The European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages, www.ebul.org, says more than 40 million European citizens use a language other than their countrys official language on a daily basis. With access to the Internet relatively widespread, there is a remarkable lack of software for these so-called minority-language speakers.
Brave attempts have been made to address this. But without the support of large corporations like Microsoft (Word caters for 29 languages but not Irish) the Irish language has remained under-represented in the all-important world of computers. It is confined to a few software packages developed by small Irish companies.
That may be about to change though. In a move to excite Internet-using Irish-language enthusiasts everywhere, a Norwegian-based IT group, Opera Software AS, recently released an Irish-language version of its popular Internet browser. It is hoped a new version of the Opera for Windows browser (which is currently the third most-popular Internet browser after Microsofts Internet Explorer and Netscape) will promote the use of Irish in the Internet medium.
The Opera v4.03 browser was developed in co-operation with Project DART, a consortium of language groups, universities and the European Bureau of Lesser Used Languages. It comes ready to use in any one of four Celtic languages - Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Breton and Welsh.
The marriage of new technologies with the Irish language will give schools and universities the option of affording their pupils the means to work online in their own language.
Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO of Opera Software, says: Part of Opera's mission is to preserve cultural diversity and to make the Internet easily accessible to all. This release will lower the barrier to make use of the Internet for Celtic minority-speakers, and help the Celtic language flourish in the Information Age. There is no doubt of the importance the availability of such software has for the advancement of the Irish language. If supported by the Government and more importantly by the Department of Education, the distribution of such a tool to schools around the country will certainly encourage the relevance and use of the language on the Web as well as in the wider world of commerce.
Regarding the package itself, Opera is very small with the standard package weighing in at a little more than 2MB. This is remarkable, for a full installation of Internet Explorer Version 5.5 requires 111MB of hard disk space and a minimum installation requires 45MB. A complete installation of Netscape Communicator Version 4.7 requires 14MB on the hard disk.
Opera is fully compliant with Internet standards as laid out by the World Wide Web Consortium (otherwise known as W3C, the Web's governing standards authority).It is unlike the usual Netscape or Internet Explorer in that it offers the user the ability to view multiple documents within a single window and allows simultaneous access to multiple pages without slowing down the system's performance.
Priding itself on accessibility, Opera offers the user full keyboard navigation with single-key shortcuts for most browsing options. Allowing the user a high degree of flexibility, it has an adaptable interface with a zoom function allowing for increased text and image size, customisable colour combinations, customisable fonts, and customisable document settings - something which will benefit those with visual impairment.
Opera is also enabled for audio prompts, giving the user notice of reoccurring activities such as the completion of downloads.
The browser follows the conventional browser layout with easily identifiable buttons and a functional e-mail client as well as 128-bit SSL encryption. The e-mail client sits on the left and allows for easy sending and receiving of e-mail as well as the filtering of mail into folders of the user's choice. Next to the e-mail sits the bookmark editor, which allows easy access to the user's favourite sites.
The only drawback is the lack of support for Java and Shockwave plug-ins with the standard version of Opera. Access to sites featuring the above will require the user to install the relevant files manually. But a Java-enabled version of the package is available but is relatively large at 9MB.
Though the newer Opera for Windows 5.0 browser is not yet available in the Irish language, it contains news and e-mail clients, an integrated Web search and instant messaging functions, and it supports plug-ins. It is a 1.89MB download, with code to enable Java and Java plug-ins adding 7MB to the overall file size.
Opera v4.03 is available for download at $39 (£35) per copy from the Opera web site, www.opera.com/downloads/. A free and fully functional demonstration version giving the user 30 days of use is also available from the site.
Quite apart from the lack of software available online - with the noble exception of Opera - the Web has become an effective tool for research and learning, providing for the creation of vibrant online communities dedicated to the promotion of language, culture and the arts.
Sabhal M≤r Ostaig's site is one such resource. A college on the Scottish island of Skye, Sabhal M≤r Ostaig is a centre for learning through Scottish Gaelic. Its website www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/ also has an Irish language aspect and it has grown to become what could well be the most comprehensive of all Irish-language resources on the Web.
The site is easily navigable. It is valuable to academics and those with a general or even just a passing interest in the language. Under 24 subject headings, the site boasts links to hundreds of sites relating to anything from details of Irish language classes around the world to sites dedicated to the study of Classical Irish. This is definitely worth a visit.
The recent launch of Gaelport www.Gaelport.com, another Irish language portal site, has at last marked the Government's commitment to using the Web as a promotional as well as conservation tool.
Gaelport is the beginning of an initiative to provide a gateway to Irish-language related resources on the Web. The initiative hopes to facilitate the creation of a progressive online community made up of commercial interests and ordinal Internet users. Discussion rooms, forums, Internet shopping and articles of interest to Irish-language enthusiasts will gradually appear on the site.
Gaelport comes hot on the heels of Intercelt (www.intercelt.com), a portal site which concentrates on Irish-language leisure and tourism-related activities and provides research, marketing and other support to firms seeking to attract new customers.
Gaelport and Intercelt are both sponsored by Comhdhβil Nβisi·nta na Gaeilge, a Government-sponsored body overseeing the promotion and development of the language at local level - and now, proudly, and at last, at international level.
Eanna O Caollai is the Irish Language Editor of The Irish Times website, www.ireland.com. He can be contacted at eocollai@irish-times.com