Y'know those translation sites where you can translate English words to Spanish or another language? I suggest a similar feature for the city Web site. It would work this way. You choose a word or phrase, the language you wish it translated to, and a phonetic pronunciation of the translation.
The languages would be Hmong, Somali, Spanish, Russian, and whichever others are dominant in Minneapolis. The words/phrases would be things like: Hello How are you I'm your neighbor What's your name Have a good day I'm not so idealistic to think that lasting friendships would blossom as a result. But it would help citizens to at least acknowledge each other. The last time I tried to collect block party signatures, there were neighbors who were peeking through the curtains but who didn't answer the door. Perhaps this translation feature would help open some doors. Most of us have a working knowledge of Spanish, but very few (myself included) know the first thing about Somali or Hmong, Suze formerly of Folwell now of nordeast (Minnesota) Bruno, MN __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send your FREE holiday greetings online! http://greetings.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
