Northern Sami Completed, Opera Released in 42 Languages
Oslo, Norway – Jan 14, 2003
Opera Software today released Opera 6.05 for Windows in a language version for Northern Sami, the most widely-spoken of the Sami languages.
Opera may only be the Web’s third most popular browser, but it’s certainly the most translated browser of the “Top Three”. Opera 6.05 for Windows has been released in 42 languages, compared to 25 for Internet Explorer, and just 23 for Netscape(1).
“Our most treasured cultural heritage is our language, and we want to provide that little extra help that smaller linguistic groups need to prosper as a cultural entity in an electronic information age,” says Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software ASA. “As globalization and electronic communication accelerates, providing software in local languages is extremely important. With today’s release we celebrate the Sami heritage, and help lower the barrier to using the Web for the Sami people.”
The Sami community is excited about getting a browser in their own language.
“Neither the government nor businesses have seriously addressed Sami needs in software development. Now a Norwegian software company demonstrates that support for Sami languages in applications is foremost a question of trying. Opera’s Sami browser is an important contribution in bringing visibility to the Sami language,” says Sven-Roald Nysto, president of the Sami parliament. “I hope today’s occasion is a first step in a development where the IT industry actively contributes in maintaining the Sami languages. Increased use of Sami on the Internet is crucial for the future of our language.”
Preserving cultural diversity online is one of Opera’s core values; fleshed out in the guiding principles for the company. Read more about Opera’s vision.
Download the language file for Opera 6.05 for Windows in Northern Sami from our download pages.
Editor’s Note:
(1) Source of number of translated versions of Internet Explorer and Netscape:
- http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/worldwide/ie6sp1downloads.asp
- http://wp.netscape.com/intl/download/?cp=dowint