NAIROBI, Dec. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- In a major step aimed at allowing many Kiswahili speakers to experience personal computing in their home language, computer software maker Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled Kiswahili version of its flagship software product Office 2003.

    The launch of the Kiswahili software will target about 150 million speakers of the language in the world, Microsoft East Africa General Manager Isaiah Okoth told reporters in Nairobi.

    He said users of genuine versions of Microsoft Office 2003 can localize their interface by installing a Language Interface Pack (LIP) that may download for free from the web.

    It turns Microsoft Office -- including World, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint -- from English into Kiswahili, Okoth said.

    "We see this as a turning point for us as technology plays suchan important part in our lives here in the region. When computers are easy-to-use and relevant they can be embraced far more widely and used far more effectively," said Okoth.

    "This is truly momentous occasion - it is the first time that Microsoft has put the tools in the hands of local people to help develop a localized version of a software application," he added.

    Okoth said the newly-developed programs are product of close totwo years work by Kiswahili experts from East and Central Africa.

    Microsoft's East Africa localization manager, Patrick Opiyo, said the software was meant to bridge the digital divide between developed nations and emerging markets, besides preserving the African culture.

    Before the software was developed, said Opiyo, Kiswahili experts from East and Central Africa translated over 700,000 wordsin Windows and Office software while close to 70,000 words were translated in the help manuals.

    The software, he added, would help standardize Kiswahili acrossthe region since it has been accepted by experts from a majority of the countries that use the language.

    Opiyo said a Kiswahili glossary containing the words used in the programs and their meanings would also be distributed by the software maker free of charge to assist the users in different areas.

    However, he said that the software would be updated from time to time to ensure that it met the needs and demands of the users at all times.

    Headed by Prof. Kulikoyela Kahigi of the University of Dar es Salaam, a team of linguistics experts collaborated to create a glossary of over 3,000 Kiswahili words for common computers terms.

    "Based on our experience in other parts of the world, this could bolster the already sweeping changes being seen in the way governments communicates with and serve their citizens," said Okoth.

    "The opportunities are endless. The government can now pursue adigital access strategy where previously it did not make sense -- this creates completely new opportunities for government to be more efficient in responding to citizens' needs," he added.

    He said the Kiswahili version of Microsoft Windows would be launched next year in mid January.

    The localization program is a project under the Microsoft's Local language Program (LLP), which was formally launched by the company in 2004. Enditem