Please describe your proposed solution.

AbjaDAO is an alliance of 4 MENA-based organizations, coming together to develop, maintain and propagate the first standardized and methodical Arabic glossary for blockchain and web3 terminology. AbjaDAO was conceived in summer 2022, consisting of:

• Taxir: a Beirut-based initiative working towards facilitating blockchain adoption in MENA through research, education and communication. (https://taxir.xyz/)
• Arabs in Blockchain: A pan Arab initiative working towards facilitating blockchain adoption in MENA through events and education. Arabs in Blockchain is founded by Eman Herawy, a blockchain developer, an Ethereum fellow and a lead translator at Ethereum Foundation. (https://www.arabsinblockchain.com/)
• ZeFi: a 40 people strong team of Arab researchers and media workers based in Berlin, doing research and communication on crypto in humanitarian contexts. (ZeHub)
• DocStream: a collective of high-end linguistic service providers, catering to clients such as the British Council, DocStream's team consists of editors, translators and linguists. (DocStream | Passionate Linguists - DocStream Team)

AbjaDAO came to existence as a response to the sever lack of standardization and resources on translating blockchain to Arabic, a problem that has created a bottleneck keeping most of quality blockchain content outside the reach of mono lingual Arabs. The lack of translation resources has also made it difficult for content creators in MENA to produce quality content on blockchain in Arabic, and more difficult still to promote such content, since Arab users tend to use different translations for the same keywords, which makes it particularly difficult to achieve adequate SEO efficiency.

To shed some light on the matter, the word 'Blockchain' itself has no standard way of writing in Arabic. Some choose to translate the word to: سلسلىة الكتل (chain of blocks), others prefer to transliterate it, as to say to keep its sound but write it down with Arabic alphabet. This can result in as many as 8 different spellings for the word: يلوكتشين، بلوكشين، بلوكتشاين، بلوكشين، بلوك تشين، بلوك شين، بلوك تشاين، بلوك شاين. This problems stem from the complex nature of Arab phonetics, as well as the variety of local variations of Arabic dialects across the MENA region.

While many organizations over the years ended up developing their in-house glossaries, and sometimes making them available to the public, but rarely were those glossaries the result of a methodical process, which made them only used in their respected organizations.

We planned to develop a glossary that is different than the ones already available in three ways. First, it had to be standardized and methodical. To achieve this aspect, we carried out several methodology workshops, resulting in a set of rules and standards, including: translating slang to slang, considering cross-cultural sensitivity of metaphor-based terms (like Whale, Bear Market, White-hat hacker), avoiding Arabic's light vowels (harakat) for their SEO unfriendliness. The second difference is to make sure that AbjaDAO is not a one-time off translation effort, bur rather a constantly updated and expanded effort. And thirdly, we strongly believe in the importance of propagating the glossary and pushing for wider adoption, instead of just making the glossary available online.

During 2022 and the first 4 months of 2023, the AbjaDAO alliance built a team of translators and experts, and carried out 10 4-hour long translation workshops, the recordings of which could be found on AbjaDAO's twitter account (https://twitter.com/AbjaDAO), to translate 600 essential blockchain / web3 terms for AbjaDAO's first edition, which was released in early May after two months of collecting community and expert feedback on the beta version.

The Solana foundation funded the development of AbjaDAO so far, and the Ethereum foundation provided logistical support and shared resources with us.

How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

Our project is chain-agnostic in nature, and we believe it is essential for the entire blockchain community, particularly to ecosystems with interest in the Arab World (North Africa and Middle East). We have implemented our project's first edition, and achieved most of the propagation's first wave. But it is essential for AbjaDAO's success and mission for our glossary to remain constantly updated, expanded and propagated. Our proposal tackles this aspect, and aspires to add consistency to what we have achieved already, by adding two new vital updates / expansions, as well as integrating Cardano's own glossary into AbjaDAO and bringing it to Arabic.

Receiving funding from the Cardano ecosystem will allow us, beside maintaining AbjaDAO, to ensure fair coverage for Cardano's terminology and translation tools, in a similar way to what we have done with the Solana and Ethereum Foundations, which provided previous support for the project.

How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

We believe that adoption, achieved through propagation, is the key measurement of success for AbjaDAO. As the glossary aims to replace fragmented translation efforts and reduce translation dispersion; the more adoption the glossary sees, the closer it will get to achieving its objectives.

Our propagation efforts target 6 levels:

1) Arab media entities that cover technology, finance, economy, blockchain, web3,

2) Arab universities, colleges and institutions that engage with the aforementioned topics,

3) Blockchain and Web3 organizations, platforms and protocols that are based in the MENA region or have operations that cover / target the region,

4) Other potential stakeholders, for example cultural organizations with interest in digitality and / or Web3,

5) Wikipedia: we will be translating essential blockchain / web3 to Arabic using AbjaDAO to introduce the glossary to the wikipedia editors community, and to enrich the Arabic blockchain wikipedia content.

6) Glossaries merge: we are working with existing Arabic blockchain glossaries to bring our and their translators together in joint workshops to bring our glossaries closer and unify as much translations as possible

We plan for organizing three waves of propagation:

1- The Release Wave: this wave started with the launch of the first edition of AbjaDAO and is still ongoing. AbjaDAO is now adopted by 11 entities, and is under consideration by another 9. We have also brought 20 essential blockchain / web3 wikipedia pages to Arabic using AbjaDAO.

Live documentation of the release wave results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1D0IxJaH0tQaAsoV-6VZj9jdKfgxcZqHMR4tHHPuHZHg/edit?usp=sharing

Through this wave, AbjaDAO was greeted warmly by MENA-based blockchain projects and international blockchain foundations, such as leading NFT platforms and web3 studios (OasisX, UpYo, Cryptoware) and the Solana and Ethereum foundations. It was received less warmly by academic and media institutions who are yet to cover blockchain / web3 in their content / curriculum.

2- The Consistency Wave: we plan to launch a second wave of propagation 18 months after AbjaDAO's initial release. We believe that such a period will allow us to deploy several updates and expansions of the glossary, and build a track record of constant maintenance, to distinct AbjaDAO from other one-time off glossary efforts. The idea of this wave is to help attract some hesitant adopters that wanted to see more commitment behind the glossary.

3- The Mainstreaming Wave: we plan to launch a third propagation wave once a new crypto bull market is confirmed. We hope that the circumstances that a bull market typically brings can help persuade some hesitant adopters in the media and academic fields, who hasn't picked up the glossary during earlier waves given their lack of interest in covering blockchain / web3 in general.

We are working towards adding 15 entities to the list of AbjaDAO adopters in the release wave, another 15 in the consistency wave, and 20 entities in the mainstreaming wave. After reaching 50 adopters of AbjaDAO, we believe the network effect would come in play and motivate further ongoing adoption.

Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

We share all the updates on our project through AbjaDAO's official Twitter account: https://twitter.com/AbjaDAO

During the period of the grant, and after the completion of each milestone, we will be participating in Town Hall meetings to present our milestones to the Cardano Catalyst community.

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

As this is an expansion of our project, we already have a track record of developing translations standards, producing translated list of 500 blockchain terms, and propagating our output through the regional and global blockchain community. Additionally, we have translated 20 wikipedia pages on blockchain and web3 to Arabic. You can find documentation on our propagation efforts, wikipedia translations and media coverage of AbjaDAO through this link: AbjaDAO Propagation - The Release Wave - Google Sheets

You can browse AbjaDAO through this link: قاموس أبجداو - البلوكتشين باللغة العربية (softr.app)

You can read an overview of AbjaDAO's methodology over this link (Arabic only): قاموس أبجداو - البلوكتشين باللغة العربية (softr.app)

You can listed to our 10 4-hour long translation workshops on our Twitter page, since they were conducted as Twitter spaces (Arabic only): https://twitter.com/AbjaDAO

You can find further documentation of our translation methodology and process through these two links (Arabic only):

الكلمات المشتركة - البلوكتشين باللغة العربية (softr.app)

الخيارات اللغوية - البلوكتشين باللغة العربية (softr.app)

Attached here is our propagation presentation, making the case for adopting AbjaDAO, in Arabic and English:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gxDctKlXSsDrG8APpn-x5-JDNToMolPF/view?usp=drive_link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NF7fg8ehBZkSvw0ZOWvn0XSraWLcFWBi/view?usp=sharing

What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

This proposal aims at carrying out three updates / expansions to AbjaDAO, two of which are thematic, and one has to do with integrating Cardano's glossary into AbjaDAO.

The first update / expansion will aim at covering 120 new terms in the glossary, around the themes of NFTs, metaverse and GameFi, which are the three most under covered regions in the current edition of AbjaDAO.

The second update / expansion will aim at covering another 120 new terms, around the themes of DeFi, Layer 2s and Blockchain Infrastructure. Even though these three regions are fairly covered in the current edition, we were biased in the first edition towards prioritizing most frequently used terms, and this expansive update will allow us to cover the more obscure but equally crucial terminology.

Lastly, we plan to translate Cardano's glossary of 203 terms to Arabic, integrate the none-overlapping terms in AbjaDAO, and deliver a translated version of Cardano's glossary to the foundation to make it available on Cardano's website.

As for the methodology, we will be building on the approach we adopted while working on the first edition of the glossary, which consists first of creating a list with the terms to be translated for each update, turn this list into two thematic patches, dispatch the patches to AbjaDAO members and guest translators / experts, then carry out two 4-hour long translation workshops, where attending translators would share their proposed translations and the rationale behind them, before agreeing on final translations for each term. Once the workshops are concluded, we will update the glossary online and announce the update through AbjaDAO's Twitter account.

Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

. Project starts

. Month 1: preparations and patching for the first update / expansion

. Month 2: carrying out 2 translation workshops, finalizing first update / expansion.

. End of month 2: First Milestone Reached

. Month 3: preparations and patching for the second update / expansion.

. Month 4: carrying out 2 translation workshops, finalizing first update / expansion.

. End of month 4: Second Milestone Reached

. Month 5: setting up workshops for translating and integrating Cardano's glossary.

. Month 6: carrying out 2 translations workshops, finalizing translation of Cardano's glossary.

. End of month 6: Third Milestone Reached

Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

First milestone: first thematic update / expansion of AbjaDAO, adding 120 new terms around the themes of: NFTs, metaverse and GameFi.

Second milestone: second thematic update / expansion of AbjaDAO, adding 120 new terms around the themes of: DeFi, Layer 2s and Blockchain Infrastructure.

Third milestone: translating Cardano's glossary to Arabic and integrating it into AbjaDAO.

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Payment requested at the beginning of the grant period: first update (9,450 ADA) + project management (13,500 ADA) = 22,950 ADA

Payment requested at the end of month 4 of the grant period: second update (9,450 ADA) + Cardano glossary translation (10,650 ADA) = 20,100 ADA

Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Our budget consists of four items:

1- AbjaDAO's first update / expansion (120 terms on NFTs, Metaverse & GameFi):

Preparations and setting up translation patches:

15 hours x 150 ADA = 2,250 ADA

Translation workshops:

2 workshops x 6 members x 4 hours per workshop x 150 ADA per hour = 7,200 ADA

Total: 9,450 ADA

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2- AbjaDAO's second update / expansion (120 terms on DeFi, Layer 2s and Blockchain Infrastructure):

Preparations and setting up translation patches:

15 hours x 150 ADA = 2,250 ADA

Translation workshops:

2 workshops x 6 members x 4 hours per workshop x 150 ADA per hour = 7,200 ADA

Total: 9,450 ADA

---------

3- Translating Cardano's glossary to Arabic (203 terms):

Preparations and setting up translation patches:

15 hours x 150 ADA = 2,250 ADA

Translation workshops:

2 workshops x 6 members x 4 hours per workshop x 150 ADA per hour = 7,200 ADA

Translating glossary texts (definitions):

8 hours x 150 ADA = 1,200 ADA

Total: 10,650 ADA

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4- Project management (coordination, outreach, social media, propagation):

6 months x 15 hours x 150 ADA = 13,500 ADA

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Project Total: 43,050 ADA

Rate: 150 ADA / hour

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

AbjaDAO is an alliance of four organizations, represented by several members:

Ammar Manla Hasan (Taxir). A journalist, editor and literary translator with over a decade of experience, Ammar has surveyed MENA's media and culture scenes by leading several projects, mostly during his tenure at Ma3azef, MENA"s leading music magazine, where Ammar has worked for 6 years, 3 of which as an Editor in Chief. Ammar is one of Taxir's two co founders. Role in the project: translator, coordinator. Ammar Manla Hasan | LinkedIn

Ali Karake (Taxir). A former risk assessment banker with 13 years of experience, Ali is Taxir's other co founder, and AbjaDAO's financial and managerial officer. Ali Karake | LinkedIn

Yaaser Al Zaiat (DocStream). A senior editor at Syrian prestigious and award-winning online publication, Al Jumhryah, and a member of the Febrayer Network of alternative Arab media, Yasser is the founder of DocStream, and a savvy translator and editor. Role at the project: translator, linguist. Yaaser A. | LinkedIn

Anas Horani (DocStream). A journalist at Al Jumhuryah and a linguist / translator at DocStream, Anas moderated AbjaDAO's translation workshops and provided vital linguist insight to the project. Anas Alhorani | LinkedIn

Eman Herawy (Arabs in Blockchain). A blockchain developer and winner of many hackathons, Eman has founded Arabs in Blockchain in 2018, one of the earliest blockchain education initiatives in the Arab world, and has been involved ever since in blockchain education through events and programs. Eman is also the lead organizer of the Arab Blockchain Week, an Ethereum fellow and a lead Ethereum translator. Role at the project: translator, propagator. Eman Herawy | LinkedIn

Khalil Hamoud (ZeFi). A technology journalist, researcher and translator, Khalil is a core member at the ZeFi foundation, and ZeFi's lead representative at AbjaDAO. Role at the project: translator. Khalil Hammod | LinkedIn

How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

We believe that developing an Arabic glossary is a path must be taken at some stage, as the Arab world homes around 400 million people, many of which are mono lingual. Having a reliable, unified and constantly updated glossary will reduce the cost of addressing the Arab world on three levels:

Reducing translation cost and time: by providing translators and content creators with a reliable tool, we circumvent the time and effort spent by experts on looking for the translation of a certain word in different glossaries and come to a decision around which translation to use, as well as the time and effort spent to develop new translations for terms that are not covered by any of the available glossaries and resources. Unlike other translation efforts that tend to be one-time off, AbjaDAO is constantly updated, expanded and propagated.

Improving the quality of Arabic blockchain content: AbjaDAO has an advantage over other glossaries and translation tools inso being methodical and standardized. For example, while other glossaries translate English slang terms to formal Arabic, losing many connotations in the process, AbjaDAO translates slang to slang, and uses Levantine and Egyptian slang in particular for their understandability across different Arabic countries. AbjaDAO also pays attention to cultural biases, for instance in terms that use the word 'white' in a biased positive content, such as: white label, white paper, white list, white hat hacker; and chooses to find alternatives to this word while translating. One last point to bring up, is AbjaDAO's attention to the complex phonetic systems of Arabic language, and its keenness on maintaining consistency while dealing with these systems so if one term is translated according to one approach, all other similar terms should be translated accordingly.

Increasing SEO efficiency: propagation is perhaps the key advantage that sets AbjaDAO apart from other blockchain translation efforts in Arabic, which are usually in-house glossaries and only used by their respected organizations. AbjaDAO's three waves of propagation aim at reducing translation dispersion and promoting unified translations for blockchain terminology, in a way that would increase SEO efficiency by providing copywriters with unified keywords to use in their content.