Open-source software LibreOffice to add Star Trek's Klingon language to 7.3 update

With apologies to both LibreOffice and the Klingon Empire

JANUARY 10, 2022 - Beginning in February, open source writing platform LibreOffice 7.3 promises to include support for two “made up” languages: Interslavic and Klingon.

According to a report from neowin.com, the decision to include the Klingon and Interslavic languages is an effort to streamline user workload by allowing users to work with the languages without the need to use alternative translation. The Klingon language was developed for the Star Trek franchise by linguist Marc Orkrand. Interslavic, on the other hand, is meant to “bridge the language gap between Slavic languages such as Russian and Polish.”

The language update in the latest version of the LibreOffice software was added by Red Hat employee Eike Rathke. Multiple companies like Red Hat lend their expertise (and funding) toward improving open source software. Open source programs operate similar to the way Wikipedia functions. The program can be edited to include input from numerous user-based experiences in order to provide a product that is essentially tailored to the task at hand by those who actually use it.

A statement from LibreOffice producers The Document Foundation reads, “Even if Klingon and Interslavic support sounds like a novelty, it shows how versatile free and open source software is. ... LibreOffice is available in over 100 languages, and we’d like to expand that even further. The more languages the better, especially if we can help to boost IT skills in places which don’t otherwise have software in their native languages!”

LibreOffice 7.3 will be made available in February of 2022. For more information, visit LibreOffice.org.