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

[Jussi-Ville Heiskanen]

Jussi-Ville Heiskanen wrote:
> Jimmy Wales wrote:
>> 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.
>>
>>     

I think you are really being too humble here in not mentioning
the fact that despite being a native speaker of *the* global "lingua
franca" you have yourself made an effort to "talk the extra mile"
and learn other languages.

>> 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
>>     

At your service,

Jussi-Ville Heiskanen