[Ubuntu-ch] Language

[Philipp Gassmann]

I was quite a bit angry when I read this language-discussion. On one 
side you want to be near the User, reach new Users... on the other you 
are building a gap to nearly all of the swiss population by using english.

If you want to reach a normal User you have to adress him in his 
language! I absolutely never would refer a new Swiss user to a english 
mailing list. In my "Introduction to Ubuntu" i included ubuntuusers.de 
because, there you can find answers, it looks friendly and you will 
understand them.
The idea of "working for the whole country, so use English" sounds 
pretty silly to me. The isolation of the different language-parts of 
switzerland is natural and nothing bad. Most of the topics anyways will 
address only one language-part. so if there would be something that 
affects all, it would be a smaller problem to translate it in the 
different languages than discussing in English.

For discussing in English you have to know English quite good. Even if 
english is taught in every school, that doesn't at all mean, that 
everyone is able to discuss in English. I'm at the Kantonsschule and I 
have immersive lessons (maths and history in English) so for me it's not 
a big problem. But at the end of the obligatory school time, i think i 
wasn't able to contribute something understandable to a English mailing 
list.

As I'm quite new to this list. I don't know what this mailing list is 
intended for? It is not for support, it is not for developers... ?For me 
this mailing lists seems to be for geeks and developers. but not for a 
normal user you want to address.

When using ubuntu, i feel nearer to the German-Germans than to the 
Swiss-french or swiss italian. and Swiss-English is yet more away.

BTW. it absolutely makes no sense to write about something in English 
that itself is German and is only useful for german-speaking people.
That's like having German-Lessons in English.

PS: I speak German, English, Italian and French. (learned at School)