Lugbara Translate

Ngoni? Muke! [Lugbara Translate: How are you? Fine!] Are you looking for a native Lugbara Translator, Transcriber, Editor, Proofreader, Researcher or Subtitler who decodes and transliterates language as diligently as the translation engines from Google, TranSay and Logbar ili? Call, SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram 256-781-345712 (MTN), +256-751-650276 (Airtel) or email to: aikoug@gmail.com! Words matter.

Lugbara Translate (2019 Logo by Aiko, Colours represent Africa, Sunshine, Blood of JESUS, River Nile and Love)...

Lugbara Translate (aka Ojapi) is an electronic service that translates Lugbarati using both Artificial Intelligence and Natural Intelligence (NI). It's about interpreting the keywords in the message, structuring grammar, transliterating (textualising or transcribing) and proofreading thoroughly to fix glitches plus control the quality of translation. Lugbara Translate involves human checks to fix errors common with robotic machine translations. For Document translations and Text transcriptions in all the fields of Government + Health + Business and Sports, Lugbara Translate is your best solution. I have translated for Uganda Deaf Women's Organisation (UDEWO), Jolynn Investments Limited (J. I. L) in Makindye, Diamond Trust Bank (DTB), Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) during 2021 in collaboration with Mrs. Lilliane Ajuru Andama, etc plus selectively transcribed Lugbara lyrics from various ongo [music] artistes including my Favourite West Nile riddim empire Black Harmony (a duo comprising Emmanuel Ledra with Robert Adima who has stayed in touch since I first met him), Leila Chandiru, Jackie Chandiru, Lady J, StiCka (who phoned me to express gratitude), Gospel Armour, J*Hope Band, just to mention seven of very many. 

"There are only four Languages in Uganda: Bantu, Luo, Karamojong-Ateso and Madi-Lugbara..." - M7 (the Munyankole Bantu President of UG) in 2012

In 2012 after being briefed by my 2nd Cousin Edwin Paratra (Son of Juliet Drijaru Paratra - Big Woman in my Clan), I was invited by Kenyan editor Francis Awinda for Wikipedia to create content about local topics in the WikiProject Africa initiative and edited old articles plus created several new ones that required Lugbara translations eg Lugbara cuisine (my first article dedicated to my Mother because a lot of the initial content came from her answers to my questions though I also learnt from many other people), Bornfree Technologies Network (BTN) Television, Onduparaka FC, Agofe, Alikua Pyramid, Tara Subcounty, Caesar Ok(h)uti, Lugbara music, Joel Okuyo Atiku, Muni, Arua Hill Sports Club, Mount Wati, Westnile Distilling Company Limited, Barifa Forest, Arua Hill Park, Lugbara Kari, etc. Five years later, I received a surprise Award of Merit that literally lifted up my gloomy spirit one Sabbath Saturday. The commonest corpus for learning Lugbara language is Biblia Alatararu [The Holy Bible in Lugbarati] which I used to see my grandmothers Ita and Oopha move with, but on Saturday 26th November 2016 using all the Lugbara Literature findable in Anyafio, I snapped and with nerves of graphene started creating a one-page Lugbara Dictionary on Blogger for any super machine or anybody anywhere on Earth who wants to learn the language of Aisha Aate (Idi Amin's mother), Leku Culture, Shaphan Andeku (Arua Town Planner), Leo Adraa, Muhammad Shaban, Tony Drileba (who won multiple NBL championships with City Oilers), the unstoppable Samiya Ayikoru, Ernest Obitre Gama (the 1st Ugandan Soldier to be appointed cabinet minister), King Weeda(h), Neria Olua, Bishop Enoch Lee Drati, Christopher Yikii, Joel Obetia, Engineer Roy Tiyo, Dorcus Inzikuru, Mario Kania Obiga, Emmanuel Taniko (Emmyways), John Milton Anguyo (aka Dr. Love), Kasiano Wadri, Fat A, Edison Adiribo, Gabriel Ajedra, His Highness Jason Avutia - the 3rd Agofe of Lugbara Kari, Semei Nyai (who chose the colours of the 9th October 1962 Ugandan flag and departed from UG in Twenty20), Joel (Jaffer) Aita, Pastor Norman (Acidribo), James Nyakuni (Gaagaa Coach), Isaac Anguyo (Founder of Voice Of Life, 100.9 FM on Arua Hill), Christine Abia, Fahad Bayo, TIG (Trust In GOD) plus millions and millions and millions of other People I have not mentioned here (They know themselves) from Ojapi in Maracha to Salia Musala (where three countries meet) in Koboko to Kulikulinga in Aringa to Laropi in Madi West Moyo to Pakelle in Adjumani (East Moyo) to Mt. Wati in Terego to Lokira Godo in Ayivu to Arua Hill to Vurra Customs to Rhino Camp [Rino Kambi] to the River Ora Basin in Madi Okollo and beyond. O'bi woro 'ba ni [Lugbara Translate: Everybody is people]! My 2016 Lugbara Dictionary is the Most Viewed Post I've ever written since I began blogging in 2008, more than my URA, Arsenal and Logo Design Articles. I also draw #LugbaraCartoons (or Ugatoons) on Facebook plus Telegram (t.me/aikographics) and possess a Second Class Upper Bachelor's Degree in Print Journalism (4.12 GPA out of 5) from Uganda Christian University in Mukono (Class of 2006); #GODisgreat yesterday, today and forever. 

Awa'difo!

Spoken mainly in Uganda (East Africa), Congo and Sudan, Lugbarati (with Arua Lugbara from near Muni Village being the standard aka High Lugbara) has a small tonal vocabulary which implies that some words have two or more meanings determined by pronunciation or context. Aringa (from Yumbe) and Madi (from Okollo, Moyo and Adjumani) are very closely related; some words are actually shared for instance numbers. Four consonants in Lugbarati have an apostrophe before them (though omitted while writing names) but without this punctuation can have letter H after them to show a unique pronunciation eg o'du = odhu; letters Q and X are not used, making it 28 total letters like the Arabic alphabet. As part of a small-percentage Class of languages on Planet Earth eg Kannada spoken in India, Telugu (though U ending is more prominent), Italian (where the vast majority of words that start with a consonant end with a vowel), Hawaiian, Romansch, Polynesian languages and so on, every single word in Lugbarati ends with one of the five vowels; Lugbarati, Luganda and Swahili are perfect members of this classification. Finally, I thank my parents (Ndezo + Dramani) for introducing Lugbarati to me in Jinja since 1984; the angelically beautiful, fun, unique, spicy, sweetly fluent and SWAGA-rific Cynthia Letasi (aka Rejoice, born in 1995) inspired me to fine-tune plus legitimatise my Lugbara linguistics because she had more class than me during her preteens (2001-6). Every year, 30th September is marked as International Translation Day. Why not study and use Lugbarati with the same enthusiasm we have for French, High German, Latin, Zulu, Yoruba, Russian, Japanese, Spanish, Korean or Chinese? It may seem unattractively local to some people in Lado, Orientale Province (Democratic Republic of Congo), West Nile, UG and East Africa but totally foreign, exotic and very interesting to others elsewhere. Awa'difo [Lugbara Translate: Thank you]...

My Green Island (by Aiko)

Forgiveness...

What four essentials would you choose if castaway or exiled onto an island like Patmos? For me, l would need a Swiss Army knife, metallic pot, solar powered laptop and my Best Friend. Why is money worshipped like it's some type of Mammon god? Of course, Money answers everything but it is also just a mere tool like a spanner, magalo pliers, pair of scissors or Master key; we use them to do whatever we want not judge people's worth depending on how many tools they possess. I would not mind living below the poverty line sijuwi 5,000 UgX per day; No Budget. Like Chronixx (and Protoge) in the jam entitled "Who Knows", "I gat the Sunshine, rivers and trees". There's also free Oxygen and Rain falls down without inhibition when its time comes. Sometimes, fruits are plenty in the wilderness like mangoes and coconuts but wasted. Money makes the world go round, but when I lack it, I do not want to feel depressed nor make anyone feel low just because they do not have it in the pocket, mobile account or bank. Everything around you is actually worth a lot of money. I do not base my friendships on who has the Most Money. In 2014 and 2016, one of my Top 40 A-Level Friends plus Favourite Cousin respectively hanged themselves because of money. A friend joked that I would be next, but I did not giggle. In 2018, I dreamt that I also killed myself but immediately woke up to write down everything that makes people kill themselves: Money is one of them. Some minutes later, I discovered via local radio and Facebook that a South Sudanese namesake had hanged himself the preceding night a few metres away. The number 18 in Hebrew stands for "Life"; I can't kill myself! Everything comes from GOD. No Money, no Problems! MUNGU ni fe ni, eri vini ga ni [Translated from Lugbara: GOD is the one who gives and also refuses]! We are mere Stewards of GOD's Money yet HE only demands 10 percent from everyone (as Tithe or Church Tax and Zakat Charity). Forgive us our Sins as we forgive those who sin against us...