LHASA TECH COMPANY COMMERCIALIZES TIBETAN LANGUAGE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CHENGDU 000254 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON KIPR CH SUBJECT: LHASA TECH COMPANY COMMERCIALIZES TIBETAN LANGUAGE E-DICTIONARIES REF: CHENGDU 87 CHENGDU 00000254 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Tibet Luozang Digital S&T Co., founded by an ethnically Tibetan computer science professor at Tibet University, produces two innovative Tibetan-Chinese-English electronic dictionary and language learning machines. Professor Luozang, who holds four PRC patents on his electronic dictionary designs, discussed his work October 22 with PolEconOffs. Luozang's work has been strongly supported by the Chinese central government's 15-year old program to make it easier to use the Tibetan language on computers, and by grants from the Science and Technology (S&T) Bureau of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Luozang expects that the product will help Tibetans become more proficient in both Chinese and their native Tibetan. End Summary. Tibetan-Chinese-English Electronic Dictionary Locally Designed -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) Professor Luozang's Tibetan-Chinese-English e-dictionary and Tibetan language learning machine and his recently founded Tibet Luozang Digital S&T Co. are the fruit of one decade's work in the Chinese government's program on computerization of the Tibetan language, and of his research years in the United States at the University of Virginia and elsewhere. Luozang (who uses only one name) graduated in computer science from Qinghai Normal University in 1994, whereupon he moved back to the TAR and become a teacher at Tibet University. After attending a summer course on networking technology at the Chinese University of Electronic Science and Technology in Chengdu, he set up the first Tibetan language website in the TAR at Tibet University. As a visiting scholar at Nanjing University in 2000 - 2001, he developed a Tibetan-Chinese-English three-way dictionary and a Tibetan dictionary that ran in software. Luozang has been involved in the Chinese government's efforts to develop a national standard for computer code representation of the Tibetan language since ¶1993. In addition, he has worked on various problems in Tibetan language computing, including Tibetan language fonts, databases, electronic maps with Tibetan language text, and Tibetan language text input. ¶3. (U) Luozang spent four years of work-study at the University of Virginia from 2004 - 2008, where he earned an MA �A;in information technology and designed Tibetan and Chinese language data retrieval systems for the university library. While in the United States, the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. introduced Luozang in September 2005 to visiting President Hu Jintao as an outstanding young Chinese researcher. Luozang returned to Tibet University in March 2008. Luozang's achievements were celebrated in a June 2009 Tibet Commercial News report article (URL at tinyurl.com/luozang-tibetarticle ). Luozang currently teaches a course in Tibetan on Tibetan language computing as well as other courses in the Chinese langauge. Tibet Luozang S&T Co. Founded by Returned Scholars -------------- -------------- ¶4. (U) Luozang in June 2008 along with other students who had returned from study abroad founded the Tibet Luozang Digital Science and Technology Company (website URL at www.tibetweb.net/ ) and registered it in Lhasa as a small business. The company has thus far won four patents from the State Intellectual Property Office of the PRC. The company has already marketed three Tibetan-Chinese-English electronic products: -- An electronic trilingual Tibetan-Chinese-English dictionary which sells for RMB 1200 (USD 175). The e-dictionary contains many Tibetan and bilingual general and specialized dictionaries. -- The "Tibetan-Chinese-English" learning machine, which was marketed for RMB 1700 (USD 250) in October 2009, which runs on Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system. The Learning Machine contains Tibetan, Chinese, and English language study materials from the PRC national curricula, a dictionary, and a function that pronounces words and phrases in both the Lhasa and Amdo dialects of the Tibetan language. CHENGDU 00000254 002.2 OF 003 -- Software that enables computers running the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, by far the most popular operating system in the PRC, to use the Microsoft Himalaya Tibetan language input system. (Note: More recent Microsoft operating systems, including Vista and Windows 7 include native support for Microsoft Himalaya language font and not need to use this software.) ¶5. (SBU) Subsidies from the Chinese government help bring the prices of the e-dictionaries down by several hundred RMB so they can be more affordable to Tibetan students. Luozang said that thus far 2000 units of the Tibetan-Chinese-English Electronic dictionary, which was marketed in late 2008, have been sold. The software and design are developed by the Tibet Luozang S&T Company in Lhasa, while production is handled by a company in Shenzhen. ¶6. (SBU) The company has nine full-time employees and some part-time workers. Luozang himself is a part-time employee since the company is a sideline from his day job at Tibet University, where he teaches computer science to undergraduates and graduate students. Luozang continues to apply for and receive assistance from a number of government organizations, including the TAR Education Department, the TAR Financial Department, the TAR S&T Bureau, as well as the TAR Committee on Reform and Development. Thus far, the TAR S&T Bureau has provided 270,000 RMB (USD 34,000) in support of development of the company's products. Luozang plans to go the United States in December 2008 to make agreements with bookstores that will market the company's products in the United States. Luozang Products Benefit from Ongoing Language Input Standardization -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The widespread adoption of the Microsoft Himalayan Tibetan language input system, and native support for the system in the most recent two releases of Windows, has made computing in Tibetan much easier than it was earlier, when Tibetans used a variety of less functional and mutually incompatible Tibetan text input applications programs. (Note: The development of input methods for Tibetan had been complicated by its complicated writing system, borrowed from Sanskrit, that vertically stacks certain letters to make word components and from a history of competing transliteration systems making input using the Roman alphabet challenging. End Note.) E-mail and website use in Tibetan has become much easier over the last several years as the use of this input system has spread in Tibetan areas of China (reftel). According to a February 2009 Lhasa Daily report (at URL tinyurl.com/gangjie),the TAR government ordered government cadres to use a separate software package developed at Tibet University named Gangjie, which uses the same internationally accepted standard Tibetan character codes. According to the report, Gangjie is an alternative to the flood of many Tibetan language input software packages from outside China used in the TAR. An online notice about training in Tibetan language computing in Chamdo, TAR (at URL http://tinyurl.com/tibetan-software ) mentions other Tibetan language software packages developing in China, including a Tibetan language version of Red Flag Linux and the Shanghai NeoShine Tibetan office software developed by the China Standard Software Corp. and Tibet University. For Fear of Pirates, No Software Version of the Trilingual Electronic Dictionaries -------------- -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Luozang told PolEconOff that the company has no plans to market software products that provide the same functionality as its hardware products. "If I did this, the pirates would get it, my company would be left without any income and just collapse," Luozang said. ConGen Chengdu Warmly Welcomed in Its October 22 Visit CHENGDU 00000254 003.2 OF 003 -------------- -------------- ¶9. (SBU) PolEconOffs visited the Tibet Luozang Digital S&T Co. on October 22. Many company employees, including Luozang, wore traditional Tibetan dress and large banners in Chinese welcomed the Consulate's visit. PolEconOff, who was greeted by Luozang, electronic dictionary in hand, as the Consulate group entered the company office asked Luozang questions in Tibetan about the company's products. The conversation and the visit were recorded by the company on video tape and film. (Pictures of the visit are at URL tinyurl.com/luozangvisit ) Luozang said that his company's main aim is to produce products useful to society; they cannot hope to make a great deal of money in the small Tibetan language market. Luozang said that the software and dictionaries are being improved and new functions are being added. For example, the third major Tibetan dialect, Khamke, will be added to the Tibetan learning machine's Tibetan text pronunciation function. ¶10. (SBU) Luozang offered three of the Tibetan Learning Machines to the visitors from ConGen Chengdu. PolEconOff declined the gifts, saying that "Our disciplinary commission is tougher than yours," eliciting a smile from the accompany FAO officer who is a Communist Party member. (Note: The disciplinary commission of the Chinese Communist party and local party committee counterparts are charged with preventing and prosecuting cases of corruption among communist party members. End Note.] PolEconoff bought a copy of the Tibetan Learning Machine and a computer keyboard marked in the Tibetan alphabet for the going prices while the company video cameraman taped the purchase. ¶11. (SBU) Two Xinhua journalists who did not declare themselves also attended the meeting. ¶12. (SBU) Comment: Strong support for the computerization of the Tibetan language and now this inexpensive Tibetan-Chinese-English dictionary are a positive side of the PRC's policy towards Tibet. The Chinese government is now struggling with the implications of greater online use of Tibetan, as enforced vacations for some Tibetan language websites and the recent ban on Tibetan language messaging on QQ, China's most popular instant messaging service shows. PolEconOff has found the Luozang Trilingual dictionary helpful in studying Tibetan. The Tibetan-English dictionaries are much less useful than the Tibetan-Chinese dictionaries. Although improvements are still needed in the dictionaries, it is already, especially the Tibetan language pronunciation function, helpful for foreign students of Tibetan and for Tibetans studying Chinese, as many rural Tibetans have inadequate Chinese and Tibetan language skills. This and other Tibetan language information technology products can help. This product and its descendants will likely prove helpful to students, especially as improvements in technology and perhaps also TAR government subsidies make it more affordable to Tibetan students. The Luozang company is small and may benefit from finding a technologically powerful partner. BROWN