[Foundation-l] WMF 2015 strategic plan and multilingualism

Sat Mar 5 12:19:28 UTC 2011

http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Template:BLPLang is not currently
used at http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Movement_Strategic_Plan_Summary

This can be construed as the WMF wanting to reach the people of the
world to provide educational contents AND English-dominate them.

The fact that http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Communications_subcommittees/Trans#Core_set_of_languages
is now marked as "obsolete" disappoints me. It seems to mean that
multilingualism has been rejected.

Can the notion that a key document like a strategic plan is ready for
release when it exists in only one language be discussed ? Or is it
already too late ? Has multilingualism definitely lost the game ? For
example because most of the supporters of multilingualism have left
the management sphere of WMF.

If you look at Jay Walsh's user page on meta :
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jaywalsh you can find an indirect
acknowledgement that Canada is a multilingual country. Is
multilingualism worse off or better off in the Wikimedia Foundation
than it is in Canada ?

Should http://blog.wikimedia.org/ remain 100% English ? Why not have 1
or 2% of non-English with English translation ? 5 or 10% of
English-with-some-translation ? Which degree of openness to
non-English language should be shown on http://blog.wikimedia.org/ ?
What is the purpose of linking to the blog from non-English main pages
such as http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Portada anyway ?

Would it not be fairer to tell people "we have nothing pertinent in
your language on this website. Please learn English first and come
back. See you again" ?

Shouldn't a number of English-only contents be moved to the USA, UK,
Australia, etc. chapter websites ?