Hi Gerard

Thanks for your mail.  

There are inspiringly passionate people writing in both Indic and English Wikipedias.  I'd urge you to look at both postings, i.e., the one for Participation and the one for Indic Initiatives in conjunction with each other - because that's how I'm looking at them. You'll notice that in the Indic Initiatives posting, online ambassadors for Indic languages are specifically called out.  It is specifically because the nuances and context and challenges of Indic Wikipedias are different from English - and I wanted to make sure we don't lose out out on the attention and capability that they require.  (Indeed, even within the various Indic Wikipedias, they are in different stages of evolution - so there isn't a broad brush for them.)

p.s. please don't be amazed that you can apply.  Apply!  Would love to have Wikimedians in the team - and am using this reply as a shameless plug to call for (even) more interest from the community!

Hisham Mundol

skype: hisham.wikimedia

twitter: @mundol

On May 8, 2011, at 6:43 PM, Gerard Meijssen wrote:

Hoi,
I read the opening for Consultant, Participation - India Programs. To my amazement I find that I can apply for this job. I think I qualify because I have ample qualification when it comes to Wikimedia, projects and what not. I am a well known Wikimedian in India because of my frequent writing about issues with supporting India for the WMF projects.

Given that the job states that the online ambassadors are to write in English only ... eh ... I can even do their training. But wait a moment, Hisham WHY English only ?? If you ask me the most passionate people about Wikipedia are the ones writing in the languages of India. Why may the languages of India not benefit from the ambassadors program ???

Hisham, when you hire me as the Consultant Participation, I will certainly train people in English but I promise you that I will tell people that the same techniques, the same abilities the students are learning apply equally to their mother tongue. You know Hisham, the people championing the languages of India would even welcome me because they know they can expect this of me. So even though I am European and have never been to India, I can apply for this job. What do you say?
Thanks,
       GerardM
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