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Charles Tiayon
May 12, 2013 8:59 PM
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ConvenorOliver Ready, St Antony's College TRANSLATORS’ COVEN: FRESH APPROACHES TO LITERARY TRANSLATION FROM RUSSIAN A two-day workshop at St Antony’s College, Oxford, on the weekend of June 15-16, 2013, exploring the practice of literary translation from (and into) Russian in poetry, prose and drama. Among the 28 speakers are several award-winning translators, including Robert Chandler, Anne Fisher and Stephen Pearl, and the publishers Alessandro Gallenzi (Alma), Natasha Perova (Glas), Stefan Tobler (And Other Stories), and Antony Wood (Angel). For the full programme, see: http://www.ceelbas.ac.uk/ceelbas-news/events/russian-translation Entry is free but registration is essential, as places are limited. To register, please write to oliver.ready@sant.ox.ac.uk The workshop is an event in the Russkiy Mir Programme at St Antony’s College. It is supported by CEELBAS, the Russkiy Mir Foundation, and the Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation.
Researchers across Africa, Asia and the Middle East are building their own language models designed for local tongues, cultural nuance and digital independence
"In a high-stakes artificial intelligence race between the United States and China, an equally transformative movement is taking shape elsewhere. From Cape Town to Bangalore, from Cairo to Riyadh, researchers, engineers and public institutions are building homegrown AI systems, models that speak not just in local languages, but with regional insight and cultural depth.
The dominant narrative in AI, particularly since the early 2020s, has focused on a handful of US-based companies like OpenAI with GPT, Google with Gemini, Meta’s LLaMa, Anthropic’s Claude. They vie to build ever larger and more capable models. Earlier in 2025, China’s DeepSeek, a Hangzhou-based startup, added a new twist by releasing large language models (LLMs) that rival their American counterparts, with a smaller computational demand. But increasingly, researchers across the Global South are challenging the notion that technological leadership in AI is the exclusive domain of these two superpowers.
Instead, scientists and institutions in countries like India, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are rethinking the very premise of generative AI. Their focus is not on scaling up, but on scaling right, building models that work for local users, in their languages, and within their social and economic realities.
“How do we make sure that the entire planet benefits from AI?” asks Benjamin Rosman, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand and a lead developer of InkubaLM, a generative model trained on five African languages. “I want more and more voices to be in the conversation”.
Beyond English, beyond Silicon Valley
Large language models work by training on massive troves of online text. While the latest versions of GPT, Gemini or LLaMa boast multilingual capabilities, the overwhelming presence of English-language material and Western cultural contexts in these datasets skews their outputs. For speakers of Hindi, Arabic, Swahili, Xhosa and countless other languages, that means AI systems may not only stumble over grammar and syntax, they can also miss the point entirely.
“In Indian languages, large models trained on English data just don’t perform well,” says Janki Nawale, a linguist at AI4Bharat, a lab at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. “There are cultural nuances, dialectal variations, and even non-standard scripts that make translation and understanding difficult.” Nawale’s team builds supervised datasets and evaluation benchmarks for what specialists call “low resource” languages, those that lack robust digital corpora for machine learning.
It’s not just a question of grammar or vocabulary. “The meaning often lies in the implication,” says Vukosi Marivate, a professor of computer science at the University of Pretoria, in South Africa. “In isiXhosa, the words are one thing but what’s being implied is what really matters.” Marivate co-leads Masakhane NLP, a pan-African collective of AI researchers that recently developed AFROBENCH, a rigorous benchmark for evaluating how well large language models perform on 64 African languages across 15 tasks. The results, published in a preprint in March, revealed major gaps in performance between English and nearly all African languages, especially with open-source models.
Similar concerns arise in the Arabic-speaking world. “If English dominates the training process, the answers will be filtered through a Western lens rather than an Arab one,” says Mekki Habib, a robotics professor at the American University in Cairo. A 2024 preprint from the Tunisian AI firm Clusterlab finds that many multilingual models fail to capture Arabic’s syntactic complexity or cultural frames of reference, particularly in dialect-rich contexts.
Governments step in
For many countries in the Global South, the stakes are geopolitical as well as linguistic. Dependence on Western or Chinese AI infrastructure could mean diminished sovereignty over information, technology, and even national narratives. In response, governments are pouring resources into creating their own models.
Saudi Arabia’s national AI authority, SDAIA, has built ‘ALLaM,’ an Arabic-first model based on Meta’s LLaMa-2, enriched with more than 540 billion Arabic tokens. The United Arab Emirates has backed several initiatives, including ‘Jais,’ an open-source Arabic-English model built by MBZUAI in collaboration with US chipmaker Cerebras Systems and the Abu Dhabi firm Inception. Another UAE-backed project, Noor, focuses on educational and Islamic applications.
In Qatar, researchers at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and the Qatar Computing Research Institute, have developed the Fanar platform and its LLMs Fanar Star and Fanar Prime. Trained on a trillion tokens of Arabic, English, and code, Fanar’s tokenization approach is specifically engineered to reflect Arabic’s rich morphology and syntax.
India has emerged as a major hub for AI localization. In 2024, the government launched BharatGen, a public-private initiative funded with 235 crore (€26 million) initiative aimed at building foundation models attuned to India’s vast linguistic and cultural diversity. The project is led by the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay and also involves its sister organizations in Hyderabad, Mandi, Kanpur, Indore, and Madras. The programme’s first product, e-vikrAI, can generate product descriptions and pricing suggestions from images in various Indic languages. Startups like Ola-backed Krutrim and CoRover’s BharatGPT have jumped in, while Google’s Indian lab unveiled MuRIL, a language model trained exclusively on Indian languages. The Indian governments’ AI Mission has received more than180 proposals from local researchers and startups to build national-scale AI infrastructure and large language models, and the Bengaluru-based company, AI Sarvam, has been selected to build India’s first ‘sovereign’ LLM, expected to be fluent in various Indian languages.
In Africa, much of the energy comes from the ground up. Masakhane NLP and Deep Learning Indaba, a pan-African academic movement, have created a decentralized research culture across the continent. One notable offshoot, Johannesburg-based Lelapa AI, launched InkubaLM in September 2024. It’s a ‘small language model’ (SLM) focused on five African languages with broad reach: Swahili, Hausa, Yoruba, isiZulu and isiXhosa.
“With only 0.4 billion parameters, it performs comparably to much larger models,” says Rosman. The model’s compact size and efficiency are designed to meet Africa’s infrastructure constraints while serving real-world applications. Another African model is UlizaLlama, a 7-billion parameter model developed by the Kenyan foundation Jacaranda Health, to support new and expectant mothers with AI-driven support in Swahili, Hausa, Yoruba, Xhosa, and Zulu.
India’s research scene is similarly vibrant. The AI4Bharat laboratory at IIT Madras has just released IndicTrans2, that supports translation across all 22 scheduled Indian languages. Sarvam AI, another startup, released its first LLM last year to support 10 major Indian languages. And KissanAI, co-founded by Pratik Desai, develops generative AI tools to deliver agricultural advice to farmers in their native languages.
The data dilemma
Yet building LLMs for underrepresented languages poses enormous challenges. Chief among them is data scarcity. “Even Hindi datasets are tiny compared to English,” says Tapas Kumar Mishra, a professor at the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela in eastern India. “So, training models from scratch is unlikely to match English-based models in performance.”
Rosman agrees. “The big-data paradigm doesn’t work for African languages. We simply don’t have the volume.” His team is pioneering alternative approaches like the Esethu Framework, a protocol for ethically collecting speech datasets from native speakers and redistributing revenue back to further development of AI tools for under-resourced languages. The project’s pilot used read speech from isiXhosa speakers, complete with metadata, to build voice-based applications.
In Arab nations, similar work is underway. Clusterlab’s 101 Billion Arabic Words Dataset is the largest of its kind, meticulously extracted and cleaned from the web to support Arabic-first model training.
The cost of staying local
But for all the innovation, practical obstacles remain. “The return on investment is low,” says KissanAI’s Desai. “The market for regional language models is big, but those with purchasing power still work in English.” And while Western tech companies attract the best minds globally, including many Indian and African scientists, researchers at home often face limited funding, patchy computing infrastructure, and unclear legal frameworks around data and privacy.
“There’s still a lack of sustainable funding, a shortage of specialists, and insufficient integration with educational or public systems,” warns Habib, the Cairo-based professor. “All of this has to change.”
A different vision for AI
Despite the hurdles, what’s emerging is a distinct vision for AI in the Global South – one that favours practical impact over prestige, and community ownership over corporate secrecy.
“There’s more emphasis here on solving real problems for real people,” says Nawale of AI4Bharat. Rather than chasing benchmark scores, researchers are aiming for relevance: tools for farmers, students, and small business owners.
And openness matters. “Some companies claim to be open-source, but they only release the model weights, not the data,” Marivate says. “With InkubaLM, we release both. We want others to build on what we’ve done, to do it better.”
In a global contest often measured in teraflops and tokens, these efforts may seem modest. But for the billions who speak the world’s less-resourced languages, they represent a future in which AI doesn’t just speak to them, but with them."
Sibusiso Biyela, Amr Rageh and Shakoor Rather
20 May 2025
https://www.natureasia.com/en/nmiddleeast/article/10.1038/nmiddleeast.2025.65
#metaglossia_mundus
"Redefining AI for underserved cultures and languages
THE rapid evolution of large language models has achieved grammatical correctness across major languages, yet this represents marketing inclusivity rather than true linguistic equality. While today’s AI can construct sentences in Tagalog, Swahili or Mongolian, the output remains inconsistent and inferior to English performance. Worse, the proliferation of wrapper applications without proper localization amplifies these deficiencies, potentially causing more harm than having no AI support at all.
Our experience building Egune AI in Mongolia revealed that perfect grammar is merely the starting point. The deeper challenge is not making AI speak every language; it is making AI think in every culture. When children grow up interacting with AI that fundamentally operates in English thought patterns, they gradually adopt linear, analytical reasoning, losing the circular, contextual cognition that characterizes many Asian and Indigenous languages. This represents cognitive homogenization disguised as technological progress.
The implications extend far beyond individual users. When governments process documents through foreign AI systems, health care providers rely on AI trained on different medical traditions, and educational institutions deploy AI that misunderstands local pedagogical approaches, entire nations become digitally dependent. They participate in the AI revolution as data providers rather than value creators, feeding sensitive information into systems that extract economic benefit without proportional return.
Digital sovereignty has become essential for nations serious about their technological future. This transcends data localization requirements, though those are important. It is about controlling the AI systems that increasingly mediate citizen interactions with essential services. When critical infrastructure depends on foreign entities subject to external laws and priorities, true independence becomes impossible.
Building AI for languages with limited digital presence requires fundamental rethinking. Mongolian, spoken by three million people, represents less than 0.01 percent of internet content. Web scraping yields mostly translated content reflecting foreign thought patterns rather than authentic expression. We discovered that a million translated sentences teach less about genuine Mongolian thinking than a thousand authentic native conversations.
Our solution involved building dedicated data teams to create quality datasets. We digitized books, transcribed audio and video content, collected academic writing, and manually cleaned and corrected everything. While major AI systems train on trillions of tokens of varying quality, we focused on millions of carefully curated, culturally authentic examples. Every piece underwent native-speaker verification for natural expression. This approach took longer and cost more, but the results justified the investment: our AI understands not just Mongolian words but Mongolian thinking patterns.
Sovereign AI development enables capabilities impossible with foreign systems. During Mongolia’s harsh winters, we immediately update models with emergency protocols. When legislation changes, government agencies integrate updates within days rather than months. This agility becomes impossible when dependent on global release cycles prioritizing larger markets.
Local development ensures consistent alignment with national priorities. Security vulnerabilities specific to local infrastructure receive immediate attention. Critical bugs affecting local users receive priority treatment rather than languishing in global backlogs. Most importantly, economic value from AI development remains domestic, creating jobs and building expertise rather than extracting value abroad.
Our recent launch of Egune Chat on iOS and Android platforms demonstrates practical sovereign AI implementation. Users select their geographic region, accessing AI trained on specific cultural and administrative contexts. Rural Mongolians receive responses that consider traditional practices and limited infrastructure. Urban professionals get advice relevant to modern city resources. This is not translation; it is fundamentally different training for different realities...
Building national AI capabilities no longer requires competing with trillion-parameter models. Focused, culturally optimized systems serve specific populations better than generic global solutions while requiring a fraction of the resources. A $50 million investment in sovereign AI creates more local value than $500 million spent on foreign AI subscriptions.
International collaboration need not conflict with digital sovereignty. Nations can share open-source frameworks and methodologies while maintaining control over implementations. Mongolia’s experience can inform efforts in the Philippines, while Filipino innovations in multi-dialect processing might benefit Indonesia. This creates a network of diverse, interoperable AI systems rather than monolithic global platforms.
The future of inclusive AI requires recognizing that each culture offers unique problem-solving patterns worth preserving in the digital age. True inclusivity demands AI systems that understand local context, respect sovereignty, and serve actual population needs rather than assuming universal solutions exist..."
By Badral Sanlag
December 28, 2025
https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/12/28/business/sunday-business-it/inclusive-ai-from-the-ground-up-redefining-ai-for-underserved-cultures-and-languages/2249949
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Vivre l’Afrique au Maroc: quand le football devient langage africain
Lahcen Haddad.
ChroniqueLa CAN version Maroc 2025 a commencé bien avant le sifflet du premier match opposant le Maroc aux îles Comores. On la sent dans l’air, dans les rues qui se parent de couleurs, dans les drapeaux africains éclatants qui embellissent les carrefours, dans les accents et les langues africaines qui se croisent partout. On la lit aussi sur les maillots: des jerseys africains riches de traditions, de motifs, d’histoires et de savoir-faire millénaires.
Par Lahcen Haddad
Le 29/12/2025 à 16h00
L’Afrique est rassemblée sans sommet, sans tribune officielle, sans discours. Elle s’assemble par l’émotion. Le football est sans doute la plus grande sensation commune partagée par tous les Africains.
Mais les Africains ont, depuis longtemps, fait parler le football à leur manière. Le football est une langue africaine à part entière. Les rythmes, l’improvisation, l’intensité physique, l’intelligence collective en constituent la grammaire commune, partagée entre les Africains. Chaque match se lit comme un texte, comme un palimpseste: avec son intertextualité, sa propre rhétorique, ses signifiants. Le style de chaque équipe révèle son identité. Le football africain est reconnaissable au-delà des résultats. Les stades deviennent ainsi des espaces de production de sens culturel et interculturel. Et l’interculturel, en Afrique, n’a jamais été une exception: il a toujours été une évidence. L’Afrique parle et se parle via le jeu, à travers le football.
Mais l’organisation de la CAN au Royaume chérifien, terre de baraka et d’empires mythiques, n’est pas un simple exercice de soft power. C’est une expérience vécue, célébrée, chantée et dansée par des foules venues de tous les coins d’une Afrique fière de son africanité. L’explication par le «soft power» ne rend pas justice à la réalité de ce qui se joue. Le soft power est un regard externe, une lecture exogène — une forme d’objectification, au sens lacanien du terme.
La CAN relève au contraire d’un regard interne: une reconnaissance de soi, de ses capacités, de ses rêves et de ses ambitions. Son audience n’est pas d’abord le monde, mais les Africains eux-mêmes. Le football y devient une connexion horizontale, traversant espaces, communautés et sociétés; il n’est pas une projection, mais une présence. Les Africains ne jouent pas pour être regardés: ils jouent pour se reconnaître.
Reconnu comme l’un des pays les plus hospitaliers au monde, le Maroc se distingue en Afrique non pas comme un simple carrefour, mais comme un véritable centre de l’africanité. Son ouverture, son soutien constant et son sens profond de l’identité sont forgés par une longue histoire, depuis les caravanes des IXème et Xème siècles qui transportaient non seulement l’or et le sel, mais aussi des cultures, des religions, des vivres et un art de vivre partagé.
«le football opère comme un espace de décolonisation symbolique. Il traverse les langues imposées, court-circuite les bureaucraties postcoloniales et ignore les cartographies héritées»
— Lahcen Haddad
Dans ce contexte, le stade devient une demeure continentale: la culture marocaine y joue le rôle de pont, de trait d’union au sens le plus authentique du terme. Il n’y a pas ici de hiérarchie des identités africaines, ni d’ethnocentrisme hérité du regard occidental, mais une appartenance horizontale, multiple, multiculturelle et plurielle. Être hôte devient alors un acte de reconnaissance envers la terre africaine et sa mosaïque de géographies symboliques, de mémoires croisées et de récits partagés.
La condition postcoloniale de l’Afrique n’a pas seulement fragmenté les territoires; elle a désaccordé les sensibilités politiques, désarticulé les temporalités et installé une dissonance durable entre les peuples et les formes héritées de l’État. Les frontières tracées à la règle par l’histoire coloniale ont laissé des cicatrices mémorielles, des blocages politiques et des blessures existentielles encore actives.
Face à ces lignes imposées, le football opère comme un espace de décolonisation symbolique. Il traverse les langues imposées, court-circuite les bureaucraties postcoloniales et ignore les cartographies héritées. Il ne reconnaît ni centre métropolitain ni périphérie subalterne. L’unité africaine ne se proclame pas dans les sommets ni les communiqués technocratiques: elle se fabrique par le bas, dans les tribunes, dans les corps en mouvement, dans les chants partagés. C’est là que s’exprime une fierté nationale décolonisée — ni folklorisée, ni mimétique du nationalisme occidental, mais vécue, située, charnelle.
L’Afrique se rassemble davantage dans le chant que dans le discours, dans le rythme que dans l’institution, dans le jeu que dans la norme. Cependant, il ne faut pas idéaliser cette unité: elle demeure temporaire, imparfaite, parfois même contradictoire. Mais c’est précisément parce qu’elle est vécue qu’elle est vraie. La puissance de l’instant peut, parfois, dépasser celle de la permanence. Nous sommes ici face à un moment postmoderne, presque uncanny: un moment qui ouvre un horizon de rêve, même s’il est éphémère, fragile et voué à disparaître.
Bien sûr, la mémoire demeure. Elle s’attache aux smartphones autant qu’à l’imaginaire collectif. Mémoire des moments vécus, parfois au point de se substituer à la chose elle-même — non comme falsification, mais comme refiguration du réel. Ce jeu de la mémoire — fait de buts devenus anthologiques, comme celui d’Ayoub El Kaabi, d’efforts titanesques portés par des équipes entières, de gestes justes et de prouesses incarnées par de grands joueurs tels que Riyad Mahrez, Victor Osimhen, Omar Marmoush, Ademola Lookman ou Achraf Hakimi — s’inscrit durablement dans la conscience des supporters, même lorsque certains n’ont pas encore pleinement pris part au récit sur le terrain.
Si l’union vécue se dissipe avec le temps, la mémoire, elle, persiste par la narration. Elle se nourrit de répétitions, de partages, de récits réactivés. Une communauté mémorielle se constitue ainsi, non pour figer l’instant, mais pour lui donner une continuité symbolique. Au sens ricœurien, le football devient récit: il articule l’événement, la mémoire et l’identité. L’unité ne survit pas comme fait politique durable, mais comme horizon narratif — maintenu vivant par l’imaginaire collectif qui insiste, obstinément, sur la possibilité de l’union.
Le football ne résout pas les problèmes de l’Afrique, mais il montre quelque chose d’essentiel: une imagination partagée, une capacité d’être en commun, de vivre ensemble, d’être de bons voisins. La CAN est un miroir, pas un blueprint. Le Maroc 2025-2026 est un moment charmeur où l’Afrique se regarde dans le miroir du terrain et croit en elle-même.
Dans un monde divisé, fragmenté et privé de boussole, la CAN rappelle que l’Afrique existe déjà — chaque fois qu’un ballon circule librement entre ses peuples. Malgré les frontières ouvertes ou fermées, les espaces aériens libérés ou verrouillés, malgré les paroles médiatiques tantôt intégratrices et tolérantes, tantôt saturées de haine, le ballon défie les rancœurs et les calculs mesquins. Il circule à travers les périples, en dépit des obsessions fragmentaires et fragmentantes de certains leaders.
Le ballon crée le rêve, ouvre un horizon de coexistence: celui du bon voisinage, d’une unité africaine profondément désirée — non par les institutions, mais par les peuples africains eux-mêmes.
Par Lahcen Haddad
Le 29/12/2025"
https://fr.le360.ma/economie/vivre-lafrique-au-maroc-quand-le-football-devient-langage-africain_TPMCMZRR6ZFMZNYFYCIPFO2EOM/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"A row erupted over the rising cost of translators in the UK benefits system after far-right, anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson accused the government of wasting millions of pounds of public money on people who "can't speak English.
In a post on X, Robinson criticised the use of taxpayer-funded interpreters for migrants and pushed for their deportation: “If they can't speak English, then they shouldn't be here anyway. Absolute p***take. Deport.”
— TRobinsonNewEra (@TRobinsonNewEra)
His comments came as a new report called for migrants to be banned from using free translation services when claiming benefits. The study was published by the Policy Exchange think tank, according to the Daily Mail.
It argues that the ability to speak English should be a basic requirement or bare minimum for accessing the welfare system.
The report follows a surge in benefit claims and says the government should stop offering free translators in most civil cases. It describes the benefits system as part of a “social contract” with society and its people, adding: “Part of this is the ability to converse in the official, national language.”
According to official figures cited in the study, spending on translation services in civil cases rose by 80 per cent in the three years after the Covid-19 pandemic, reaching £12.8 million last year.
Claimants are currently entitled to free translation to help them appeal decisions denying benefits such as Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support Allowance.
Should claimants pay for their own translators?
The report also says that in future, claimants who cannot speak English should be expected to pay for their own interpreters.
It recommends that free translation should remain only for deaf people and for criminal cases, where “freedom and liberty are on the line”.
The proposal is to curb the growing welfare bill and reduce the influence of courts over benefit rules. The report argues that courts have gradually expanded the rules on who qualifies for benefits, driving up overall costs. It says Parliament has failed to assert control, with MPs unwilling to reverse decisions made by judges...
Tommy Robinson is known for his strong opposition to immigration, especially from Muslim-majority countries. He argues that mass migration compromises British identity, security, and social cohesion. In September, Robinson led major anti-immigration rallies in London that included tens of thousands of supporters and sometimes turned violent.
About the Author
TOI World Desk"
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/if-they-cant-speak-english-tommy-robinson-slams-12-million-going-to-translators-for-migrants-in-uk/articleshow/126230426.cms
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Uber has introduced a new in-app translation tool designed to help drivers and passengers communicate more easily, even when they don’t share a common language.
According to a report by Mashable, the ride-hailing platform has launched an automatic translation feature that supports more than 100 languages, allowing messages sent through the Uber app to be translated in real time. The feature is aimed at improving communication around pick-ups, directions and delays, particularly in busy or unfamiliar locations.
Uber says the tool works directly within the app’s messaging system, meaning neither drivers nor passengers need to switch to external translation apps. Messages are translated automatically, helping both sides understand key information such as where to meet, which entrance to use, or whether there are any issues with traffic or access.
The company has positioned the update as part of a wider push to improve the overall ride experience, especially in cities and regions where language barriers are more common.
What the new translation tool does
The new feature allows:
Automatic translation of in-app messages
Support for over 100 languages
Clearer communication during pick-ups and drop-offs
Uber believes this will reduce confusion, missed connections and cancelled trips caused by misunderstandings between drivers and passengers.
DM News Commentary
From a private hire driver’s point of view, better communication tools are always welcome. Language barriers can be a genuine challenge, particularly in city centres, airports and tourist hotspots where pick-up instructions can make or break a job.
That said, while translation tools may help smooth out day-to-day issues, they don’t address some of the wider frustrations drivers often raise — such as pay rates and service fees, etc.
For passengers, especially visitors to the UK, clearer communication could make app-based travel less stressful — provided the translations are accurate and reliable in real-world conditions."
matthewDec 29, 2025
https://dmnews.co.uk/uber-rolls-out-real-time-translation-feature-to-bridge-language-gaps-for-drivers-and-passengers/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"De Christine de Pizan à Simin Daneshvar, quarante traductrices pionnières
Elles décident de signer leurs traductions au lieu de rester anonymes, comme il est d’usage à l’époque dans un monde régi par les hommes. Loin de se confiner au travail intellectuel que représente la traduction et l’écriture (la plupart sont aussi écrivaines), elles voyagent, luttent pour les droits des femmes et mènent une vie défiant les conventions de leur temps.
Quelles œuvres traduisent-elles? Des œuvres littéraires, bien sûr, mais aussi des publications scientifiques et politiques. Pourquoi traduisent-elles ces œuvres?
À quels défis sont-elles confrontées pendant cinq siècles? Quels sont leurs accomplissements envers et contre tout? Quelle est leur influence sur la société en tant que figures littéraires, scientifiques et politiques? Quelle est leur contribution à la cause des droits des femmes?
Voici les courtes biographies de quarante traductrices/autrices rédigées avec l’aide de Wikipédia - ces femmes disposent toutes d’une page Wikipédia (en français ou dans d’autres langues) grâce aux multiples collaborateurs/collaboratrices de l’encyclopédie en ligne. Elles méritent maintenant des biographies complètes, des documentaires, des expositions et des œuvres d’art en tous genres. Place à un voyage virtuel aussi passionnant qu’incomplet.
Crédits illustration : Les chimistes Claudine Picardet (qui tient un livre à la main) et Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier (à sa droite), dont les traductions sont essentielles lors de la Révolution chimique menée par André Lavoisier (assis) entouré de ses collègues. Portrait de groupe anonyme disponible dans Wikimedia...
Le 29/12/2025
par Marie Lebert
Contact : marie.lebert@gmail.com
https://actualitte.com/article/128408/auteurs/de-christine-de-pizan-a-simin-daneshvar-quarante-traductrices-pionnieres
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Abstract
Background: Psychiatric interpreters in Japan-many of whom work on a voluntary basis-play a vital role in bridging critical language barriers for the country’s immigrants while facing unique psychological challenges within a non-certified system.
Aim: This qualitative study aimed to explore the psychological experiences and support needs of volunteer psychiatric interpreters in Japan.
Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 medical interpreters recruited via a national dispatch organization (10/15, 66.7%), local networks (3/15, 20%), and hospital referrals (2/15, 13.3%). Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method.
Results: Four major themes emerged: inhibiting factors (e.g., emotional exhaustion, lack of support), facilitating factors (e.g., agency assurance, patient approval), interpreters’ personal qualities (e.g., resilience, altruism), and the pursuit of a professional foundation (e.g., desire for formal training). Participants perceived an emotional toll greater than in general medical interpreting, intensified by Japan’s volunteer-based, under-supported system. None of the participants were full-time psychiatric interpreters, limiting the applicability to highly specialized settings.
Conclusions: Structured psychological training and support networks are recommended to enhance interpreter well-being and improve access to mental health services for immigrants, thereby contributing to psychiatric care, public health outcomes, and cross-cultural communication."
https://www.cureus.com/articles/445123-psychological-experiences-and-support-needs-of-volunteer-psychiatric-interpreters-in-japan-a-qualitative-study#!/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Decolonising the Mind: The Politics Of Language In African Literature
Mehnaz Ali Jan
“Every language has a right to be spoken, even if only five people speak it, because it is democratic and a human right.” (Ngugi wa Thiong’o)
The book “Decolonising the mind: the politics of language in African literature” is written by a Kenyan writer, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, who was born in January 5, 1938. He is one of the most influential writers, novelists, playwrights, essayists and a post-colonial theorists. He firmly upholds writing in African native language such as his own Gikuyu rather than colonial languages. His various publications include Weep Not Child, The River Between, A Grain Of Wheat, Petals Of Blood, Devil On The Cross, Homecoming and many more.
The book debated book contains 114-120 pages, written in English and has been translated into several languages including French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic and some African and Asian languages and got published in 1986.
Furthermore, to fully grasp the book’s title, one must first understand the concept of colonisation.
Colonisation refers to the subjugation (process of bringing something under control) of one country or nation by the other militarily advanced and a powerful country or nation. The colonizer usually rule over the weak nations, form colonies and exploit their resources for its own benefits. And the colonized countries or nations undergo various changes such as political, economic, cultural and social changes in the subjugated country.
Decolonisation is its opposite which is the process by which colonies become independent of the colonizing country. It is about cultural, economic and psychological freedom of the native people with the achievement of national sovereignty.
Moreover, the book is the combination of essays regarding language and its constructive role in national development, culture, history and identity. The book is a collection of four essays namely:
1- The Language Of African Literature
2- The Language Of African Theatre
3- The Language Of African Fiction
4- The Quest For Relevance
1. The Language of African Literature:
In this essay, the writer argues that language is deeply tied to culture and identity. He explains how colonial education system pushed African writers to use European languages, which gradually distanced them from their own people and traditions. Ngugi believes that writing in colonial languages reinforces mental domination, while using African languages helps reclaim cultural pride and restore a true African perspective in literature.
2. The Language of African Theatre:
The author focuses on theatre as a communal art form that directly engages the people. He describes his experience with community theatre in Kenya, where performances were done in local languages and reflected real social issues. This essay shows how African theatre could become a powerful tool of resistance and education when it speaks the language of the people, rather than the language of the colonizers.
3. The Language of African Fiction:
Here, Ngugi examines African novels written in European languages and questions whom these works truly serve. He argues that when African stories are told in foreign languages, they often cater more to international audiences than local readers. By advocating for African languages in fiction, Ngugi emphasizes the importance of authenticity, accessibility, and preserving indigenous storytelling traditions.
4. The Quest for Relevance:
This essay discusses the responsibility of African writers and intellectuals in post-colonial societies. Ngugi stresses that literature should not exist in isolation but should address the real struggles of ordinary people, such as oppression, inequality, and cultural loss. He calls on writers to remain relevant by engaging with their communities and contributing to social change rather than seeking approval from Western institutions.
However, the main arguments of the book cover:
•Language as a tool of colonial domination
• Colonial Alienation
• Reclaiming identity through indigenous (native) languages
Language as a Tool of Colonial Domination:
Ngugi argues that colonial powers didn’t just occupy land but they also used language to shape thought and identity. He mentions that when African intellectuals write in European languages (English, French, Portuguese), they are participating in a continuation of colonial influence because these languages carry the worldviews and values of the colonizers.
Colonial Alienation:
He introduces the idea of “colonial alienation” that the psychological estrangement that occurs when a people’s native languages and cultural frames are displaced by colonial languages. This alienation, he claims, leads to a loss of cultural grounding and self understanding.
Reclaiming Identity Through Indigenous Languages:
Ngugi passionately defends the use of African languages in literature, education, and culture, arguing that they are essential for genuine cultural expression and liberation. Language, for him, is not neutral instead it’s deeply political and tied to a people’s history, memory, and resistance.
Apart from this, this book talks about the implementation of English as the official language by the British in the colonized countries like Africa, and its impacts as this broadens the gap between the use of mother tongue Gikuyu and English. He started writing his works in Gikuyu since 1977. Since then he was confronted with a question, particularly, in Europe about the reason for his writing in Gikuyu language. His writing in mother tongue was perceived as an abnormal act. He shares incidents of humiliating experiences undergone by the Gikuyu speaking children in school and different types of punishments were given.
This reflects how colonialism shaped African thinking through language and that colonial rule didn’t end with political independence as it survived in people’s minds – especially through education system that dominated European languages and cultures over African ones. For him, language is not merely a means of communication but also it carries culture, identity, memory and history. To decolonise the minds, therefore, means reclaiming African language using them to tell stories.
In short, Ngugi believes his writing in his native language is a part of the anti imperialistic struggles of Africans, especially Kenyan people. He does not want to see the future generation, specifically, school children growing up in the imperialistic tradition. He desires to see Kenyan national languages having a literature which reflects the rhythms of the languages as well as the native social nature, plus their struggle with nature and culture. Because it will benefit the future generations of Kenya to live in harmony; they can learn other languages and could enjoy revolutionary elements in the other languages without any complex about their mother tongue, environment and themselves.
Thus, “Decolonising the Mind” is a must-read for students, writers, scholars, political workers and others who are interested in understanding the lasting effects of colonialism on language and culture. We can touch it with the ongoing crises in Balochistan as well."
https://www.thebalochnews.com/2025/12/29/decolonising-the-mind-the-politics-of-language-in-african-literature/?amp=1
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Rise in Demand for Quran Translations in Swedish after Quran Desecration
Culture & KnowledgeCulture9:41 - December 28, 2025
News ID: 3495872
IQNA – Following an incident of Quran desecration in front of the Stockholm Grand Mosque, demands to buy translations of the Holy Quran in Swedish have increased significantly.
According to a report by Alkompis, after the Quran burning in front of the Stockholm Grand Mosque, requests to purchase a translation of the Holy Quran in Swedish increased significantly, and perhaps this is one of the positive effects of this tragic incident in Sweden.
There have been several Quran translations in Sweden over the years, and many people have made great efforts to present the concepts of the Holy Quran to the Muslims of the European country.
Currently, there are 8 different translations of the Holy Quran in Swedish, the first translation being done in the 18th century and the last in the past few years.
It came out after the establishment of the Scandinavian Education Foundation on December 3, 2022, which took steps towards translating the Holy Quran.
Each translation of the Quran into Swedish has its own differences from the other, and it is surprising that more than half of the existing translations were made by non-Muslim Swedes and followers of other religions, including Judaism and Christianity, because they were very interested in learning about the Quran and also felt responsible for their community, so they translated the Holy Quran into Swedish and published it.
Qurans translated by Swedish orientalists
1. The first famous translation of the Quran was made by Bishop Johan Adam Tingstadius (1748-1827), but it was never published.
2. The first published translation into Swedish was made by Johan Fredrik Sebastian Kronstolp (1801-1882), which was published in 1843.
3. Between 1873 and 1874, Carl Johan Turnberry (1807-1877) presented a new translation.
4. In 1917, a complete translation of the Quran into Swedish was published.
5. In 1961, a Swedish translation of parts of the Quran by Ake Ollmark was published.
6. A new translation of the Quran with commentary, Koranen Budeskap or Messages of the Quran, was published in 1998 by former Swedish diplomat Mohammed Knut Brannström, followed by a second edition in 2000.
This Swedish translation is distinguished from other translations by receiving official approval from the Department of Islamic Research, Writing and Translation at Al-Azhar University.
In addition to the commentary, Brannström also included the original Arabic text of the Quran. This translation contains many commentaries, footnotes and explanations that contradict Islamic teachings.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Suwaidi, a graduate of the Islamic University of Medina, has described in detail the doctrinal errors in this translation in his master’s thesis.
7. Another translation into Swedish was done by Quneita Sadaqah, entitled “The Holy Quran”. In this translation, each page is divided into two columns, with the left column containing the translation of the Quran in Swedish and the right column containing the text of the Quran in Arabic.
8. The Scandinavian Education Foundation also published a translation entitled DEN ÄDLA KORANEN in 2022, which is the latest translation of the Holy Quran in Swedish.
How is the Quran translated?
Jan Eyarpe, a professor of the history of religions in Sweden, says, “The main duty of a believer in his religious life is to recite the Quran with humility from its Arabic text with Tajweed. Therefore, the text of the Quran, which is written in Arabic script, is a sacred text.”
The Holy Quran is recited in Tarteel and in eloquent Arabic on various occasions, but most Muslims in the world do not understand it although it has amazing beauty. The text of the Quran must be translated and interpreted in order to be understood.
In an article titled “Translating the Quran into Swedish”, published in 2005, Christopher Toll took a comprehensive look at the history and personalities who translated the Quran into Swedish. Academic articles and theses in Sweden also looked at parts of the Quran translated into Latin or Swedish.
From the end of the 18th century to the first decades of the 19th century, these theses formed the basis of a number of master’s theses and were used by a very limited group of teachers and students.
The Arabic language articles were related to the subject of Oriental languages (which also included Greek), and Arabic was essential for comparison with the Semitic languages, especially Hebrew and Syriac, which were used for the interpretation of the Bible and the study of church bishops.
Complete translations of the Quran into Latin, English, German and French were available to the public. In the field of Quranic studies, the Latin translations made by Ludovico Marracci in 1698 were also of great importance for a very long time.
Over time, the Swedish government showed greater interest in Oriental studies, culminating in the International Oriental Conference in Stockholm, which was held with the participation of King Oscar II in 1889.
At the same time, universities began to take a broader approach to the field. During this period, Carl Johannes Thornberg, professor of Oriental languages at Lund University, published his Swedish translation of the Holy Quran in pamphlets in 1873–74.
Thornberg had been closely associated with European Orientalists in the mid-19th century. He made some interpretative additions to the original text of his translation, which contained precise and close interpretations of the Quranic text, and also added explanations.
Zetterstéen’s translation
Karl Vilhelm Zetterstéen, professor of Oriental languages at Lund University from 1895 to 1904, and then professor of Semitic languages at Uppsala until 1931, produced a remarkable translation.
Translations of the latter half of the 20th century
Ake Ullmarks rewrote a translation of parts of the Quran in 1961 based on Ludwig Ullmann’s German translation of 1840. These translations are unreliable to a considerable extent.
A Swedish translation was also produced in 1988 based on the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya, reflecting their interpretation of the Quran’s content, and having a limited audience. Swedish Islamic authorities consider it heretical or un-Islamic.
Sweden now has a large population of Muslim background, which was not the case in the 20th century. A translation of the Quran into Swedish, which is now highly secular and at the same time multi-religious, has a different audience.
Bernström, a Swedish diplomat, has served twice as ambassador in Madrid and Rabat. Bernström, who converted to Islam in the mid-1980s, saw society in need of a new translation of the Holy Quran into Swedish. When Zetterstéen began translating the Quran in the 20th century for students and scholars, Bernström wondered how modern Muslims could understand the concepts of the Quran, which originated in the 6th century in the Arabian Peninsula. Bernström’s target audience was Swedish Muslims.
Bernström’s religious upbringing further explains this problem. He was born in 1919 into a Protestant-Catholic family and converted to Catholicism at a young age. But in the 1960s, when the Second Vatican Council chose the motto “to update,” Catholicism became problematic for him. This motto conflicted with the idea that religion was something fixed and permanent.
Bernström’s stay in Morocco was very important. He found there the permanence of Islam and the Quran, and its Arabic text, which is eternally sacred. But how could he understand this sacred text?
The book “The Message of the Quran” by Muhammad Assad (a convert from Judaism to Islam) in 1980 greatly helped Bernström in translating the Quran. In “The Message of the Quran”, Assad provided an edited and completed commentary.
According to Jan Eyarpe, a Swedish professor of the history of religions, this is not a translation, but a rewriting."
https://iqna.ir/en/news/3495872/rise-in-demand-for-quran-translations-in-swedish-after-quran-desecration
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
Outcry over £12m cost of translators for migrants in claim disputes.
Migrants should be banned from using taxpayer–funded translators to claim benefits, a report says.
The study by the Policy Exchange think–tank, which follows a surge in claims, says tribunals considering benefit cases should no longer offer free translation services.
The report says the benefits system should be seen as 'part of a social contract that one has with society at large', adding: 'Part of this is the ability to converse in the official, national language.'
The study cites official figures showing the cost of providing translation services in civil cases jumped by 80 per cent in the three years following the pandemic, to reach £12.8million last year.
Claimants are entitled to free translation to help them challenge decisions refusing them benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
The report says that in future they should be expected to pay for their own interpreters if they cannot speak English. It says that free translation services should only continue for the deaf and for criminal cases where 'freedom and liberty are on the line'.
The recommendation is part of a wider report urging ministers to take back control of the benefits system from the courts.
The study finds that the criteria for granting benefit claims has been systematically widened by the courts for years, helping to fuel the huge rise in the welfare bill.
There have been calls for tribunals to consider that benefit cases should no longer offer free translation services...
Tribunals currently deal with thousands of benefits appeals every year. The study found that the majority are granted, with up to 75 per cent of cases overturned in some courts.
Former Lord Chancellor Sir Robert Buckland said the discretionary power allowing judges to interpret the law 'should be returned to lawmakers' to help contain the 'breathtaking amount of public expenditure', adding: 'The subcontracting of decision–making of this nature and scale should concern all of us who care about the proper role of the courts.'
The report says £750million a year could be saved just by tightening the rules allowing people to claim PIP if they are unable to plan and undertake a journey because of mental health conditions.
Report author Jean–Andre Prager said criteria for benefit claims should be automatically reviewed every two years.
He also called for courts to issue 'suspended' judgments to give parliament six months to clarify the law before they came into effect, adding: 'The appeals system has become a substitute for good decision–making rather than a check on it. We need to restore parliamentary authority, improve accountability and use technology to deliver a fairer, more sustainable system..."
By JASON GROVES, POLITICAL EDITOR
23:51 GMT 28 Dec 2025 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15418205/12million-cost-translators-migrants-benefit-claim-disputes.html?ito=native_share_article-nativemenubutton
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"The Judicial Council of California has approved recommendations from a study on how to expand access to the pool of court interpreters able to assist the state’s nearly 6.4 million limited-English-proficient (LEP) residents and potential court users.
Study considerations for the council include reviewing interpreter examination standards and content, adopting carryover scoring to aid candidates, and creating structured career pathways—including tiered systems and apprenticeship programs, particularly for Spanish interpreters. The study also advises the council to work with courts to develop a statewide directory for interpreters trained in video remote interpreting and to continue expanding access to American Sign Language and emerging languages.
The study also calls for action by the legislature, courts, and experienced court interpreters, which includes recommendations to continue adequately funding interpreter services, review and improve compensation packages, and develop mentorship programs.
“There was broad agreement among the stakeholders for the recommendations and considerations,” said Court Executive Officer Anabel Romero, vice-chair of the council’s Court Interpreters Advisory Panel. “The study offers a roadmap for the branch to improve interpreter services for the public and to ensure our goals of high-quality equitable access for all Californians, regardless of the language they speak.”
California Courts Newsroom (12/12/25) By Blaine Corren"
https://www.atanet.org/industry-news/judicial-council-to-continue-efforts-to-improve-the-availability-of-court-interpreters/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Why 2026 belongs to multimodal AI
The text-based era of interacting with AI is over.
For the past three years, AI’s breakout moment has happened almost entirely through text. We type a prompt, get a response, and move to the next task. While this intuitive interaction style turned chatbots into a household tool overnight, it barely scratches the surface of what the most advanced technology of our time can actually do.
This disconnect has created a significant gap in how consumers utilize AI. While the underlying models are rapidly becoming multimodal—capable of processing voice, visuals, and video in real time—most consumers are still using them as a search engine. Looking toward 2026, I believe the next wave of adoption won’t be about utility alone, but about evolving beyond static text into dynamic, immersive interactions. This is AI 2.0: not just retrieving information faster, but experiencing intelligence through sound, visuals, motion, and real-time context.
AI adoption has reached a tipping point. In 2025, ChatGPT’s weekly user base doubled from roughly 400 million in February to 800 million by year’s end. Competitors like Gemini and Anthropic saw similar growth, yet most users still engage with LLMs primarily via text chatbots. In fact, Deloitte’s Connected Consumer Survey shows that despite over half (53%) of consumers experimenting with generative AI, most people still relegate AI to administrative tasks like writing, summarizing, and researching.
Yet when you look at the digital behavior of consumers outside of AI, it’s clear consumers crave immersive experiences. According to Activate Consulting’s Tech & Media Outlook 2026, 43% of Gen Z prefer user-generated platforms like TikTok and YouTube over traditional TV or paid streaming, and they spend 54% more time on social video platforms than the average consumer, abandoning traditional media for interactive social platforms.
This creates a fundamental mismatch: Consumers live in a multi-sensory world, but their AI tools are stuck delivering plain text. While the industry recognizes this gap and is investing to close it, I predict we’ll see a fundamental shift in how people use and create with AI. In AI 2.0, users will no longer simply consume AI-generated content but will instead leverage multimodal AI to bring voice, visuals, and text together, allowing them to shape and direct their experiences in real time.
MULTIMODAL AI UNLOCKS IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING
If AI 1.0 was about efficiency, AI 2.0 is about engagement. While text-based AI is limited in how deeply it can engage audiences, multimodal AI allows the user to become an active participant. Instead of reading a story, you can interact with a main character and take the plot in a new direction or build your own world where narratives and characters evolve with you.
We can look to the $250 billion gaming industry as the blueprint for the potential that multimodal AI has. Video games combine visuals, audio, narrative, and real-time agency, creating an immersive experience that traditional entertainment can’t replicate. Platforms like Roblox and Minecraft let players inhabit content. Roblox alone reaches over 100 million daily users, who collectively spend tens of billions of hours a year immersed in these worlds; engagement that text alone could never generate.
Shaping the mine of the future: The engineering challenge of a lifetime
With the rise of multimodal AI, users everywhere will be able to create these types of experiences they’ve loved to participate in through gaming. By removing technical barriers, multimodal allows everyone to build experiences that not only feel authentic to the real world but also actively participate in them. Legacy media is also responding to this trend. Disney recently announced a $1 billion investment in OpenAI and a licensing deal that will let users create short clips with characters from Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars through the Sora platform.
WHY MULTIMODAL AI CAN BE SAFER FOR YOUNGER USERS
As AI becomes part of everyday life, safety—particularly for younger users—has become one of the most critical issues facing the industry.
Moving from open-ended chat to structured, multimodal worlds allows us to design guardrails within the gameplay. Instead of relying on continuous unstructured prompts, these environments are built around characters, visuals, voices, and defined story worlds. Interaction is guided by the experience itself. That structure changes how and where safety is designed into the system.
Educational AI demonstrates this approach. Platforms like Khan Academy Kids and Duolingo combine visuals, audio, and structured prompts to guide learning. The AI isn’t trying to be everything; it focuses on one task well. As multimodal AI evolves, one of its most meaningful opportunities may be this ability to balance creative freedom with thoughtful constraint. AI 2.0 presents a design shift that could give builders, educators, and families new ways to shape safer, more intentional digital spaces for the next generation.
WHY MULTIMODAL AI IS THE NEXT FRONTIER
In 2026, I predict that consumers won’t be prompting AI; it will be a more immersive interactive experience. This excites me because users won’t just passively receive outputs; they’ll actively shape experiences and influence how AI evolves in real time. We could see users remixing the series finale of their favorite TV show, or students learning history not by reading a textbook, but by actively debating a historically accurate AI simulation.
For founders and creators, the next step is to stop building tools only for efficiency and start building environments for immersion and exploration. The winners of the next cycle won’t be the ones with the smartest models, but the ones who make AI feel less like a utility and more like a destination for rich, interactive experiences."
Why 2026 belongs to multimodal AI - Fast Company
BY Karandeep Anand, CEO of Character.AI
https://www.fastcompany.com/91466308/why-2026-belongs-to-multimodal-ai
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
Mobvoi launches TicNote AI-powered voice recorder in the Philippines with Shadow AI for smarter transcription and insights.
Mobvoi has launched the TicNote AI-powered voice recorder in the Philippines. Apart from being just a recorder, the device also features Shadow, an AI agent that can transcribe, summarize, and even connect ideas across projects.
TicNote is built for everyday use. It has a slim, credit card-sized body with MagSafe support, making it easy to carry around. It features dual recording modes for meetings, notes, or calls, and advanced noise cancellation for clear audio.
The recorder can run up to 25 hours on a single charge, packs 64GB of storage, and offers unlimited cloud backup. Privacy is also baked in, with data protection enabled by default.
Shadow is where things get interesting. It can handle smart transcription in over 100 languages, provide quick answers through Flash Chat, and even surface “aha moments” by linking ideas across files.
You can also group recordings and documents into projects, giving Shadow more context to work with. The more you use it, the smarter it gets.
The TicNote AI-powered voice recorder is priced at ₱9,499. It’s available now at Aerophone stores nationwide and online, with Shopee and Lazada to follow. Buyers get a free three-month Pro Plan with 1,500 AI credits per month."
By Bryan Rilloraza
December 27, 2025
https://www.technobaboy.com/2025/12/27/ticnote-ai-powered-voice-recorder-launches-in-the-philippines/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"« Tout traduire nous ralentit » : l'obligation d'utiliser le français pèse sur les entreprises au Québec
Face au recul du français, le Québec durcit le ton. La loi impose des règles strictes aux entreprises, avec des sanctions pouvant atteindre 30.000 dollars canadiens par jour.
La loi adoptée en 2022 impose le français comme langue de travail et de commerce au Québec, y compris pour les entreprises de taille moyenne.
Dans le centre-ville de Montréal, la langue anglaise semble avoir déserté les commerces. Les enseignes, les menus et même les messages d'accueil s'affichent désormais en français. Et pour cause : depuis l'entrée en vigueur de la loi sur la langue officielle et commune du Québec, communément appelée loi 96, la province a considérablement durci ses exigences linguistiques.
Le texte, adopté en 2022, impose le français comme langue de travail et de commerce, y compris pour les entreprises de taille moyenne. Depuis plusieurs mois, les contrôles se sont multipliés, les plaintes aussi, sous l'impulsion d'un gouvernement qui veut freiner le déclin du français.
10.000 contrôles en un an
En un an, l'Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) a mené près de 10.000 inspections, soit un bond de 47 %. Les plaintes, elles, ont augmenté de 140 % en cinq ans, signe d'une vigilance accrue du public. « La langue de service reste le principal motif, devant la documentation commerciale et l'affichage », explique Nicolas Trudel, porte-parole de l'Office.
« Depuis la loi 96, nous recevons beaucoup de demandes d'entreprises qui cherchent à comprendre comment se conformer. Nous avons mis en place une équipe dédiée à la validation des maquettes d'affichage et des sites web », précise-t-il.
L'OQLF assure privilégier l'accompagnement avant la sanction. « Nous offrons un soutien personnalisé aux PME qui peinent à se mettre en règle. Si l'entreprise collabore, nous cherchons toujours une solution avant d'imposer une ordonnance », poursuit Nicolas Trudel.
Mais les pénalités peuvent vite grimper : jusqu'à 30.000 dollars canadiens par jour (18.000 euros environ) pour une première infraction, et trois fois plus en cas de récidive. « On comprend la logique de protection du français, admet Julie Lemieux, gérante d'un café dans le quartier du Plateau à Montréal, mais pour une petite structure, ces ajustements pèsent lourd sur les marges. »
Le français face à l'économie nord-américaine
Depuis juin, les entreprises de 25 employés et plus doivent adopter le français comme langue de travail principale. Plus de 14.000 sociétés se sont inscrites au processus de francisation, contre 11.500 un an plus tôt. Mais certaines peinent à suivre.
« Dans la finance, le numérique ou le jeu vidéo, l'anglais s'impose naturellement, même dans des filiales françaises », observe Benoît Dubreuil, commissaire à la langue française. L'intégration économique du Québec au marché nord-américain rend la contrainte linguistique plus complexe. « On reçoit des contrats et de la documentation en anglais. Traduire tout, ça ralentit nos opérations », reconnaît Martin Caron, salarié d'une société d'import-export à Brossard.
Pour l'Office, ces ajustements font partie du prix à payer pour préserver une langue minoritaire sur un continent anglophone. « Le but n'est pas de punir, mais de maintenir le français vivant dans les milieux de travail », insiste Nicolas Trudel.
Une langue devenue sujet de polarisation
Au-delà de la politique linguistique, le français s'impose aujourd'hui comme un véritable sujet de polarisation au Québec. Dans les commerces, les conflits se multiplient entre clients et employés pour un « hello » au lieu de « bonjour ». Des affrontements verbaux filmés et publiés sur TikTok qui génèrent des milliers de vues et des centaines de commentaires.
Ces dérives ne font pas peur au Premier ministre québécois, François Legault, pour qui la loi 96 reste un pilier identitaire. Les dépenses de l'OQLF ont d'ailleurs doublé depuis son arrivée au pouvoir en 2018. L'objectif : enrayer le recul du français, particulièrement à Montréal, où un jeune sur trois s'exprime indifféremment en anglais ou en français.
Comme le chantait Yves Duteil, le français « c'est une langue belle à qui sait la défendre » : une phrase que beaucoup de Québécois semblent aujourd'hui prendre au pied de la lettre.
Par Timothé Boudet
Publié le 19 oct. 2025 (Correspondant à Montréal)
https://www.lesechos.fr/monde/ameriques/tout-traduire-nous-ralentit-lobligation-dutiliser-le-francais-pese-sur-les-entreprises-au-quebec-2193204
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
‘The big idea here is to use these trained translators to export high-quality Telugu literature to the global markets,’ added Mohan Babu of Chaaya Publishers.
"Mohan Babu founded Chaaya Publishers in Hyderabad, India, in 2017 to focus on fiction and nonfiction in Telugu. With over 200 Telugu titles published – more than half of which are translations – Chaaya Publishers is now strategically focused on bringing the best of global contemporary literature to the Telugu reader through its ambitious “Videshi” project.
In this conversation, he talked about this project, bringing in translations from fifteen foreign languages into Telugu and his plans for Chaaya Publishers.
Tell us about the journey of Chaaya Publishers.
The story of Chaaya Publishers is less about a formal business plan and more about a community passion that grew wings. We started about 10 years ago, and back then, we were the Chaaya Resources Centre. Our core activity was holding monthly literary meetings – lively, passionate discussions about a specific novel or a collection of short stories. These gatherings weren’t just for critics; they were for writers and avid readers to connect and challenge each other.
Around nine years ago, the natural next step was publishing. I began by helping a couple of writer friends put out their books. We started with original Telugu poetry and prose. But the real turning point came when we started translating great literature from other Indian languages. We brought in the works of great writers like Kannada writers Vivek Shanbhag and Vasudhendra, and Tamil writer Jeyamohan, among others. The response was immediate and overwhelming. It showed me that our readers had a hunger for narratives beyond our borders, and I recognised we had a responsibility to bridge this gap, focusing heavily on bringing quality translations to the Telugu market.
This strategic pivot fueled our growth. We quickly moved from just two initial members to a dedicated, eight-member team. This small, passionate team, supported by a growing network of skilled translators, is the engine that drives Chaaya Publishers today. We now have two talented in-house editors, a design expert, and our full-time CEO, Arunank Latha, who manages the complex world of rights acquisitions and market development.
Tell us about your Videshi series, which you launched at the beginning of 2025.
My own reading history heavily influenced the Videshi Series. I was fortunate to be exposed to excellent translations from a very young age – think of the profound works of 19th-century Russian masters like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. But today, the world has changed so much with globalisation, and literature is changing too. Many talented international writers are charting the realities of life in this new age, exploring complex themes like migration, globalisation, and gender issues. The painful realisation was that Telugu readers were largely cut off from this contemporary global conversation.
We decided this had to change. Our core idea for “Videshi” was simple: we must bring high-quality translations of current, globally-relevant foreign literature directly to our readers.
We started with a modest target, but the moment our team started working aggressively – reaching out and building relationships – we found an incredible wealth of world-class, often award-winning literature. We decided to be much more ambitious! We proudly named the series “Videshi” (meaning Foreign) and significantly ramped up our target. I’m thrilled to report that we have secured rights for 25 exceptional titles from 15 diverse foreign languages, including Scandinavian languages like Norwegian, Finnish and Icelandic, as well as French, German, Danish, Italian, among others. We successfully launched five of these titles this year, and the remainder will be finished and published by the end of 2027.
What are the major challenges you face in publishing these translations?
Publishing international translations involves managing challenges across three complex areas: rights, language, and capacity.
Firstly, the acquisition of rights is a marathon, not a sprint. We are hunting for the very best – Nobel, Booker, and International Booker Prize winners. We have to meticulously research and scout for great writing across various genres. Then comes the critical part: we have to convince major foreign publishers about the vitality of the Telugu market, often educating them about our language and readership size, before we can obtain the exclusive rights.
Secondly, the linguistic bridge is challenging. For many languages, we simply don’t have professional, literary translators directly available in Telugu. This forces us into the “relay translation” route: we must acquire rights for a highly regarded English translation first. We are extremely careful here; we only work with English translators and publications of the highest repute, ensuring their translation procedures are diligent, thereby guaranteeing the fidelity of the final Telugu version.
Finally, scaling our capacity is a constant effort. To manage 25 books over three years, our internal resources were stretched thin. We had to significantly expand our translator and editor pool. This involved inviting hundreds of writing samples from new translators, selecting only the best, and then training them. Furthermore, to maintain the gold standard of quality, we have formed our team with three more highly-experienced freelance editors who are dedicated exclusively to managing the robust editing and quality assurance of the high-stakes “Videshi” series.
What does the future look like?
Our vision for the future is twofold: to deepen our roots domestically and to project our voice globally.
On the domestic front, we will continue to stabilise and expand the “Videshi” project. We aim to establish a consistent pipeline, publishing 25 titles of foreign literature into Telugu every single year. We will also intensify our efforts to reach out to readers, especially young people, to ensure we are adding new readers who are excited about this global literary exchange.
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The second part of our plan is genuinely thrilling: taking Telugu literature to the world. We recently ran a successful six-month online Telugu-to-English translation workshop, where six young mentees learned from the highly respected French-to-English translator, Ross Schwartz. The big idea here is to use these trained translators to export high-quality Telugu literature to the UK and US markets, allowing our brilliant writers to finally join the Western literary conversation.
To cap it all, we are elevating the literary community through events. We hosted the Chaaya Literary Festival a few months ago, the first major initiative of its kind for the Telugu language, and it was a massive success. In the next two years, we will globalise this event by inviting foreign writers and English translators from abroad to participate. We are determined to build strong, lasting cultural bridges made with the powerful, universal material of translated literature.
We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in."
Harshaneeyam
Yesterday · 07:30 am
https://scroll.in/article/1089230/a-contemporary-global-conversation-a-hyderabad-publisher-is-translating-world-fiction-into-telugu
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
Explore ways on how AI translation in India uses ML, NLP & localization to bridge regional language gaps and boost digital inclusion.
"AI translation in India is revolutionizing communication across 22 official languages through ML, NLP, and localization apps.
It enables seamless access to education, e-governance, and digital services in regional languages.
Initiatives like Bhashini, AI4Bharat, and Google Translate are driving multilingual inclusion nationwide.
By 2025, AI will be breaking language barriers, fostering digital equality, and empowering millions across India.
There are more than 1.4 billion people in India, and 22 official languages, with hundreds of other dialects used across the states. From government forms and educational content to the subtitles on YouTube videos or the chatbots used in e-commerce, a barrier to communication often falls to language diversity. But that is changing – because of artificial intelligence (AI).
By 2025, AI translation tools will facilitate easier communication among speakers of Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and Marathi, enabling more people to contribute content in their regional languages, participate in the digital economy, and access citizen services.
Thanks to advances in natural language processing (NLP), machine learning (ML), and neural translation models, India’s multilingual web is becoming accessible and interoperable. In this article, we will look at AI translation tools and apps that are bridging the language gap, highlight major initiatives in India, and think about what the future of inclusive AI-powered communications could hold.
The Multilingual Translation Challenge in India
India is the only home to one of the most complex multilingual environments in the world. Although English and Hindi are the predominant languages on digital platforms, over 85% of Indians surveyed said they would prefer to consume content in their native or regional languages (KPMG-Google report “Indian Languages – Defining India’s Internet”).
That said, translation between Indian languages has always been difficult for several reasons:
Grammatical complexity: Different languages have different sentence structures and syntax.
There isn’t a lot of standardized data: There are limited parallel texts for AI models to learn from.
Contextual meaning: Words frequently change meanings based on social, cultural, or religious contexts.
Low-resource languages: Many of the regional dialects have little or no digital footprint, making it difficult for machine learning.
As a result of all this, early machine translation, which implemented translation tools, often produced literal translations and inaccurate or culturally awkward subfields. However, with the revolutionary strides in AI, particularly with neural translation models, this has all changed dramatically.
The Rise of Neural Machine Translation (NMT)
In earlier days, translations were built around rules or were statistical: they essentially relied on predefined grammar structures or on probabilities of word matches to achieve translation. NMT has moved the translation needle forward rapidly.
Google Technology company icon with connected user concept | Image credit: Freepik
As defined by its name, NMT – as used by Google Translate, Meta’s NLLB, and Indic platforms – is based on deep learning that understands context, tone, or meaning rather than simply generating word-for-word translations. Put simply, NMT systems are trained on massive bilingual text corpora.
AI assimilates sentence structures, idioms, and the subtleties of context, satisfying the needs for “natural and accurate” translation.
Key Technologies Behind Modern Translators
Transformer models (for example, Google’s BERT and OpenAI’s GPT architecture) → Can identify the meaning of words based on the relationships to the surrounding words.-
Transfer learning: the knowledge gained in one language pair supports improved performance in another.
Speech-to-text and text-to-speech AI can provide real-time spoken translation.
Multimodal learning: combines text, audio, and image data for contextual translation (think street signs or scanned documents).
This has allowed AI to support low-resource regional Indian Languages like Assamese, Odia, or Konkani that received little attention in mainstream systems.
Key Players and Projects for AI Translation for Indian Languages
Many private and public initiatives drive India’s multilingual AI revolution.
a. Bhashini: India’s National Language Translation Mission
Launched by the Government of India under the Digital India initiative, Bhashini aims to advance an open-source, public-facing AI system to support public services across all 22 official languages in India and beyond. Bhashini leverages crowdsourced datasets, neural translation, and voice AI technologies to make multilingual apps and public-facing services.
b. Expansion of Google Translate for Indian Languages
Google Translate provides translation for 24 Indian languages as of 2025, leveraging Zero-Shot Translation (ZST), in which the AI learns to translate between language pairs it has not been directly trained on. Example: Given only training on pairs including English ↔ Kannada and English ↔ Marathi, it can still learn to translate Kannada ↔ Marathi.
c. Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services – Indian Language Models
Microsoft has built API connectors for translation across the main Indian languages, including speech recognition and transliteration. It provides these services to state e-Governance projects, banks, and call centers to address multilingual challenges in customer service. Microsoft is collaborating with AI4Bharat to develop regional translation datasets.
d. AI4Bharat (IIT Madras)
AI4Bharat is a prominent academic initiative focused on open-source Indian-language AI models. Their IndicTrans2 model, released in 2024, has been trained on 22 Indian languages and performs better than many global models for local languages. They also have ongoing work on datasets for sentiment analysis, OCR for Indian-language scripts, and regional ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition).
e. Meta’s NLLB (No Language Left Behind) Project
Meta’s research division released NLLB-200, which can translate 200 languages, including multiple Indian languages such as Bhojpuri, Assamese, and Urdu.
Real-World Applications in India
E-Governance and Citizen Services
Government online services such as DigiLocker, e-Shram, and PM-Kisan are being integrated with translation layers to support vernacular accessibility. State governments (Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Bengal) have been experimenting with AI voicebots in regional languages to handle grievance redress.
Image Source: freepik.com
Education and E-Learning
Edtech giants like Byju’s, Unacademy, and Khan Academy India are leveraging NLP to generate local-language course content. AI translation and voice-over tools can enable the same video lecture to be translated into multiple Indian languages in a matter of hours.
E-Commerce and Fintech
Companies like Amazon, Flipkart, and PhonePe are now using NLP-based multi-lingual chatbots and product descriptions in an AI context. According to YourStory (2024), vernacular content has been shown to deliver a 40% increase in customer engagement among vernacular customers in Tier-II & Tier-III cities.
Media and Entertainment
Streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar use AI dubbing and subtitling to expand their reach for Indian-language entertainment. Furthermore, YouTube’s auto-caption translation AI is increasing the viewability of regional creators.
Healthcare workers in rural communities can utilize healthcare and socio-economic services
AI translators to help communicate with patients using different dialects. Apps like Karya and Jugalbandi (Microsoft + Bhashini) use AI to provide multi-lingual access to government schemes and other medical information for rural communities.
Here’s How AI Translation Works Under The Hood
Data Collection
Bilingual datasets of documents, subtitles, or voice transcripts are aligned in two languages.
Model Training
Neural networks examine pairs of texts to learn how concepts, grammar, and word order differ.
TokenizationText is broken down into small chunks called “tokens” – words, subwords, or even characters – for language with rich morphology.
Contextual Encoding
Transformer models read entire sentences rather than word by word and represent meaning holistically.
Decoding and GenerationAI then decodes and generates the translated sentence by reordering the words that are the most contextually appropriate.
Feedback and Fine-Tuning
Models will continually improve thanks to human feedback, domain-specific datasets (such as in medical or legal contexts), and more language pairs.
Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik
The Impact: Democratizing Digital India
AI translation is more than just a technological breakthrough; it is an equalizer on a social level.
Access: More Indians can utilize apps in their native language, read news articles, or access services.
Educational equity: Students enrolled online or in rural areas can learn without a language barrier.
Digital inclusion: Small businesses and artisans will be able to advertise their products, and revenues/earnings will expand into new markets.
Cultural Preservation: Regional languages will have a presence in the digital space, ensuring culture does not erode.
As of 2025, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) estimates that 70% of new users prefer to access internet content in their regional language – an outcome that AI translation enables directly.
Challenges and Ethical Considerations
Despite rapid advancements, challenges continue to persist.
Data Bias: Certain languages lack digitized data, creating disparities in accuracy.
Cultural Nuance: Sarcasm, idioms, proverbs, etc., remain difficult for machines to understand because they lack cultural significance.
Data and Technology: Real-time translation of either chat or voice can lead to data leaks.
Dependency on Big Tech: To avoid reliance on Western AI ecosystems, it is vital to encourage Indigenous innovations.
The answer is to work together between the academic, start-up, and government sectors, as in the Indian context of the Bhashini model, to ensure that the AI translation develops in a culturally aware, ethical, and open manner.
The Future of AI Translation in India
In the coming years, AI translation will go from text to encompass speech and video, and ultimately create conversations that are aware of emotion.
AI voice assistants (like Google Assistant, Alexa, and India’s own Haptik) will soon be able to engage in fully multilingual conversations.
Real-time AR translations (using smartphone cameras) will enable travel and let one read road signs or menus instantly in their language of choice.
Generative AI tools (like ChatGPT and Gemini) will provide regional interfaces for conversations, allowing businesses to converse with users in their own mother tongue naturally.
This image is AI-generated. Image Credit: Freepik
Ultimately, India is making the first moves toward creating a linguistically inclusive digital ecosystem, where language is no longer a barrier but a bridge.
Conclusion
AI translation in India represents more than just convenience; it’s a technological leap toward digital equality. By combining neural translation models, government-backed missions like Bhashini, and private innovation from tech giants, India is setting an example of how a multilingual nation can thrive in the digital age.
As regional creators, teachers, students, and entrepreneurs begin using these tools daily, AI isn’t just translating words; it’s translating opportunities."
Anisha Dutta
https://techgenyz.com/ai-translation-india-bridging-regional-language-gaps/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Ethiopia’s Language Crisis Is Not About Identity. It Is About a Bad Theory of Language.
By Tesfatsion Dominiko
December 28, 2025
A trader moving goods from Wolaita Sodo to Addis Ababa does not ask which language “owns” the road. A job-seeker in Adama approaches Afan Oromo not as a test of loyalty, but as a vital currency for connection. A driver at the Mojo dry port switches languages the way he shifts gears—because survival demands it. Yet Ethiopia’s language policy is built as if none of this were true.
Recently, a question has been circulating across African public debate that should unsettle Addis Ababa as much as Harare: why do African states obsess over linguistic purity while economies reward linguistic flexibility? While politicians police identity, global powers learn African languages not out of love, but out of calculation. They understand something our policies refuse to admit: language is not just culture. It is also a system of coordination—an infrastructure of communication, power, and belonging.
Ethiopia’s language crisis is not caused by multilingualism. It is caused by a mistaken idea of what language is.
For three decades, the Ethiopian state has treated language as a fixed object—bounded, countable, and tied to territory. In policy, language functions like a flag planted on administrative land. In real life, language functions differently: as a resource people deploy strategically to move, trade, work, belong, and survive. Yet language is not only a tool; it also carries symbolic weight. Languages gain legitimacy through institutions—schools, courts, and media—that authorize some forms of speech as “official” or “proper.” The gap between lived multilingual practice and institutionalized symbolic power lies at the heart of our recurring language tensions.
The Practice Gap: When Policy Refuses to See Reality
The Ethiopian constitution imagines a neatly ordered linguistic landscape: one region, one dominant language, one administrative code. But everyday Ethiopia is not neatly ordered. It is crowded, mobile, and multilingual.
This produces what might be called a practice gap: the distance between how the state thinks language works and how people actually use it. By tying language rights almost exclusively to territory, policy has unintentionally created linguistic islands. These islands are not cultural havens; they are internal trade barriers.
A young graduate in Gambella quickly learns this lesson. To succeed locally, they need their mother tongue. To succeed nationally—to access Addis Ababa’s labor market, industrial corridors, or federal institutions—they need a repertoire. But a repertoire is not merely the sum of different languages; it is the capacity to deploy specific codes in specific contexts where they carry legitimacy and value. Everyday multilingualism is shaped not just by choice, but by the settings—schools, workplaces, public offices—in which certain languages are recognized as appropriate.
We are training citizens for a static, village-based economy that no longer exists, while the real society—its markets and institutions together—demands movement across linguistic spaces. The state often rewards symbolic identity; the economy and public services reward communicative flexibility.
Who Really Benefits From Monolingualism?
The strongest evidence that Ethiopia’s language regime is broken lies not in theory, but in class practice.
For the political and economic elite, multilingualism is normal. Their children attend schools where Amharic, English, and often a third or fourth language are standard. These children are not trained to defend linguistic purity; they are equipped with linguistic capital. They can navigate both the symbolic hierarchies of state institutions and the practical requirements of markets and mobility.
For the rural poor and much of the urban working class, the state prescribes a different path: strict mother-tongue education with weak transitions to federal and global working languages. The result is a quiet but powerful stratification. The elite possess the linguistic capital to navigate the federation and the world. The poor are restricted to local linguistic citizenship, dependent on intermediaries to access the center.
We have democratized the right to a language, but rationed the power and legitimacy that come with fluency.
Ethiopia in a World of Linguistic Hierarchies
Ethiopia’s language debate also unfolds within a global hierarchy that we rarely name honestly. English and French are not just foreign languages; they are operating systems of global trade, diplomacy, science, and increasingly, digital life. Mastery of these languages determines who can access international markets, global institutions, and transnational networks of power.
Countries with complex linguistic landscapes show that multilingualism can be managed, not feared. In Switzerland, children routinely speak three or four languages, supported by schools and institutions that balance identity with mobility. South Africa and Canada demonstrate similar lessons: official languages coexist with regional ones, allowing citizens to navigate both symbolic and practical spaces. Ethiopia, by contrast, risks punishing multilingual reality rather than harnessing it as a resource for opportunity and inclusion.
Here again, inequality mirrors language. For Ethiopia’s elite, English is treated as a basic skill—acquired early, reinforced through private schooling, and used to navigate global opportunity. For millions of others, exposure to English comes late, unevenly, or not at all. The result is not cultural loss, but structural exclusion.
Mandarin is expanding the global repertoire, functioning as a new tier of infrastructure alongside English to facilitate emerging trade and technological networks. Countries that understand this treat language pragmatically. They expand repertoires rather than defend purity. Ethiopia, by contrast, risks reproducing internal linguistic rigidities on a global scale—debating identity at home while falling silent abroad.
The Fiction of the “Pure” Speaker
Underlying Ethiopia’s language conflicts is what might be called a census mentality: the belief that languages and speakers can be neatly counted, classified, and boxed. This logic flattens human complexity into administrative categories.
In Ethiopia’s towns and cities, the “pure speaker” barely exists. A child in Wolaita Sodo may speak Wolayttatto at home, Amharic in the neighborhood, and English online. This child does not have one language. They have a repertoire—situated, layered, and context-dependent—not simply a list of codes, but a capacity to shift and adapt across situations.
Yet political discourse insists on forcing choice: Are you this or that? Which box do you belong to? This demand does not reflect Ethiopian history. For centuries, people mixed languages through trade, migration, intermarriage, and religion. It is the modern state—not society—that insists on purity.
By treating languages as mutually exclusive possessions, policy transforms everyday multilingualism into a political threat. Diversity itself is not the problem. The rigid management of diversity is.
Rethinking Language: From Identity to Infrastructure
What Ethiopia needs is not another symbolic debate, but a conceptual shift.
Language is not merely communication. It is social action, power, and mobility. Languages do not exist because they are linguistically “pure”; they exist because institutions make them official, teach them, and reward their use. And people do not navigate life through single languages, but through layered repertoires—learned formally and informally, through movement and participation.
Seen this way, language policy should resemble transport or energy policy more than identity politics. The question is not who owns which language, but how access to linguistic resources expands or restricts mobility and participation.
This also clarifies why linguistic practice adapts faster than linguistic administration. Traders, drivers, migrants, and youth code-switch instinctively because coordination often happens beyond symbolic loyalty. They are not betraying identity. They are exercising agency within systems shaped by both markets and state institutions.
Toward a Repertoire Economy
None of this requires dismantling federalism or abandoning mother-tongue education. Cultural dignity and early cognitive development matter. But dignity without mobility is not empowerment. A repertoire approach shifts the focus from defending boundaries to building bridges through three strategic actions:
First, incentivize bridge languages as economic infrastructure. Learning a neighboring language should be treated as a social and economic skill, not a political concession. In Addis Ababa, providing Afaan Oromo as a formal subject is an investment in a child’s future “economic geography,” allowing them to navigate the region’s largest labor markets. Similarly, school signboards written in both Amharic and Afaan Oromo should not be viewed as territorial markers, but as navigation tools—user interfaces for a mobile public. Schools should reward linguistic range because the real-world economy already does.
Second, de-ethnicize Amharic by treating it as a shared utility. We must strip Amharic of historical burden and treat it as a public good—the “common protocol” or operating system of the Ethiopian market. Just as a merchant from Hosaena uses a standardized road to reach a warehouse, they use Amharic as a functional code to access national trade. Refusing to master this dominant language of commerce is not an act of cultural resistance; it is an act of economic self-exclusion. Policy should promote Amharic as a tool for participation that belongs to everyone, regardless of their ethnic heritage.
Third, normalize code-switching in public institutions. Government offices and public services should reflect how people actually communicate, rather than forcing citizens to “ampute” parts of their linguistic identity at the door. If a driver at a dry port or a trader in a market succeeds by shifting between languages, our institutions should follow suit. By aligning official practice with the fluid reality of the streets, we lower the cost of doing business and ensure that every citizen, regardless of their repertoire, can access the state without an intermediary.
A Country Ahead of Its State
Ethiopia is a country of fluid people governed by a rigid map. Our language debates remain trapped in a 19th-century theory of language, while society operates in the 21st.
If we continue to treat languages as flags to defend rather than repertoires to share, we will keep reproducing fear, hierarchy, and wasted potential. If we shift toward a repertoire lens—seeing language as access rather than ownership—we can lower the temperature of debate and raise the ceiling of opportunity.
Language is economics. Language is mobility. Language is symbolic power.
The question is whether policy is ready to catch up with the people who already understand this.
Tesfatsion Dominiko (PhD) in Sociology from Stellenbosch University. Freelance Research and Advisory Consultant at Telic Consulting.Tesfatsion can be reached at tesfatsiondominiko@gmail.com"
https://capitalethiopia.com/2025/12/28/ethiopias-language-crisis-is-not-about-identity-it-is-about-a-bad-theory-of-language/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"The new book explores the evolution of the dictionary, as well as how we use and create language
Fastis' book covers how the dictionary is tackling the modern evolution of the English language
In the interview, Fastis explored several pivotal moments in dictionary history
On a recent episode of NPR's Book of the Day podcast, Stefan Fastis, author of Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) the Modern Dictionary, explained the history of the reference book and why it's still important today.
"It's a deceptively simple book and at the same time impossibly ambitious," NPR host Don Gonyea said. "It's utilitarian, but also incredibly erudite. I'm talking about the dictionary. For many decades, dictionaries were bestsellers and seen as the authority on the English language. But the Internet and more recently, artificial intelligence, have transformed how we get information, including definitions of words."
Fastis worked with former Merriam-Webster president and publisher John Morse on researching "how the sausage is made" when it comes to documenting the English language, as well as Stephen J. Perrault, an editor for Merriam-Webster. He even defined a number of words for the dictionary himself.
"I defined about 90 words, and 14 have made it so far into Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary," Fastis said. "I got 'microaggression' and 'safe space' and 'dog pile', and 'headbutt'words that were part of culture, and we think of them as, oh, those are pretty common, but it takes a while for words to bubble up, and to sort of become part of the list of words that need to get in."
He also explained that the inherent political nature of language can pose unique challenges for the dictionary's editors.
"[Dictionary editor] Philip Gove's driving belief was that the dictionary should be descriptivist. It should give the reader explanations for how words are used, not proscriptivist, telling readers what to do with the words," Fastis explained.
"And so Gove wanted everything to be in the dictionary. He defined the f-word just like every other word, and the president of Merriam-Webster struck it from the book," he added. "It was the one word that the president of Merriam-Webster felt was too offensive, would trigger readers, that would send 11-year-old boys looking it up."
Fastis also explained that modern culture is also changing the evolution of language. "The Internet has speeded everything up. So the main difference is that a word can go from obscure or brand new to widely used seemingly overnight," Fastis said.
"And more recently, with the advent of AI, Google's AI overview will take information from around the internet and sum it up," the author added. "The business threat there is that, you know, commercial dictionaries, of the few that are left, need people going to their websites."
Madison E. Goldberg
December 26, 2025
https://people.com/unabridged
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"FLINT, MI -- Members of the Flint City Council are talking about adding sign language interpreters to at least some of their meetings, but haven’t determined how to pay the expected cost.
“Right now, you do not have money in your budget for sign language interpreters,” City Clerk Davina Donahue told council members during their final committee meeting of this year on Dec. 17.
Donahue said the council will likely need to find funding in its current budget -- something that might not be easy to do.
Despite having a $350,000 professional services line item, the clerk said, there may not be enough in the account to add the cost of interpreters after paying for an annual audit.
Donahue said council members will also need to determine whether to provide the service at regular and committee meetings, estimating the cost of covering only regular council meetings at $15,000 per year and coverage of committee meetings as well at $32,000.
The cost estimates don’t include annual council budget hearings or special meetings.
Attorney General Dana Nessel has said the Americans with Disabilities Act requires state and local boards and commissions to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with a disability who request an accommodation.
Donahue told council members she’s received only two such requests since she was appointed clerk in December 2022 -- one to move a divider separating the council from audience members because it interferes with lip reading and another she received just 36 hours before the start of a special meeting.
In all, the council averages roughly 50 regular meeting nights annually, and the clerk said those sessions average three to four hours.
Donahue said her cost estimates are based on an expected charge of $160 per hour for two interpreters, each working four hours after 6 p.m.
In addition to the interpreters, the decision to provide the service would require equipment investments that would allow council meetings to be broadcast on YouTube with picture-in-picture and an additional camera fixed on the interpreters.
YouTube closed captioning isn’t provided as the meeting is streamed live, but usually updated with captions within 48 hours.
Sarah Houston, a 6th Ward resident, is among council watchers who have advocated for sign language interpreters this year.
Houston told council members at the Dec. 17 meeting that they need to act to provide the service while they find a way to fund it.
“Deaf people need access ...,” she said. “Those residents should be just as important” as other citizens.
Council members took no action after hearing Donahue’s report but 6th Ward Councilwoman Candice Mushatt requested the information in writing “so we can make sure we’re reaching all residents” in 2026."
By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2025/12/flint-council-members-want-asl-interpreters-for-meetings-but-need-to-find-funding.html
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Né en 1947, il avait étudié la traduction et l'interprétation à Anvers. Il a d'abord traduit en néerlandais des œuvres écrites en français, en allemand et en italien. Il a débuté sa carrière de poète avec le recueil 'Orpheushanden' ('Les mains d'Orphée') en 1969 avant de s'imposer en 1975 avec 'Twee vormen van zwijgen' ('Deux formes de silence') en 1975. Leonard Nolens est l'un des auteurs d'expression néerlandaise les plus récompensés de l'après-guerre.
Il a notamment reçu des mains de la reine Beatrix des Pays-Bas le prestigieux Prix des Lettres néerlandaises. Il avait également été pressenti plusieurs fois comme un gagnant potentiel du Prix Nobel de Littérature.
Il est le premier poète à avoir reçu un doctorat honoris causa à l'UGent en 2018. Sa poésie a été traduite en dix langues dont le français, l'allemand, le hongrois et le suédois."
https://www.rtbf.be/article/le-poete-flamand-leonard-nolens-est-decede-a-78-ans-11653786
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"« Paix sur la terre aux hommes… » : enjeux de la traduction liturgique du Gloria
Eflamm Caouissin
Le Gloria est l’un des textes les plus anciens et les plus solennels de la liturgie chrétienne. Chanté ou récité les dimanches et fêtes en dehors des temps pénitentiels, il constitue une grande doxologie trinitaire, par laquelle l’Église répond à la miséricorde invoquée dans le Kyrie par une louange solennelle. Son incipit reprend explicitement le chant des anges lors de la Nativité du Seigneur, tel qu’il est rapporté dans l’Évangile selon Luc (2,14), avant de se déployer en une confession de foi adressée successivement au Père, au Fils et à l’Esprit Saint. En raison de son enracinement scripturaire et de son ancienneté, le Gloria fait partie des textes que la liturgie romaine considère comme reçus, et non comme des compositions adaptables.
Cette stabilité n’est pas seulement une tradition implicite. Les normes liturgiques sont explicites : le Gloria est un hymne fixé, dont les paroles ne peuvent être modifiées. L’Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani (Présentation Générale du Missel Romain) rappelle que le Gloria est soit chanté soit récité « selon le texte approuvé », sans possibilité de paraphrase ou d’adaptation libre. Toute modification, même motivée pastoralement, sort donc du cadre autorisé par la liturgie elle-même.
Une virgule comme correctif discret
C’est dans ce cadre qu’il faut comprendre la question de la traduction de la proclamation de paix. Pendant plusieurs décennies, la majorité des traductions françaises ont fait entendre : « Et paix sur la terre aux hommes qu’il aime ». Cette formulation, devenue familière, semblait souligner l’amour universel de Dieu, mais elle ne correspond ni au grec original de Luc – ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας – ni au latin liturgique transmis par la tradition hominibus bonae voluntatis. Dans les deux langues, il est question non des hommes aimés par Dieu, mais d’hommes caractérisés par une disposition intérieure particulière, que la tradition occidentale a rendue par «bonne volonté».
La traduction française la plus récente du Missel romain, promulguée en 2017, a introduit une modification apparemment minime mais décisive : « Et paix sur la terre aux hommes, qu’Il aime. » L’ajout de la virgule modifie la structure grammaticale. Sans elle, la proposition relative est restrictive et suggère que la paix serait réservée à un groupe particulier d’hommes aimés de Dieu, ce qui pose un problème théologique évident. Avec la virgule, la relative devient explicative : elle n’identifie plus un sous-ensemble, mais rappelle incidemment une vérité générale : les hommes, et Dieu les aime.
D’un point de vue grammatical, cette ponctuation corrige donc une ambiguïté réelle de la traduction précédente. D’un point de vue doctrinal, elle évite de laisser entendre que l’amour divin serait sélectif. Mais, sur le plan philologique, le problème demeure entier. Même ainsi corrigée, la phrase française ne traduit toujours pas ce que disent le grec et le latin. La référence explicite à la disposition intérieure de l’homme disparaît complètement, remplacée par une affirmation théologiquement juste, mais étrangère au verset original.
Une fidélité difficile à assumer
Dans la tradition de l’Église, l’expression hominibus bonae voluntatis n’a jamais été comprise comme une sélection morale ou méritoire. Les Pères de l’Église y voient non pas des hommes déjà justes, mais des hommes dont la volonté est rendue disponible à l’action de Dieu. Saint Augustin souligne que la bona voluntas n’est pas première : si l’homme peut vouloir le bien, c’est parce que la grâce l’a déjà précédé et guéri intérieurement. La «bonne volonté» ne désigne donc pas une performance humaine, mais une orientation du cœur qui consent à l’œuvre divine.
Cette compréhension est reprise et approfondie par la théologie médiévale. Saint Thomas d’Aquin affirme que la grâce ne supprime pas la liberté humaine, mais qu’elle la guérit et l’élève. La bona voluntas est précisément cette volonté humaine mise en mouvement par la grâce prévenante, capable d’accueillir le don de Dieu sans se l’approprier. La paix annoncée par les anges n’est ainsi ni automatique ni conditionnée par le mérite : elle est offerte gratuitement, mais elle ne porte du fruit que là où elle est reçue.
Le Magistère s’inscrit dans cette continuité. Le Catéchisme de l’Église catholique rappelle que « Dieu agit librement, mais il n’agit pas sans nous » (CEC, §2002). Les « hommes de bonne volonté » ne sont donc pas ceux qui seraient déjà parfaits, mais ceux qui ne ferment pas leur liberté à la grâce, qui ne résistent pas à l’appel de Dieu. Loin d’opposer grâce et liberté, la formule biblique les articule étroitement.
Compris ainsi, le chant des anges ne restreint pas l’horizon du salut ; il en décrit la dynamique. La paix proclamée à Noël n’est ni magique ni imposée : elle est relationnelle. Elle descend du Ciel, mais elle demeure là où des hommes consentent à l’accueillir. C’est cette anthropologie biblique, sobre et exigeante, que la tradition de l’Église a toujours reconnue dans le Gloria … et que la traduction contemporaine peine parfois à laisser entendre."
https://www.argedour.bzh/paix-sur-la-terre-aux-hommes-enjeux-de-la-traduction-liturgique-du-gloria/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
A study published in ECNU Review of Education explores how cultural contexts shape pre-service teachers’ noticing of students’ mathematical thinking. Using a cartoon-based vignette on fraction errors, researchers compared responses from Spanish and German teacher trainees. While both groups identified key aspects of student understanding, German participants emphasized classroom management, whereas Spanish participants focused on conceptual reasoning, reflecting differences in teacher education traditions.
"Research shows pre-service teachers from Spanish and German universities in varied cultural contexts noticed students’ thinking based on Enzo’s vignette
Teachers’ noticing of students’ mathematical thinking plays a crucial role in teaching, which implies the skills of attending, interpreting, and responding to classroom events. From an intercultural perspective, teacher noticing is influenced by various cultural and societal factors, such as differing teacher education traditions or entrenched mathematics curriculum practices. Some studies have emphasized the importance of the cultural framing of mathematics teacher noticing.
For further intercultural noticing research, a study published online on May 21, 2025, in ECNU Review of Education examined potential cultural framing phenomena in pre-service teacher noticing based on samples from two universities within different educational systems— Alicante in Spain and Ludwigsburg in Germany.
The study used a cartoon-based vignette as the research tool, presenting a teaching–learning situation in which a student made mistakes while performing fraction operations known as Enzo’s vignette. A total of 37 pre-service teachers from Spain and 56 from Germany were invited to read the vignette and describe what aspects of the student’s thinking they noticed and how they interpreted the student’s understanding. The research team coded and analyzed their responses to compare the teacher noticing exhibited by participants from the two countries.
The study reveals similarities and differences in the interpretations and decisions advanced by the different pre-service teacher groups. “Generally, most pre-service teachers from both groups identified the characteristics of Enzo’s group understanding,” explains Dr. Pedro Ivars et al.
As for the differences, German primary school teachers (PTs) gave a larger variety of interpretations and tended to focus more on classroom management, whereas Spanish PTs mostly focused on the conceptual idea and aspects of the tasks. Researchers stated that the differences found in the way of interpreting and deciding can be partly related to the different foci of the teacher education program and seminar contexts of the universities..."
ECNU Review of Education
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111016
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"China revises law on standard spoken, written Chinese language
BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday adopted a revised Law on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language, specifying that the third week of September each year shall be designated as the publicity week for the promotion and popularization of the standard spoken and written Chinese language.
The revised law stipulates that international exhibitions, conferences and other events held within China that use foreign languages for signs, labels, or promotional materials should also include the standard Chinese language.
In addition, the revision specifies that international Chinese language education should focus on teaching standard Chinese.
It also requires online publications, including online games, to use standard Chinese as their basic form of expression to further regulate the use of the standard Chinese language in cyberspace.
The language law, which took effect in 2001, sets Putonghua, or Mandarin, and standardized Chinese characters as the standard spoken and written forms of Chinese and China's official language.
Currently, more than 80 percent of the country's population can communicate in Putonghua, and the country's literacy rate has now exceeded 97 percent.
The revised law, passed at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
(Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liu Nin)"
(Xinhua) 15:29, December 27, 2025
https://en.people.cn/n3/2025/1227/c90000-20407547.html
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"...Before exploring intercultural competence, it is essential to first define culture. According to research, “Culture is a set of guidelines (both explicit and implicit) which individuals inherit as members of a particular society, and which tell them how to view the world, how to experience it emotionally, and how to behave in relation to other people.”...
In Campinha-Bacote’s model, cultural competence is presented as a dynamic process encompassing Awareness, Skill, Knowledge, Encounters, and Desire (ASKED). To provide care that is both respectful and effective across cultural boundaries, clinicians need to cultivate self-awareness, strive to constantly improve their clinical skills, acquire cultural knowledge, and have the desire and motivation to explore different cultures...
As diversity increases, so does the need for clinicians to communicate effectively across cultural differences. Health care professionals who are not culturally competent may encounter communication barriers that significantly compromise the quality and effectiveness of care. For example, according to Edward T. Hall’s theory, cultures can be divided into “high context,” relying heavily on indirect communication, assumptions, and non-verbal cues, and “low context,” which focus on literal and direct expression. If a clinician neglects these cultural characteristics, they risk misunderstandings and patient disengagement. The TOPOI model by Edwin Hoffman identifies the levels in communication where “noise” (difference in communication) can arise. These levels include language (verbal and non-verbal), the ordering of logic and values, relational roles, organizational structures, and underlying intentions or needs. If cultural differences in context, space, time, language, relational expectations, or organizational norms are not identified and addressed, they can create significant barriers between health care providers and patients. Fundamentally, intercultural competence provides the foundation for a safe environment where patients can express themselves openly and be truly understood.
Developing intercultural competence is not a linear process composed of a set of rules and guidelines, but rather a journey that begins with self-awareness. Health care providers need to first explore and understand their own cultural influences. Past experiences, social environments, and upbringing shape how we communicate and interpret the behavior of others. Clinicians working towards intercultural competence must critically reflect on these influences and understand how they shape their social interactions. Once becoming familiar with their own cultural background, they must also accept that differences exist. Differences may manifest in communication styles, values, or social expectations, and occasionally they may at times contrast their own beliefs. As a result, prejudices can arise. However, an interculturally competent health care provider is able to recognize these biases and prevent them from becoming barriers to care.
Once clinicians cultivate self-awareness, the next step involves applying this understanding in patient interactions through openness, active listening, and flexibility in communication. Each patient encounter should be approached with empathy. Health care providers have a responsibility to provide supportive, patient-centered care. Even when a patient’s beliefs differ from the clinician’s perspective or appear inconsistent with clinical knowledge, those beliefs represent the patient’s lived reality. Clinicians must first seek to understand the patient’s viewpoint and acknowledge its significance. Subsequently, they need to adapt their communication and therapeutic approach accordingly. Through this process, clinicians learn to navigate ambiguity with greater ease and deepen their capacity for sustained empathy over time..."
Evangelos Chavelas Education December 24, 2025
https://kevinmd.com/2025/12/why-intercultural-competence-matters-in-health-care.html
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing interpreting process by introducing tools that offer automatic speech recognition, predictive terminology, and real-time transcription. While AI has been discussed widely in translation studies, its effect on note-taking remains underexplored, particularly in simultaneous interpreting (SI), where note-taking is subtle but significant. This article re-examines the function of note-taking in SI in light of emerging AI-assisted workflows. It is aimed to investigate how interpreters adapt note-taking strategies conceptually while using AI tools, by drawing on Gile’s Effort Model, cognitive load theory and multimodal processing research. AI helps to reorganize not-taking enabling interpreters use it as a tool for monitoring errors, maintaining cognitive stability and ensure quality in the process. Even though AI may increase cognitive load as it causes split attention, it still mitigates other issues, such as terminological retrieval. These changes lead to restructuring the form of note-taking, rather than extinguishing it. The study concludes by proposing a conceptual model of “supervisory note-taking” and offering implications for interpreter training and future research..."
Madinakhon Shuhratjon qizi ABDUJABBOROVA
Uzbek state world languages university
25-12-2025
https://lnkd.in/e4BBuPsf
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"...Soixante ans après les indépendances, l’Afrique reste prisonnière d’une domination qui ne dit pas son nom : la domination culturelle. Loin d’être imposée par les armes ou par l’économie, elle s’infiltre aujourd’hui à travers les écrans, la mode, la musique et les réseaux sociaux.
Derrière les apparences d’une « modernisation », c’est un lent effacement de l’identité africaine qui s’opère, souvent dans l’indifférence générale.
De la colonisation politique à la colonisation culturelle
Au lendemain des indépendances, les nations africaines ont cru s’émanciper du joug colonial. Mais si les drapeaux étrangers ont quitté nos terres, leurs valeurs, leurs langues et leurs modèles de pensée sont restés solidement ancrés.
Les écoles, héritées du système colonial, ont continué à enseigner les références occidentales. On y apprend davantage Molière que Hampâté Bâ, davantage Victor Hugo que Birago Diop. Dans les capitales africaines, parler la langue coloniale est devenu un signe d’intelligence et de réussite.
Comme l’avait prédit Cheikh Anta Diop, « la véritable indépendance ne se mesure pas à la couleur du drapeau, mais à la capacité d’un peuple à penser par lui-même ». Or, sur ce plan, l’Afrique peine encore à se libérer.
Les médias : miroirs déformants d’un monde occidental
Les médias occidentaux façonnent les imaginaires. À travers la télévision, le cinéma, la publicité et aujourd’hui les réseaux sociaux, ils imposent une vision du monde où la réussite, la beauté et le bonheur sont définis selon les standards occidentaux.
Sur TikTok, Instagram ou Netflix, les contenus africains sont noyés dans un océan d’images venues d’ailleurs. Le jeune Africain qui passe des heures sur son téléphone finit par admirer et imiter des modèles qui ne lui ressemblent pas. Il rêve de ressembler à des rappeurs américains, de porter les marques européennes, de manger comme dans les publicités occidentales.
Dans les radios et les télévisions africaines, les musiques locales sont souvent reléguées à des tranches horaires marginales. Les films africains, eux, peinent à trouver des financements et des circuits de diffusion. Comme le disait Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, écrivain kényan, « l’outil le plus efficace du colonialisme fut la conquête de l’esprit ».
Une jeunesse fascinée, mais déracinée
La jeunesse africaine est à la fois la plus connectée et la plus vulnérable à cette domination culturelle. Elle s’exprime de moins en moins dans les langues locales, porte des prénoms étrangers et s’identifie davantage à des héros virtuels qu’à ses ancêtres.
Le phénomène de dépigmentation de la peau, l’abandon des tenues traditionnelles ou la honte de parler une langue maternelle en public, traduisent une aliénation identitaire profonde. Cette fascination pour l’Occident n’est pas seulement esthétique : elle influence aussi la manière de penser, de juger et d’aimer.
Nelson Mandela rappelait que « la liberté ne signifie rien si elle ne s’accompagne pas du respect de soi et de la dignité ». Or, beaucoup de jeunes Africains ont perdu cette fierté culturelle, remplacée par une admiration aveugle pour des modèles importés.
La responsabilité des élites africaines
La domination culturelle occidentale ne persiste pas uniquement à cause de la force des médias étrangers, mais aussi à cause de la passivité – voire de la complicité – des élites africaines. Nos gouvernements investissent peu dans la culture, les arts et la production audiovisuelle locale. Les ministères de la Culture sont souvent sous-financés, et les initiatives artistiques peinent à survivre sans soutien extérieur. Dans les écoles, on continue à enseigner selon des programmes copiés sur les modèles français ou anglais, au lieu de valoriser les savoirs et traditions africains.
L’élite politique et économique, souvent formée à l’étranger, contribue parfois inconsciemment à entretenir ce complexe d’infériorité culturelle, en préférant les références et les goûts occidentaux à ceux du continent.
Des signes de résistance
Malgré ce tableau sombre, des voix africaines s’élèvent pour réhabiliter la culture du continent. Dans la musique, des artistes comme Youssou N’Dour, Fally Ipupa ou Burna Boy ont su imposer une identité africaine sur la scène mondiale, en mêlant modernité et traditions. Dans la littérature, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ou Alain Mabanckou défendent une pensée africaine contemporaine, fière et universelle. Les créateurs de mode, les cinéastes et les influenceurs culturels africains redonnent vie à des symboles et des tenues traditionnelles, transformées en objets de fierté. Ces efforts montrent que l’Afrique peut résister à la standardisation culturelle mondiale, à condition de croire en sa propre valeur.
L’urgence de reconstruire une identité confiante
Résister à la domination culturelle occidentale ne veut pas dire rejeter le progrès. Il s’agit plutôt d’apprendre à s’ouvrir sans se renier. Les Africains doivent s’approprier la modernité, sans abandonner leurs racines. Cela passe par l’enseignement des langues africaines, la valorisation des traditions orales, la protection du patrimoine et la création d’espaces médiatiques indépendants. Les États africains devraient considérer la culture non comme un divertissement, mais comme un levier stratégique de développement.
Investir dans le cinéma, la littérature, la musique ou la mode africaine, c’est investir dans la souveraineté intellectuelle du continent. Les réseaux sociaux, souvent perçus comme vecteurs d’aliénation, peuvent devenir des armes de résistance : promouvoir le patrimoine local, raconter nos histoires, célébrer nos héros. L’Afrique doit écrire son propre récit, au lieu de se contenter d’être racontée par les autres.
Conclusion : retrouver notre âme
La culture est l’âme d’un peuple. Lorsqu’elle disparaît, ce peuple se vide de sa substance, même s’il possède la richesse et la puissance. Aujourd’hui, l’Afrique est appelée à un sursaut. Elle doit retrouver la confiance en elle-même, redonner à ses enfants la fierté de leurs origines et reconstruire un imaginaire collectif qui lui appartient. Comme le disait Amadou Hampâté Bâ, « en Afrique, un vieillard qui meurt, c’est une bibliothèque qui brûle ».
À l’heure où tant de bibliothèques s’effacent sous l’influence étrangère, il est temps de raviver le feu de notre mémoire. Car celui qui oublie d’où il vient, oublie aussi où il va."
Par Mahamoud Tahir Babouri - 26 Décembre 2025
https://www.alwihdainfo.com/La-dominance-de-la-culture-occidentale-sur-le-peuple-africain-entre-fascination-et-alienation_a146992.html
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
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