A boat with 100, mostly young revelers capsizes shortly after setting off the Mutima beach shores of Lake Victoria (known as Nalubaale locally) in Mukono near Kampala, the Capital of Uganda killing over 30 on the 24th of November this year resulting into a nationwide discussion about safety measures, including learning how to swim and maybe Professional African Technical Translation Services should be looked at too.
You see, there are stories told by survivors, including Iryn Namubiru a celebrated Afro-pop Artiste of how the ill fated MV Kalangala looked to have been in poor physical condition; raggedy, rickety and supposedly picked up the already intoxicated revelers hours late who were by the way 100 by number yet the boat is allegedly meant for about 50 persons. The reason for this lateness, which for the superstitious ones may as well have been a warning not to board, was caused by faulty mechanical conditions and thus was hurriedly being worked upon by who knows who as seconded by the Police Deputy Spokesperson Patrick Onyango.
WHO states that the drowning rates is highest in the WHO Africa region by 15-20 times than in the United Kingdom and Germany all together. In the year 2015 the New Vision Newspaper reported that 5000 Ugandan fishermen die on Lake Victoria every year.
In related News, preventable loss of lives happens continually including the deadly bus accidents that cost over 100 lives in Zimbabwe and Kenya in separate but equally gruesome road accidents with many blamed on over speeding but with faulty mechanical conditions involved; on Harare-Mutale Highway in Zimbabwe where 46 are reported to have perished and the government called it a national disaster and with 50 dead in Kericho, Western Kenya 7 children inclusive .
Where Professional African Technical Translation services come in handy
Water transportation vessels like other mass transportation means in Africa are mainly manufactured from Developed countries although there are some African countries taking a lead in such manufacturing like Ethiopia manufacturing motors for vehicles in the automation, industry and agricultural sectors.
It is the small duty transportation vessels that are usually locally made for personal or small scale business use by the common man and these are usually handmade like canoes for fishing.
How the problem comes by
This may point at the fact that when the heavy duty means of transport like buses, cars, trains or ships get mechanical problems, the owners hire locals to do the work even though they are not skilled enough to handle the vessel in particular.
A size-able number of mechanics in Africa is self-taught or may have gone to technical institutions where the knowledge and skills acquired are not enough for handling the intricate work that maybe needed to handle cases like large water vessel mechanical failures.
How do we solve this problem?
The first step is admitting that there is something missing in our industries because then a problem has been spotted and plans can be put in place to solve it.
Hiring Professional African Technical Translation Services for all manuals and handbooks that come with these transportation vessels. I say Professional because this requires individuals who are not only translators in the specific languages needed, but are also specialists in the sector being dealt with for purposes of accuracy.
If this is seconded and monitored by African governments then the water safety in African countries would go higher thus securing the lives of people who if alive contribute to the economy and well-being of their countries and also save their families for heartbreaks due to avoidable deaths.
Professional African Technical Translation Services may include fields like;
- Machinery
- Energy
- Oil and Gas extraction
- Auto Sector
- Mining
- Electronics
Common languages in Africa into which to translate technical documents include;
- Hausa
- Yoruba
- Somali
- Swahili
- Amharic
- Africa Portuguese Translation
- Igbo translation services
- Bemba
- Chewa Translation Services
By Angela Kyolaba
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