Windows in Mapudungun released

If you have Windows XP, you can download the Mapudungun localization (Mapudungun is the language of the Mapuche people) here.

I don’t use Windows XP, so if anyone can download it and tell me how well it works, that would be welcome.

When you visit Microsoft’s download site, you read:

Windows® XP Mapudungun Peniewün kütxün Descripción rápida Kewün peniewün kütxün (LIP) Windows XP Professional gealu ka Windows XP Home Edition wüli kiñe pünekelu peniewün lof lef merkazogealu kam inayelelu.

I have no idea what it says, or what phonetic system (or whatever it’s called) they used. I also don’t know whether there was an official launch (I mean an event or ceremony).

This program was developed together with the Instituto de Estudios Indigenas (Institute of Indigenous Studies) of the Universidad de La Frontera, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education’s Intercultural Bilingual Education Program.

The IEI site says: (I’m transcribing it as is)

“Project “Interface for MS Windows and MS Office in Mapudungun”: Researchers: Eliseo Cañulef, Rosendo Huisca, Flor Caniupil, Graciela Cabral, Esther Chehuan.

With the support of the Ministry of Education’s National Intercultural Bilingual Education Program, the goal of this project was to create a basic Mapudungun vocabulary of 1,100 terms used by Windows XP and 1,100 terms used by Office 2003, and to translate into Mapudungun 29,000 terms used by Windows XP and 29,000 terms used by Office 2003, based on lists in Spanish provided by Microsoft.”

That site has the researchers’ email addresses, so you can ask them more about it.

I’m only reporting the news; I have no direct ties to Microsoft, much less to this program.

I’ll take this chance to answer Roberto Bahamonde Andrade, who writes to me:

Adkintuduamfin! (I want to see it!)

Well, Roberto, if you have XP you can see it for yourself.

Let’s remember that a little over a year ago this news drew criticism from the Mapuche community, including rejection by the Mapuche leader Aucán Huilcamán. In any case, this was an issue on which the Mapuche themselves were divided.