Windows XP available in Armenian version
Arminfo
2007-03-23 20:50:00
Under the auspices of the Armenian representative office of Microsoft
and the Armenian Government, BI LINE company finished the Armenian
localization of the Windows XP popular operation system and presented
it to journalists, Friday.
BI LINE’s President Hayk Khanjyan noted that the first experiment
turned out to be very hard for programmers: not only specialists but
also common ci tizens were involved in the work. "We had to invent new
terms, search for semantic analogues, and revive forgotten words from
Old Armenian," H.Khanjyan said. However, users may come across
questionable terms in the localized version, and the programmers are
ready to take into consideration all the offers of the users. Besides,
the programmers had to invent a new Armenian font – Tahoma Armenian,
as the Sylfaen font used by Microsoft was not suitable for screen
using.
According to Grigor Barseghyan, a Microsoft representative in Armenia,
the system’s translation into national languages contributed to
developing the IT-sphere and raising the social level of society in
various countries. Besides, localization will make computer
technologies available for the Armenian citizens who do not know
foreign languages, and contribute to the spread of computer
technologies in the general education sphere. At the moment, the
Windows – Vista and the Office 2007 package programs are being
localized, and Microsoft provides the programmers with appropriate
instruments for localization.
In his turn, Armen Grigoryan, a representative of the Armenian
Government, said that the executive power emphasizes the importance of
localization and noted that the Government is willing to assist
localization of other programs, too. Microsoft’s programs are the most
popular in Armenia, therefore they were the first to be localized,
Grigoryan noted.
The Armenification program is spread free of charge and it may also be
downloaded. However, only licence software can be localized.
According to G.Barseghyan, only 5% of Armenian users have licence
software.