Meet <PERSON> and <PERSON>, Editors of Global Voices in Malagasy · Global Voices
<PERSON> and <PERSON>. Photo used with their permission
Project Lingua's Global Voices in Malagasy, which is the official language of Madagascar, is one of the most active Global Voices translation teams. Created in 2007, the project has produced more than 6,500 translations so far. All GV Malagasy translators and editors reside in Madagascar.
In this interview conducted by Global Voices Lebanese author <PERSON>, Global Voices in Malagasy editors <PERSON> and <PERSON> talk about themselves and their efforts to bring world news to the so-called Red Island in the Indian Ocean.
Global Voices (GV): Please introduce yourselves.
<PERSON> (MA): My real name is <PERSON>, but everyone knows me as <PERSON> online. I’m an employee of a large company in Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar. I am a father of three daughters. The two eldest (<PERSON> and <PERSON>) are already members of the GV Lingua Malagasy team, while my youngest (13 years old) is practicing by translating what she can and helping her sisters.
<PERSON> (ZO): My name is <PERSON>, my pseudonym online is <PERSON> [in English, this means “gentile.” In Hebrew, “Goyim.”] – in Malagasy, it can also mean “gentle”. As I've written in my bio on Global Voices in Malagasy, I'm a blogger since early 2006 and I write only in academic Malagasy (with no French or English words). I was born and live here in Madagascar. In my personal blog (VETO=Vaovao Eto an-TOerana – Local News), I strive to inform all Malagasies and anyone who knows or is studying the Malagasy language about what is going on in the country. My blog was awarded with a BOMB (Best of Malagasy Blog) Award in 2007 in the category of Malagasy language. Here at Global Voices, I try to translate international stories into Malagasy. But I'm not a journalist! I'm doing it to promote the Malagasy language even though I don't always share the same point of view expressed in some of these stories.
GV: How did you come across Global Voices ?
<PERSON>: I love writing since I was a young student. But it was only in October 30, 2007 at 07:58 that I got Internet access at home and created my first blog on Skyrock (http://avylavitra.skyrock.com/). At that time, it was just a photo blog. 550
Later, I chose to write and report with pictures as much as possible, instead of just telling stories. I created three other blogs on WordPress, but the one which is the most read is Gazetyavylavitra. It won the Best of Malagasy Blogs award in 2009. I believe what my friends noticed the most is the quality of Malagasy language I use and the content of my writing, so they decided to ask me to work with GV. <PERSON> and <PERSON> contacted me to become a translator first. <PERSON>) also convinced me to do it.
<PERSON>: In early 2007, Global Voices author <PERSON> invited me to join GVO French, but I gently refused arguing that I would accept if the task was to translate from English into Malagasy. Before that, I knew nothing about Global Voices. Months after that first exchange, <PERSON> invited me again, but this time to join GV in Malagasy and I accepted. I was among the first to join GV in Malagasy since its beginning. That is one of reasons I accepted to join to Global Voices Community.
<PERSON>: Can you tell us a bit about GV in Malagasy?
<PERSON>: My first translation for GV dates back to March 10, 2008. Now I have translated 1,208 posts. I haven't counted the number of posts I have also edited. Over these years with GV Malagasy, I feel that <PERSON> and I are doing our best to make it work: translating from English to Malagasy so that Malagasy people can have access to international news. News about culture, way of life, development, politics, economics, etc. One needs to make new discoveries in order to compare and improve.
GV in Malagasy is currently one of the most active GV Lingua projects. 926