Bhi tu poked. Facebook is being translated into the Irish language, with all of the site’s key phrases already as Gaeilge.

The website’s operator created an application allowing users to translate Facebook into their own dialects. The Irish-language version is under way and should be completed in a few months.

Some 278 Irish language enthusiasts have already translated at least one phrase, while a similar number are using Irish as their default setting on the social networking site. More than 8,500 phrases, including all of Facebook’s core terms, have been translated, even terms such as “poke”, “tag” and “profile”.

Facebook, or Feidhmchlair as it is known in Irish, has been transcribed into 40 languages including Catalan, Polish and French. More than 60 languages are being converted, including Esperanto, Welsh and Afrikaans.

The translation service works by consensus, with those who have signed up to be translators voting for their preferred phrases. The Irish word “sonc” has been chosen for “poke”, and the phrase “clib a chur” has been voted through as the Irish version of “to tag”.

A leaderboard on the site’s Irish version shows which translators have provided the most conversions. Gabriel Beecham, a medical student at Trinity College Dublin, is leading the way: “We need more people to get involved. All the translations are user-generated, so it’s up to those interested in the Irish language to contribute.”

Beecham believes that translating Facebook will help to portray Irish as a modern working language. “I’m an advocate of minority languages and this is a very effective way of generating interest in, and helping to preserve, them. You just have to look at the lively debate on the discussion forum to see the passion that people have for the language,” he said.

On the site’s discussion forum, translators debate whether modern or traditional Irish words should be used. While some favour the more modern “fon poca” for “mobile phone”, others argued for “guthan poca” to be the official translation.

More than 17,000 phrases still have to be agreed, including the correct Irish for “pizza toppings” and “in an open relationship”.

Times Recommends

• Plan for 9/11 trial in New York divides the city
• Beijing gets the jitters as Obama flies in
• Potshot Palin settles scores