The Welsh Language Board is delighted to announce that Microsoft SharePoint is to be made available in June with Welsh language support. A Language Interface Pack (LIP) for SharePoint will be available for download, free of charge, thanks to collaboration between Microsoft and the Welsh Language Board.
Representatives from Microsoft, the Welsh Assembly Government and Ysgol Gyfun Bryn Tawe will come together on the Welsh Language Board stand in the Urdd Eisteddfod on 27 May to celebrate this latest development in language technology.
Microsoft SharePoint is a highly advanced collaboration platform which, allows people to host websites, intranets for businesses and provide common learning platforms to share teaching materials and resources and connect the learning community. The software is used by organisations and businesses worldwide.
Launching the Welsh Language SharePoint today, Steve Beswick, Director of Education at Microsoft, said:
“ICT is increasingly being used to support and deliver a wide range of curriculum and school services through learning platforms for teachers and students, to help deliver real tangible benefits in student attainment and achievement. We are delighted that as part of our on-going commitment to Businesses and Education in Wales that we can now provide the Welsh language Support pack for Microsoft SharePoint. In Education it is so important for students and teachers to have technology they can use in the language they are most comfortable with, so they can truly concentrate on the learning experiences these technologies can offer.”
Meri Huws, Chair of the Welsh Language Board said:
“I would like to congratulate Microsoft on this latest step in developing Welsh language software. Information Technology is a central part of our daily lives – at school or college, at work and at home – and it is important that Welsh speakers can use the language on the computer, and become confident in using Welsh language technology from an early age.”
Jane Hutt, the Minister for Children, Education, lifelong learning and Skills, added:
“It is important that from a young age, everyone has the opportunity to develop core skills in IT through the medium of 
Welsh. The Assembly Government has recently launched a new Welsh medium education strategy - which allows young people to follow their chosen educational path through the medium of Welsh. This new software will be invaluable to those studying, working and socialising through the medium of Welsh"
One school who’s looking forward to put Welsh language SharePoint at work in classes is Ysgol Gyfun Bryn Tawe in Swansea. Julie Davies, a teacher at the school said::
“As a school and centre of excellence for Welsh medium education, we have always taken advantage of new Welsh language initiatives and resources. We are very excited to see a large IT company recognising and responding to the need for more resources in our first language. I believe Swansea Edunet which is based on SharePoint will improve communication within the school, and create an effective learning community for staff members and pupils.”
- Ends -
Notes for Editors
The launch take place 11:15-11:30 on Wednesday 27 May on the Welsh Language Board stand in Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yr Urdd, in Cardiff Bay. Interpretation and refreshments will be made available.
- Within the scope of the partnership announced today, a free Welsh Language Interface Pack has been produced for Microsoft Office SharePoint Services 2007.
- The free LIP for SharePoint 2007 translates a substantial portion of the user interface of the following programs: Microsoft SharePoint 2007.
- This Language Interface Pack follows previous work done as part of the Partnership between the Board and Microsoft, which produced free Welsh Language Interface Packs for Microsoft Office 2003 & 2007 and Windows XP and Windows Vista.
- All work undertaken as part of this project is fully funded by Microsoft.
The translation work is undertaken by the Cymen translation company of Caernarfon and project managed and quality assured by the Welsh Language Board.
- See www.byig-wlb.org.uk/technology for more information about the Board’s work with language technology and how you can use computers in Welsh today.
- For more information regarding Microsoft SharePoint, see: http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint/default.mspx
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential. For further information about Microsoft and education, visit www.microsoft.com/uk/education.
About the Welsh Language Board
The Welsh Language Board is a statutory organisation, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government . It was established in December 1993 under the terms of the Welsh Language Act. Its main function is to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language.
The members are appointed by the Minister for Heritage of the Welsh Assembly Government, and the Board has a staff of over 70. Under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the Board became answerable to the National Assembly, having previously been accountable to, and funded by The Welsh Office.
Put simply, the Board’s main aim is to make it easier for everyone to use Welsh in all walks of life, to increase people’s confidence in their ability to use the language, to encourage more people to speak, read or write it in new situations, and to pass on the language to their children.
The Board seeks to work in partnership with public sector bodies, private businesses and voluntary organisations, offering advice and resources to help service providers in to give a natural choice of language. More information regarding our strategic priorities and all our work is available on our website, also hosted on SharePoint, www.byig-wlb.org.uk.
About Microsoft Office SharePoint Server2007
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a single, integrated location where users can efficiently collaborate, search for information, manage content and streamline administrative procedures. Easily Integrated with existing ICT systems, it supports more informed decision making by helping staff easily access, report and share information.
Success in education relies on the effective sharing of knowledge. Office SharePoint Server 2007 helps schools build intranet sites that connect Students, Teachers, Parents and Admin staff in a new way, giving access to key educational content from a broad range of information resources quickly and easily, a connected learning community. Key applications can be integrated with digital dashboards and web parts to create portals with personalised content for students, teachers, parents and administrators. It encourages collaboration by means of portals that support document sharing and communication. Research, reports, news and announcements can be held in a central point of access. This can be easily searched and the results combined with queries across a variety of data repositories.
- Create and manage personalised sites, profiled for search, audience targeting and subject-matter expertise
- Add a layer of discoverability and manageability over previously disconnected sites
- Unite the institution and its people with extended collaboration components for Students, Teachers, Parents and Administrative staff
- Put relevant data at your fingertips and be more productive by having immediate access to up-to-date information
SharePoint is the foundation of the Learning Gateway and it benefits everybody:
Benefits for Pupils - Find, Use, and Share Information: Each pupil’s files, assessments, and homework can be securely stored and accessed from their individual Microsoft Learning Gateway portal site. Students can: Complete and submit assessments online. E-mail questions to teachers. Collaborate with others sharing photographs, videos, and project work. See when educators and fellow students are online and communicate in a secure environment. Customise their portal site.
Working for Teachers: The Microsoft Learning Gateway can be used to mark multiple-choice tests automatically, help teachers to assess each pupil’s progress, and monitor pupils’ learning according to each individual’s learning style. It provides easy-to-use communication features and shared documents that increase productivity, save time, and cut workloads. Teachers can use it to create, edit and distribute assignments to students. They can store students’ work, reports, lesson plans, and course materials in a central location.
Involving Parents: With a Microsoft Learning Gateway ICT solution in place, password-protected access can be extended to parents, providing up-to-the-minute information on students’ attendance, grades, assignments, timetables and upcoming events. Parents can participate directly in the learning process and visit discussion forums on the portal to share information and views with other parents and with teachers.
Administrator Benefits - Streamline and Simplify Administration.