tractatus/docs/TE_REO_MAORI_TRANSLATION_REQUIREMENTS.md
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# Te Reo Māori Translation Requirements
**Status**: Respectfully Deferred Until System Completion
**Priority**: CRITICAL (Values Alignment - Te Tiriti Partnership)
**Date**: October 15, 2025
**Approach**: Cultural Sensitivity First
## Why We're Waiting (And Why That's Respectful)
Tractatus is built on principles of Te Tiriti partnership and indigenous sovereignty. Providing content in Te Reo Māori is a core values commitment that demonstrates respect for indigenous knowledge and self-determination.
**However, cultural sensitivity demands we approach Māori communities only when we have something complete and valuable to offer.**
Approaching with an incomplete, unstable system would be:
- Tokenistic (checking a diversity box)
- Disrespectful of people's time and expertise
- Potentially extractive (asking for cultural labor without reciprocal value)
**Therefore, this deferral is out of respect, not lack of interest.**
We will approach Māori language experts and communities when:
1. ✅ The system is complete and stable
2. ✅ We can demonstrate real value and utility
3. ✅ We have resources to properly compensate consultation
4. ✅ We can offer a meaningful partnership, not just translation work
## Requirements
### Professional Māori Language Consultation
**All Te Reo Māori translations MUST:**
1. **Be reviewed by qualified Māori language experts**
- Native speakers with expertise in technical/academic translation
- Understanding of te reo Māori in digital/technology contexts
- Cultural knowledge to ensure appropriate terminology
2. **Undergo cultural appropriateness review**
- Ensure terminology aligns with tikanga Māori
- Verify concepts are expressed in culturally appropriate ways
- Check for any inadvertent cultural insensitivity
3. **Use proper macrons (tohutō)**
- All long vowels properly marked (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū)
- Correct pronunciation guidance
- Proper orthography throughout
4. **Follow contemporary te reo Māori standards**
- Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission) guidelines
- Modern vocabulary for technical concepts
- Appropriate register for formal website content
## Infrastructure Status
**Technical Setup Complete:**
- i18next internationalization framework installed
- Translation file structure created (`/public/locales/en/`, `/public/locales/mi/`)
- Language detection configured
- Translation loading mechanism ready
**Translations NOT Complete:**
- English baseline translations extracted
- Māori translations require professional creation
- No placeholder/AI-generated translations deployed
## Pages Requiring Translation (Priority Order)
### Phase 1 (Highest Priority)
1. **Homepage** (`index.html`)
- Core mission and values
- Navigation
- Call to action
2. **About/Values Page** (`about.html`, `about/values.html`)
- Core values and principles
- Te Tiriti partnership statement
- Cultural commitments
3. **Core Framework Documentation**
- Introduction to Tractatus
- Core concepts
- Why it matters
### Phase 2 (Medium Priority)
4. Researcher path page
5. Implementer path page
6. Advocate path page
7. FAQ section
### Phase 3 (Lower Priority)
8. Blog posts
9. Case studies
10. Technical documentation
## Translation Guidelines
### Terminology Approach
**For technical AI safety concepts:**
- Consult with Māori language experts on appropriate terminology
- Consider whether to:
- Use English loan words (with proper Māori pronunciation)
- Create new Māori terms
- Use existing Māori concepts that map appropriately
**Example concepts requiring careful translation:**
- "Governance" - kawanatanga vs mana/rangatiratanga
- "Framework" - hanganga / anga
- "AI Safety" - haumaru hangarau/matihiko
- "Human Agency" - mana tangata / tino rangatiratanga
- "Transparency" - māramatanga / pūataata
### Consultation Resources
**Recommended Contacts:**
- Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission)
- Local iwi with technology/education expertise
- Māori technologists and academics
- Translation services specializing in te reo Māori
**Budget Consideration:**
- Professional Māori translation services: Estimate NZD $0.20-0.40 per word
- Total word count (Phase 1): ~5,000 words
- Estimated cost: NZD $1,000-2,000
## Implementation Plan
1. **✅ Infrastructure Setup** (October 15, 2025)
- i18next installed and configured
- Directory structure created
- Language detection ready
2. **⏳ Professional Consultation** (Pending)
- Identify qualified Māori language consultant
- Provide English baseline translations
- Review and approve terminology approach
3. **⏳ Translation Creation** (Pending)
- Professional translation of Phase 1 content
- Cultural appropriateness review
- Quality assurance
4. **⏳ Implementation** (Pending)
- Deploy Māori translations
- Add language selector to navigation
- Test all pages
5. **⏳ Ongoing Maintenance** (Pending)
- Process for new content translation
- Regular review of existing translations
- Community feedback mechanism
## Ethical Considerations
**We will NOT:**
- Use AI/machine translation for Māori content
- Deploy translations without professional review
- Create placeholder translations ourselves
- Rush this process to meet arbitrary deadlines
**We will:**
- Invest proper time and resources
- Respect Māori language and culture
- Seek qualified consultation
- Be transparent about translation status
- Accept that this may take longer than other features
## Current Approach: Testing with German and French First
**Rationale:**
Before approaching Māori communities, we will:
1. Complete the website and framework
2. Test internationalization with German and French translations
3. Validate the framework's ability to handle cultural adaptation
4. Ensure the system is stable and valuable
**German and French translations:**
- Use DeepL for initial high-quality translations
- Test language selector functionality
- Validate cultural appropriateness in European contexts
- Refine internationalization architecture
**This approach allows us to:**
- Perfect the technical infrastructure
- Identify cultural adaptation challenges
- Demonstrate the framework works internationally
- Approach Māori communities with a proven, complete system
## Current Status
**Infrastructure**: ✅ Ready (i18next installed, directories created)
**German Translation**: ⏳ In Progress (DeepL + review)
**French Translation**: ⏳ In Progress (DeepL + review)
**Te Reo Māori**: ⏸️ Respectfully deferred until system completion
**Next Action**: Complete German and French translations, then approach Māori communities when system is stable and valuable
---
**Contact for Translation Questions:**
- Email: support@agenticgovernance.digital
- Subject: "Te Reo Māori Translation Consultation"
**Last Updated**: October 15, 2025
**Document Owner**: Tractatus Project Team