Tell us about Nepali Wikipedia

This page belongs to the project Tell us about your Wikipedia.

Nepali

Questionnaire

Contributors

Wikimedia Statistics can be difficult to interpret. What is your impression, how many steady contributors do you have?

We have 5 contributors whose contributions have been more or less steady. They are Indiver, Rajesh, Aaniyo, Shankar and Eukesh. It would be very unfair to say that these are the only real contributors as a lot of contributors have contributed a lot. Some have left contributing after a period of contribution (eg after finishing his part on various political parties, user Soman has been very less active recently) and some are simply busy with life and contribute after a long interval. Other active contributors are Soman, Jose, AKS, Sudyp, Ganesh Paudel etc. (Please pardon us if we have left name of some active users, and simply add the name to list!)

Are your contributors mostly native speakers?

Most of them are. However, user Eukesh (an admin) is not. User Soman and User Jose have also contributed a lot eventhough they do not know the language almost at all.

Where do your contributors live (regions/country)?

Most of us live in Kathmandu. However, there are contributors from all over Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling, North Eastern India, and some from Middle East, Malaysia, USA, UK etc.

How common is it that your contributors meet in real life?

We have organized several programs where we have met. Programs are held almost once or twice a year. Wikipedia is helped by organizations like FOSS Nepal, Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya etc in these matters. Also, there are many users from Kathmandu University.

Other Wikipedias

Do you have special contacts with other Wikipedias (maybe in related languages)?

Yes we have. We have contacts with English and South Asian wikipedias mostly.

Do you translate a lot from other Wikipedias? Which ones?

Yes, we do. Mostly from English, sometimes from Sanskrit, Simple English, Hindi, Nepal Bhasa.

Organization and support

Is there a Wikimedia chapter in your country? How does your language relate to it?

There is none in Nepal at the moment. In India and Bangladesh, there arent many active Nepali language users. A chapter has been proposed by Aaniyo.

Are there work groups in other organizations about Wikipedia?

Yes there are. Indiver has formed a gmail user group. Various groups in various socializing sites exist. Also some of the other organizations with unofficial workgroups are-

Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya
FOSS Nepal

Your Wikipedia and the linguistic community

Is there a language institution for your language, like an Academy, or a club of people interested in your language? Do you have contact with them?

Studying Nepali is mandatory in Nepal. So, almost all people have a grammar book of their own. The language organization which has been helping the most is Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya. We have very good contact with them.

Who (else) supports you?

FOSS Nepal, Kathmandu University (although KU does not support directly but it is the breeding place where wikipedians can meet each other).

What does the public outreach for your edition look like? Do you have flyers, give lectures, training etc.?

Mostly lecture and interactive programs. Various lectures have been held in Bhasa ka kura, a program of MPP. Also, lectures have been held in software freedom day.

Do you get feedback from readers?

Not very frequently. However, we do receive some feedbacks from Nepalese people living abroad about the need for Nepali wikipedia to develop.

What other encyclopedias exist in your language?

There are several which have been tried but none published.

Content

Does your edition concentrate on certain topics, like your region and language, or Latin Wikipedia on Roman history and Christianity?

Yes it does to certain extent. However, we do not focus on Hinduism (Nepal was the only Hindu nation). Articles about almost all places of Nepal have been started. There are pages about geography and history of Nepal and biographies of Nepalese people. However, there are good articles about political parties around the world, thanks to Soman.

Did your edition enjoy text donations, for example from older encyclopedias?

Almost nil from sources outside wikipedia. Informative text from some websites have been taken with sources verified.

Language

Is there a generally accepted norm about your language (spelling, dictionary, pronunciation)?

There is. It is governed by several organizations.

How do you deal with different spellings, dialects etc. (like B.E. lift and A.E. elevator)?

We havent encountered this problem at the moment. However, if it arises, like any other standard organizations, the standard Nepali is taken as the main form. Other dialects are redirected to main page.

Links

Main/Front page of your Wikipedia: नेपाली विकिपीडिया