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Longtime readers of this blog may recall my Translation Project, an effort to translate the phrase \u201cSpace Elevator\u201d into as many languages as possible. Before the blog went into hibernation, I had gathered 30 translations\u2014spanning both real and constructed languages\u2014with help from several readers. You can view the current list by clicking on the Translation Project tab near the top of the blog.<\/p>\r\n
Another familiar feature was my \u201cWeekend Walkabout,\u201d a (mostly) weekly post exploring space elevator-related items around the world. I\u2019m pleased to reintroduce both, combining them starting this week. Each week, I\u2019ll add a new translation to the Translation Project and discuss it (among other topics) in my Weekly Walkabout posts. And without further ado…<\/p>\r\n
Translation of the Week: Swahili \u2013 Lifti ya Anga<\/strong><\/p>\r\n This week, I\u2019m adding Swahili, spoken by over 100 million people across East Africa, to our space elevator translations. The term Lifti ya Anga<\/em> (“elevator of space”) captures the dream of ascending to the cosmos. It\u2019s particularly fitting since Swahili is chiefly spoken in Eastern Africa, a region transected by the equator\u2014the ideal location for a space elevator\u2019s Earth Port due to Earth\u2019s rotational forces. Cities like Nairobi could be prime candidates for a future spaceport hub, though challenges like regional security concerns would need to be addressed. Pronunciation: “LEE-f-tee yah AH-ng-ah” (Tips: Emphasize the “LEE” and “AH” sounds, and keep the “ng” soft, like in “sing,” not “finger.”)<\/p>\r\n To celebrate, I\u2019ve created a kanga-inspired graphic\u2014a traditional Swahili fabric often adorned with wise proverbs. Our space-elevator-themed proverb, “Kupanda nyota, ngazi kwanza<\/em>” (“To climb the stars, a ladder first”), reflects the space elevator\u2019s role as humanity\u2019s ladder to the stars. The kanga features a baobab tree (Swahili: mbuyu, pronounced “mm-BOO-yoo”) with a tether rising from it and surrounded by baobab flowers. I know I’ll never win any graphic design awards, but I hope I get at least a passing mark for effort…<\/p>\r\n Shifting gears to Japan, the Oita Space Hike 2024<\/a> event last October caught my attention for its space elevator tie-in. Held on October 12\u201313 at J:COM Horuto Hall in Oita, this space education event\u2014organized by Oita Prefecture and Oita Asahi Broadcasting (OAB)\u2014aimed to inspire young people with hands-on space activities. One of its experience booths featured a Space And that’s a wrap for this week’s Weekend Walkabout!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Longtime readers of this blog may recall my Translation Project, an effort to translate the phrase \u201cSpace Elevator\u201d into as many languages as possible. Before the blog went into hibernation, I had gathered 30 translations\u2014spanning both real and constructed languages\u2014with help from several readers. You can view the current list by clicking on the Translation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-translation-project","category-weekend-walkabout"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2436"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2455,"href":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436\/revisions\/2455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Kanga_rev1.jpg\")
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\r\n<\/a> Elevator Climber Programming Experience, where students programmed a simulated climber to navigate a tether, addressing real-world challenges like speed and stability. This kind of engagement is crucial for nurturing the next generation of space elevator innovators, especially in Japan, a hub for space elevator research with initiatives like Obayashi Corporation\u2019s 2050 vision. I\u2019ve reached out to my old acquaintance Shuichi Ohno from my JSEA days to see if he can share more about this event\u2014stay tuned for updates!<\/p>\r\n