SETimes.comMicrosoft Releases Windows XP in Macedonian
12/05/2005
With the release of Macedonian-language versions of Windows XP and Microsoft Office, Macedonia becomes one of 50 countries in the world to have the software available in its native language.
By Zoran Nikolovski for Southeast European Times in Skopje -- 12/05/05
Microsoft released a Macedonian-language version of its Windows XP operating system last month, and the company announced it will also release Microsoft Office -- which includes Microsoft Word for text processing, Excel for tabular calculations, Power Point for presentations and Outlook for e-mail -- in Macedonian by late May. Macedonia has thus become one of about 50 countries to have Microsoft programmes in its native language.
Except for the brand names of some of the software products, which will keep their English names, all other items -- from the start menu to the lists of commands -- have been translated into Macedonian. Microsoft collaborated with well-known linguists and IT experts from Macedonia to prepare the translation.
The new releases are aimed at users who face a language barrier in using computers and the Internet, said Ilijanco Gagovski, Microsoft's director for Macedonia. The number of people over 40 in Macedonia who speak English is thought to be small, and that could be why only between 5 per cent and 15 per cent of Macedonians use the Internet, although polls show the number of computer users is higher.
The Macedonian-language software is part of a strategic agreement the company signed with the Macedonian government, aimed at boosting the use of its products in the country as well as halting the spread of pirated software. As part of the agreement, authorities installed about 6,000 licensed versions of Microsoft's software, at a cost of about 3m euros. The action was considered a first step in a programme to combat piracy and copyright violation -- an important issue affecting Macedonia's plans for eventual EU accession. A licensing operation Microsoft conducted in 2004 found that only 8,000 licensed versions of its Windows software were being used in Macedonia, out of 100,000 computers.
The Macedonian-language version of Windows XP will only operate from a legally activated copy of the operating system.