New Language Translation APP for East African Languages

Knowing and speaking native language (mother tongue) is of much significance for any body’s personal, social and cultural identity. As humans we have different goals to pursue and achieve. In pursuit of these goals individuals take up different methodologies to ensure that their short and long term goals are fulfilled. As a result others strive to excel academically, others exploit physical talents, and others decide to search for better life in foreign countries.

What Happens to Native language when People Migrate to Other Countries?

For people who move to other countries, their children have few chances of learning their parent’s native language. It is more common that children will be aliened to the foreign language and culture as will be learned through social interaction with mates.

Mr Ambrose Awici-Rasmussen is one of such people who left their country of origin to settle in a foreign country. Being a Ugandan who migrated to Norway about eight years ago, Ambrose Awici-Rasmussen realized that East African children who are in the Diaspora had a challenge of learning their East African languages. Consequently he decided to develop a smart phone language translation app called ”Safarini translator” to help translate English into some East African languages of Luganda, Kikuyu, Kiswahili and Langi (Leblango) languages

The app currently supports common English phrases such cow local known as ente in Luganda, Ng’ombe in Swahili, dyang in Langi and makia or ng’ombe in Kikuyu. Ambrose believes that language translation is very important in breaking the language barrier and enabling people learn both foreign and local languages.

According to Ambrose, “Communication among different groups of people is important. It units people if they are able to speak and understand one another. Language breaks barriers in communication which is the aim of this app. “I believe that language is not only the key to peace and unity, but to a good life. When I started working in Russia, one of the first things I did was to sit down for six months to learn Russian,” said Ambrose.

According to Ambrose, translation app makes language learning easier and convenient than moving with a book every time. “Language is an important aspect of development. In fact, research has proven that most people learn better in their native languages.

Why Chose Swahili, Luganda, Kikuyu and Langi?

When asked why he chose the languages that the app currently supports Ambrose had this to say;

“I decided to pick which languages are most widely spoken. Kiswahili is a language spoken across East Africa, Kikuyu is the largest tribal language in Kenya, Luganda is the most spoken language in Uganda. Much as Langi is not widely spoken in Uganda, I could not still avoid it because I would be unfair to myself if I did not include it and yet it is my mother tongue!”

To his fellow Ugandans Ambrose advised them to embrace and learn Swahili since it is to be the language of E.A.C to which Uganda is a member.