Offline use of Wikimedia content is a strategic goal for the Wikimedia Foundation. Kiwix is an offline app that allows user to read content without an internet connection, and it can now be localized into many languages on translatewiki.net.
There are many instances where people do not have an Internet connection available, or where it is cheaper to work offline, notably in the “Global south”.
Data from Wikimedia projects can be exported to the openZIM format, and then read offline on Kiwix, the only openZIM client.
Several projects with local developers invested a considerable amount of time creating their own offline app for their language, their script or for special requirements like formatting for books.
With the localization of Kiwix on translatewiki.net, it is now much more of an option to work on such features in Kiwix. Customizations like including fonts with a package or having specific formatting for a book or a source remain possible.
We hope our community will help localize Kiwix in the 270+ languages we currently support with Wikimedia projects. Please start translating the interface and let us know how it goes.
Thanks,
Gerard Meijssen
Internationalization / Localization outreach consultant