Energy experts in Malawi are looking to address communication breakdown with rural communities of the country through translation of energy technical words from English to Chichewa.
At a validation workshop of the English-Chichewa glossary held in Zomba, Renew’N’Able Malawi (RENAMA) which is behind the initiative disclosed a need to have such a document that is meant to help the rural community that mostly use the vernacular language to get Green Inclusive Energy (GIE) information.
Advocacy and Public Relations officer for RENAMA Kenneth Mtago said the glossary is to help in the fight of lowering energy poverty levels in the country through making a layman understand the technical works that are in English.
“We need to help someone who is not into physics, someone who has no knowledge of what some technical words mean in the energy sector,” said Mtago.
He added that the glossary is also to help in development of the country as many people are to fully understand energy related issues and be able to use the GIE methods effectively.
Concurring with Mtago, Group Village Woman William 2 from Bvumbwe in Thyolo district said the glossary is to help people properly use GIE gadgets.
She further recommended the initiative saying it is to help in solving energy problems that have affected Malawi.
Adding to chief’s sentiments, a linguistic Lecturer at Chancellor College Dr Mervis Kamanga said the country needs to adopt the glossary once the preparations process are done as a way of driving towards ending energy shakeups.
“This glossary is dealing with terminology for example these days we talk about green energy and many people do not understand it now when we have these words in Chichewa people are to grasp the meaning,” said Kamanga.
Kamanga called for a need of extending the interpretation work to other local languages in the country.
The energy glossary is being prepared by the departments of Physics and language at Chancellor College and other energy stakeholders.
