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Paradigm Shift: accessing scriptures in any language.
Paradigm International is collaborating with different interest groups to make scriptures (of any religion) available on all kinds of media. To be sure, Lingua® -our word-processor and translator is a veritable tool utilized in the process. Being the first multi-language word-processor, the first recipient of the "Best Commercially Viable Software Award" of NCS organized Nigerian Software Exhibition (NISE) in 2001 and, as recipient of several "Editor's Choice Award" and high ratings on international software download sites and magazines, Lingua is aptly suited for documenting scripture in Nigerian, African and other Languages.
We are presently assisting the Mobible Group towards making the Yoruba Bible available freely on Mobile devices and PDAs. You may visit http://wap.mobible.org to read the Bible in various languages on your mobile phone. We hereby call on religious scholars to ensure that their respective languages are represented at this forum. We would like to help make the softcopy of religious scriptures available for download in various local languages.
It will be recalled that a previous donation of Lingua to a UNESCO researcher, resulted in the book "IFA - A complete divination," the first compendium of all Ifa verses narrated and explained in both Yoruba and English languages. We recently donated a Multi-User License to the Human Development Initiatives, Lagos, which produces publications in several Nigerian languages for training, capacity building and human rights
advocacy for widows and the less privileged.
The preservation of any language depends on its speakers (and writers). Those who embrace a foreign language and culture and, discard their native tongue and customs have sentenced their nationality to extinction within the human race.
In this regard, we commend the Cross Rivers State First Lady, Mrs Onari Duke for initiating the integration of Efik and Kalabari languages into the
Lingua. This is a challenge to the various traditional rulers.
The federal and other state governments can equally do more to encourage the adaptation and usage of indigenous languages via ICTs.
We shall be collaborating with others for the African Localization Project.
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