“Kamusi ya web3” a Swahili phrase when translated to English means “web3 dictionary”

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”-Nelson Mandela

Perhaps it is the understanding of the importance of speaking to one in their own knowledge, that inspired Kamusi DAO, an open-source community focused on translating web3 terminologies into Swahili language to enhance web3 literacy.

About Kamusi DAO

Kamusi DAO is a web3 education community facilitating the spread of web3 knowledge by translating web3 information into Swahili language.

They are solving the problem of lack of access to web3 information and resources, which many native Swahili speakers experience due to language barriers, as most web3 resources, are predominantly written in English language.

They aim to create a web3 encyclopedia in Swahili to bridge the language barrier gap.

Earlier in the month, Kamusi DAO in an X post announced that it translated the book “My First Bitcoin” which was originally written in Spanish, into Swahili. This news was met with great support and optimism by the web3 community.

My first Bitcoin book was written in Spanish to commemorate EL Salvador as the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender. The book, thereafter, has been translated into English, German, and Korean, making Swahili the latest addition to the stack, with the hope that other languages will follow suit.

Significance of Translating Web3 Terms and Its Impact on local communities.

Africa is the second most language-diverse continent in the world with 2,138 languages, as shown in research by The Washington post.

Despite Africa being a multilingual continent, some African countries do not take English as their official Language. An attempt to translate and teach web3 in these local languages will drive:

Inclusivity: As earlier said, most web3 resources are created in the English language. This could create a feeling of neglect for non-English native speakers who want to make an impact in web3 but are unable to do so, as they can’t readily access and learn from these resources written in English.

Translating into local languages will create a sense of belonging for non-native speakers, give them access to these resources, and create opportunities for them to contribute their knowledge and skills and make an impact.

Awareness and adoption: When more people are able to grasp the concept of web3, they can go on to create stronger communities, advocate, and have important conversations surrounding web3.

With diversity comes diverse ideas, problems, and solutions. When Local communities can understand how web3 can solve their specific needs, they can brainstorm to create innovative solutions. These solutions will yield a positive attitude, acceptance, and adoption of web3, consequently increasing its use cases.

Call to Action

Create a community to translate popular web3 resources like the Ethereum handbook which provides fundamental to deep dive knowledge of the Ethereum blockchain; in your local language.

Contribute: Identify these communities involved in web3 education, join and contribute your web3 skills and expertise. This is very crucial because of the difficulty faced in translating technical terms. Expertise in web3 and the local language is required to ensure that the translation conveys the actual meaning in web3.

Financial support: Every great cause, movement, innovation, and idea needs financial support to bring it to life. Funds are needed to incentivize contributors, content marketing, research on the latest web3 trends, and general overhead costs.

The end goal is to create awareness and get more people to accept and get involved in web3. Speaking to people in the language they understand will drive inclusivity and improve participation, as more people will become interested, get involved, and create market-fit solutions for web3.