Open Source Goes Gaelic

Trevor Tsang writes “Open source office software which has been translated into Gaelic using public funds is to be made freely available to schools in Scotland.

A beta version of the OpenOffice suite specially adapted to the Gaelic language was launched on 2 June.

The open source software was said to have performed well in trials at a school in North Lanarkshire, Central Scotland, with the final product due to be distributed to Gaelic language schools in the Autumn.

The translation project was funded by the Scottish Executive government through the education body, Learning and Teaching Scotland.

LT Scotland’s chief executive Bernard McLeary, described the move as “an important stage in the development of the use of ICT within Gaelic education.”

While OpenOffice has been localised into various languages, it is the first time that the software has been available entirely in Gaelic.”