Facebook Swahili version launched
The social-networking website Facebook has launched in Swahili, targeting more than 110m speakers of the language.A group of Swahili scholars launched the new version with the permission of the California-based internet firm.
Facebook use has spread over the past five years in East and Central Africa, where most Swahili-speakers live.
Analysts say a Hausa version could be launched next in West Africa and Zulu for southern Africa. Facebook already exists in Afrikaans.Symon Wanda, one of the project's initiators, said they wanted to launch a Swahili version to safeguard the future of the language
The youth, the future generation, if you look at the biggest percentage of users on Facebook, they are the youth," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
"They can easily navigate through when it's maybe a language they understand, which makes it easier to use the Swahili than to use the English.."
The BBC's Ruth Nesoba, in Nairobi, says the Swahili site has already been on trial for some time and word has spread quickly.Facebook's Simon Wanda says they have been monitoring the take-up and says more than 60% of Facebook users in East Africa are already using the Swahili version.
The bulk of Swahili-speakers live in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, parts of the Horn of Africa, Malawi, Mozambique and the Indian Ocean islands.Facebook already exists in some 50 language versions.
Hii kaazi kweli kweli, Face book kuwa kiswahili mmmmmh balaaaaa. Basi kiswahili kifanywe kiwe ndio lugha ya kuombea kazi pia. Dumisheni lugha kila mahali
ReplyDeletenimekwenda facebook kuangalia kama naweza kubadilisha language lakini sioni option ya swahili
ReplyDeletewadau nipeni info zaidi
wanaakili sana walowaza ivi
ReplyDeletekweli mana tunapoteza kabisa lugha hii adhimu kwa vijana wa kisasa!!
facebook=sura ya kitabu
wakati tunasoma shule za secondary tulikuwa na vitabu vetu vakuandika maswala yako similar na hii facebook nani anakumbuka vile vitabu vilikuwa vinaitwaje nimesahau lile jina ndo lingefaa kwa facebook
ReplyDeleteMkuu wa wilaya ya nanihii....tunaomba link ya hiyo version ya kimatumbi.
ReplyDeleteWamatumbi tulishiriki katika mchakato huo au jamaa zetu wa Nairobi walitupiga bao kama kawaida? Tunatamba sisi ndio Waswahili lakini yawezekana zinapotokea nafasi za ulaji kwa Uswahili Wakenya wanaonekana wako juu zaidi.
ReplyDeleteFacebook ni sura ya kitabu au kitabu cha sura?
George Orwell- The Big Brother is Watching You Year 1984.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! targeting 110m speakers?! Africa nzima watumiaji wa internet ni 54,171,500 (54.2M)tu kwa statistics za march 2009. (www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm)
ReplyDeleteTanzania 400.000 (2007)
Kenya 3.000.000 (2007)
Uganda 2.000.00 (2007)
(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2153rank.html)
Hao 104M + watatoka wapi?
nenda settings, then palipoandikwa translate facebook. hapo ndio kuna kiswahili.Kiswahili cha facebook kinachekesha, profile= umbo, inbox=kasha, send=sambaza!
ReplyDeleteenjoy...
Hili wazo nizurisana kwani kwa mawazo mko powa,Ila sasa hata swala llabure ambalo wamarekani watafurahia kujitangaza liwe la domo kaya?Tulioko katika ya kiingereza mwatushauri nini????????{MDAU}
ReplyDeletenaifagilia hiyo facebook kwa kiswahili. mpo juuuu
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/translations/?auth_token=6f892c8baf22eb40bf02859f9bff71b1&installed=1
ReplyDeleteYou have to authorize 'Translation' application and then select Kiswahili in the language drop-down. Once done, the Facebook page becomes Kiswahili and you can add to discussions and vote/suggest for language-translation change.
I don't think its yet official, thats why its not on Settings ->Language as selection to change.
Facebook na hi5 nani zaidi?
ReplyDelete