Who speaks Frist: Human or Computer

[goof at coppernet.zm]

Hello fellow translators, 


I have hit what I might call a big problem with my language, Bemba. In this language, the way we address a young person is different to the the way we address an older person in speech and writing. 
When I started to translate Ubuntu from English to Bemba, I assumed that the computer is telling the user what it can do and so is in a way talking to the person first. Because of this, I chose to use the respectful alternative to addressing a human user. This way the computer will always sound like it is not being rude to the user. This approach has presented a small problem with some people who have reviewed some of my translations. They are of the opinion that I should always assume that the user is telling the computer to do something, thus the instruction should be like a human talking to someone they supervise in order for them do have something done for them. The respectful manner should only be used by the computer when it displays something as a reaction to the user input. 


An example is 'Open File'. The question is: In this case, is the menu item in the computer application telling the human that it able to open a file or it is the human who is telling the computer to open the file? I ask this because depending on which is which, my translations approach will have a whole new twist and I would have to re-check my approach. 


Please advise if any of you have such a language challenge and what side you have taken: Is it the human that tell the computer what to do such that its responses are only when a dialogue box opens or it is the computer that tells the human what it can do and so seems to 'speak' first and advises the human of what it is able to do? 


Many thanks for any help. 


Anthony 

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