Proposal discussion: BIP39 native-language display wordlists

The proposed idea focuses on enhancing the user experience for Bitcoin wallet recovery by introducing native language support for BIP39 recovery phrases, without altering the underlying cryptographic mechanisms. This initiative aims to address the challenges non-English speakers face, such as spelling errors and misunderstandings when using English recovery words. The core of the proposal is to maintain the canonical English BIP39 wordlist while allowing the display and input of recovery phrases in various native languages. These native-language phrases would correspond index-wise to the English list, ensuring that the cryptographic process remains unaltered with PBKDF2 still being applied to the English mnemonics.

The motivation behind this proposal arises from the need to improve confidence and reduce user errors during the backup and recovery processes by providing a more intuitive user interface in the user's native language. It's important to note that this proposal does not introduce a new seed scheme, nor does it replace or modify the existing BIP39 standard or the cryptographic inputs used within it. Instead, it serves as a convention for wallet developers who wish to enhance multilingual support while preserving the security and functionality of the existing system.

A draft implementation of this concept, along with initial wordlists, has been made available for review and feedback at this GitHub repository. Feedback is sought particularly on the appropriateness of this approach for the BIP process, its designation as either informational or standards-track, potential hidden risks associated with the index-paired approach, practical value for wallet developers, and guidelines for native-speaker review and normalization rules. Additionally, any existing work or studies that could inform the development of this proposal are also of interest.