🚀 go-pugleaf

Previously, I distributed the consolidated answers to a couple of questions
concerning "What are the most popular languages/minor languages for
localization?"

In addition, I appended several questions related to my perception of
the answers.  Here are more consolidated responses to those questions.

Jeff
INSOFT-L List Manager

*========================================================================*
 Jeff Bowyer                         EMail:
 Computing Center		     jbowyer@cis.vutbr.cz
 Technical University of Brno
 Udolni 19, 602 00 BRNO
 Czech Republic
*========================================================================*


Sender: Mike Kortelainen <mikak@microsoft.com>

Something that surprises me (I tried to keep quiet, but...)
Nobody has said anything about markets like Finland, Denmark, Norway,
Sweden (if I remember correctly, one person mentioned Scandinavia,
which actually is three or four separate markets, depending on your
point of view)-
Yes, I know they are small, but still, there are products being
localised for these markets, and I would have thought they'd been in
the minor languages lists.

	--Mika Kortelainen
	  Finnish localizer
	  Microsoft Ireland


Sender: PHIL@MASH.Colorado.EDU

Two comments:

    1.  Re Arabic script:
            I would think that Arabic script would be considered an alphabet,
            both because of its small number of characters (compared to, for
            example, Chinese or Japanese) and because the characters represent
            sounds.
            Although a letter in Arabic can have four forms (separate, initial,
            medial, and final), that fact doesn't mean that Arabic script is
            not an alphabet, just a more complex alphabet, which can probably
            be handled in 8 bits.

    2.  Re piracy:
            Though piracy may be rampant in the Chinese software market, a
            vendor could conceivably look at piracy-caused losses in such a
            potentially huge arena as an investment.  The more your software
            is spread, through whatever means, the greater your market share
            when the market finally comes of age.
            In fact, in order to try to insure the introduction of your own
            software, you might even make it available without charge in
            China.


Sender: Weiguo Li <@earn.cvut.cz:weiguo.li@cnlab.nci.CRN.CN>

I think the top 5 localized languages should include the Chinese language
because it is one of the official languages according to the UN definition,
It is also the most popular and frequently used around the world, and the
China market will be one of the largest software market all of the world.

Do you think so?

In my opinion, the 5 top localized languages are:

Chinese,
French,
German,
Spanish,
Japanese