[Foundation-l] 80% of our projects are failing

[Jimmy Wales]

Geni wrote:
>>> "The mission of the Wikimedia Foundation is to empower and engage
>>> people around the world " first line of the mission statement. By
>>> actively promoting minority languages you lock more people into them
>>> which is not consistent with trying to empower them.

I wrote:
>> I do not share geni's views at all.

Thomas Dalton wrote:
> It doesn't seem that anyone does...


I should add at the same time that I think that it is a good thing for 
people to try to learn a relevant global language in addition to their 
local language, with the choice depending upon personal context.

In many parts of the world and for many people, English is an excellent 
choice of a second language.  In other parts of the world (Francophone 
Africa for example), French is an excellent choice.  Chinese might be 
good for some people.  Russian for others.  Hindi for others.  There are 
many variables.

And I hope that Wikipedia is helpful to people both in learning about 
the facts of reality (usually most comfortably done in your mother 
tongue) and in learning another language.  I don't see these goals as 
being in competition at all, but rather mutually reinforcing.

--Jimbo