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Free software for minorities in Turkey in their own languages
Ozcan Oguz, Alper Atmaca
In Turkey, along the Anatolia, more than 25 languages are spoken. Our organization, Özgür Yazılım Derneği (Free Software Association of Turkey), wanted to translate our Web site and works to Anatolian languages including Kurdish, Zazaki, Lazuri, and Homshetsi. Through conversations with culture institutes and associations, we learned that Anatolian minorities, who are also enduring repressive assimilation policies, are not able to use their devices with their own languages.
Free software and freedom philosophy gives a ray of hope to Anatolian minorities. We are “freeing the future” by translating and documenting GNU/Linux, GNOME, Firefox, LibrePlanet, and perhaps Android/Replicant to their languages, as well as Wiktionary and Wikisource, to help them keep their languages alive.