windows® XP and Office 2003
The Welsh Language Board and Microsoft® formed a partnership to undertake the project to localise these two sophisticated products for the Welsh language.
We teamed up with Wales’ most innovative translation company, Cymen. They approached us needing the help of a leading Welsh software company with a proven track record. We provided engineering, technical and project management support, drew on our experience in language support and interpreted technical areas to aid the translation process.
Throughout the project, we worked closely with our partners under the management of Microsoft and the Welsh Language Board. This provided unique challenges, such as working closely with technical teams in multiple locations, including Seattle, Dublin, Reading and Cardiff.
Language Control Centre
During the localisation project we obtained an ‘under the covers’ understanding of language management and interface switching on the Microsoft platform. This made us the obvious choice in 2006, when the Welsh Language Board wanted to make the Welsh language on the desktop even more useable and accessible. We were commissioned to develop the language control centre which can now be downloaded free of charge.
Outcome
As a leading software services company in Wales and the market leader in the development of multi-lingual user interfaces supporting Welsh, these projects provided an important opportunity for us to demonstrate our abilities.
They completed as all round successes and we continue to develop our partnership with Microsoft® and the Welsh Language Board to improve the level of support for the Welsh language in software and broaden our position in the Welsh market.
Welsh Language Interface Packs
To obtain the free Language Interface Packs for Welsh Windows and Office 2003, click here, for the Language Control Centre, click here.
