Metaglossia: The Translation World

"Matthew Rankin is a Canadian filmmaker who hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba. His work, which includes the acclaimed award-winning 2019 feature The Twentieth Century, has often been called ‘experimental’ or a slice of ‘absurdist comedy’. That’s partially true, but I’d go a step further and say that there’s a touch of humanist storytelling to his work, one that’s crafted from a globalist perspective. That mindset is accentuated with Rankin’s latest film, the tender and superb Universal Language, a Canadian film where characters speak in Persian rather than English or French, where a guide shows a group of bored tourists the banal sites of Winnipeg, where turkey shop owners wear pink cowboy hats, and where two young kids, Negin (played by Rojinia Esmaeili) and Nazgol (played by Saba Vahedyousefi), find money frozen in ice and seek a way to retrieve it so they can buy their classmate a new pair of glasses.

 

This is our world knocked off its axis ever so slightly. It’s a place which is familiar, yet distinctly different. It’s a place where cemeteries sit in the desolate concrete islands that exist within a sea of swarming highways. It’s a place that, for Matthew Rankin, is a version of home. The choice to present a Canadian story in Persian is not accidental, but instead it’s one that’s driven by Rankin’s affection for the work of the Iranian masters and for their distinctly considered perspective of the world. That kindness that sits at the core of Universal Language is a reflection of the innocence and kindness within the world of filmmakers like Abbas Kiarostami, particularly in a noted work like 1987’s Where Is the Friend’s House?, which sees a young boy trying to return the book of his classmate who lives on the other side of the village.

 

The foundation of kindness is one of the notions that is explored in the following conversation with Matthew, recorded ahead of Universal Language‘s national release in Australia on 22 May 2025. Throughout the interview, Matthew also talks about his journey into appreciating and valuing Iranian cinema, an affection which lead him to learn Farsi. Matthew also talks about the way his parents factor into Universal Language as a mirrored presence, before closing on the emotionality of bringing a version of their story to life on screen.

 

Universal Language is a work of pure kindness and comedy. There’s a sweetness to it that makes the film feel like an antidote to the times we are currently living through."

By Andrew F Peirce

May 22, 2025

 

https://www.thecurb.com.au/universal-language-interview-matthew-rankin/

#metaglossia_mundus 

"Deepa Bhasthi’s call for translations with accents.

PEN Transmissions is English PEN’s magazine for international and translated voices. PEN’s members are the backbone of our work, helping us to support international literature, campaign for writers at risk, and advocate for the freedom to write and read. If you are able, please consider becoming an English PEN member and joining our community of over 1,000 readers and writers. Join now.

 

The first time I found myself in London, many years ago now, I remember being told, no, not that atrocious ‘your English is very good’, but that I had a very Indian accent. The first time I heard it, it came as a shock.

 

Back in school, we were instructed to speak only in English, or risk severe reprimand, a note in our diaries to summon our parents or, worse, the disdain of our classmates. There were those among us who spoke the language even at home – the culture in the hill station I grew up in remains, like most other once-retreats for the colonisers, heavily influenced by the British class system. My parents insisted on speaking Kannada at home, but they did not particularly care when I discarded the language in our library for my growing collection in English.

 

Raised by our schools to embrace an alien tongue – and, by extension, an outlook that encouraged us to see our own languages and cultures as ‘one wasteland of non-achievement’, as Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o terms it – we sought to align with identities far removed from the multi-linguistic cultural landscapes we lived in. We were taught to erase every bit of our native cultures from our mouths and minds, and encouraged to cultivate a neutral accent. Our skin tones might give us away, but our English would be crisp, clean and un-placeable. Thanks to this Macaulayism, my Kannada, my Hindi, the other languages I speak now reek of the slight twang of an English medium education, still an aspiration for millions in my country.

 

Naturally, then, it bothered me slightly to be told I had an Indian accent, even though they couldn’t say which part of vast India it was from. ‘Well, I am Indian’, I remember muttering under my breath.

 

Back in India, my accent was again what it had always been – neutral, urban, upper caste, privileged. It would take me a few more years, and (accidentally) starting a career in translation, to realise just what a privilege it was to have any accent at all. I had started to translate from Kannada to English – mostly, as time went by, to feel closer to the former, something I had missed belonging to for decades. A kind of rooting, if you will.

 

Much has been said about translation’s challenges, joys, and nuanced politics of choice – of the decision-making it necessitates. Perhaps not many people think simultaneously in two (or more) languages, two cultures, two texts as intimately as a translator. In the course of engaging with the rewarding art of translating a text – and translating a reader, as the writer, poet and translator A K Ramanujan saw it – I found myself struck by thoughts on language and specifically on literature in India, far more than I wanted to be, some days. These evolving, shape-shifting metaphors and ideas started with an untethered phrase: ‘to translate with an accent’.

 

An accent is a wonderful mechanism for letting someone know that you have footholds in cultures beyond the language in which you are communicating. In India, an average person with some level of education and/or perhaps a job away from their home state is likely to be at least bilingual. Given how so many of us consume entertainment, from the popular Hindi film industry to independent music in many languages to social media, and given labour migration from one state to the other in a country as diverse as India, multi-lingual competence is not at all rare. On the other hand, it is also true that, chiefly in cities, there is a section of urbanised youth who count English as their first, and sometimes only, language. Alongside an increasingly strong push to promote Hindi for the whole country, backed by a right-wing central government that falsely claims it as a national language, sociolinguistics in India is a complex issue that needs to be approached cautiously, bearing in mind both the always-urgent need to decolonise culture, and evolving socio-economic realities.

 

Given these complexities, I have begun to think of us translators working in the Indian subcontinental context as occupying a unique position from where we choose to translate. I say this because, even if not party to tri-, or multi-lingual knowledge, most of us are likely aware of how pervasive and deep-rooted caste and class systems are across our respective countries, and the unique chokehold these have over every single aspect of life, including language. A thick accent, a grammatical mistake, a mispronunciation still invite judgement among the upper classes, here, because how well – or not – one speaks English is among the many indicators of what caste the person belongs to, therefore determining how they must be engaged with, if at all.

 

Language, especially English, is learnt with baggage in India, for obvious reasons. There is our colonised past and then, our globalised, hyper-connected digital lives that unfairly favour those adept at the language. Extending this to literature, it is true that Indian Writing in English (IWE) garners much more attention than what is called bhasha (the word means, literally, ‘language’, and denotes India’s many regional languages) literature, where attention, fame, legacy and income also depend greatly on the language, on the writer’s gender, caste and other factors.. For translations, it often so happens that a bhasha-to-English project finds more fame than the inverse. Worse off still is a bhasha-to-bhasha translation – even rarer to hear about, though perhaps the most interesting of translation practices. We will be the first to tell you that it is easier to negotiate exchange of cultures into and from the bhasha than to coax English to bend to our will.

 

Bhasha literature is an intensely patriarchal space. I wonder if it is easier for a woman writer to make a more visible career writing in English – limited though the audience many be – than in an Indian language. Here, I think of the likes of Banu Mushtaq, an extraordinary writer in Kannada who has, for decades, been reflecting in her short stories on the lives of Muslim women in particular, and whose work I am so privileged to be currently translating. While she is a respected figure in literature, the names most widely recognised in Kannada writing are those of men. I would redistribute some of this fame, if I could redo the list.

 

Writers in India have talked about these issues for decades. I choose to quote from two from my home state of Karnataka, both widely translated and read across the world. The late U R Ananthamurthy, of Samskara fame, was at times dismissive of those choosing to write in English, saying that it was a moral choice to write in one’s own mother tongue. An English professor himself, he chose to write in Kannada, calling it a political decision. It must be noted that a lot of bhasha writers have, over the decades in post-Independent India, chosen to see IWE as almost a betrayal, judging its writers for looking West in language and for validation. Shashi Deshpande, one of the best-known writers in IWE, has reflected on these issues extensively in her superbly titled memoir Listen to Me, pointing out that the writer has the absolute right to work in any language of their choice, irrespective of political correctness and the baggage tied to the language.

 

When I reflect on that for a minute, I find myself sifting through another argument in my head. How much time must pass before one starts to belong anywhere? A century? More? Less? English came via colonial rule, the generational trauma of which we will be unpacking and reckoning with for decades more to come. But when one reads the likes of Raja Rao and Mulk Raj Anand, even Kamala Markandaya, to some extent, certainly Agha Shahid Ali, one notices the way English has been moulded from the Indian soil. The phrases, the stories, the flavour in what can only be called Indian English is like the smell of hot pickle lingering on one’s fingers after a rice and curd meal. Faint, but there. Has English been in the region long enough to call it, however hesitantly, with all its problems, a subcontinental language? I would dare to say yes.

 

To put it in perspective, Hindi, the way it is spoken today, as a different register of Hindustani, from which Urdu also draws, is just over a century old. Language is a cindering battleground in India; violence has broken out time and again over the imposition of languages, and there have been many deaths. Culture – messy, non-linear, and so complicated – is really about the politics around it.

 

If, then, English is still an alien language, or a hegemonic beast that swallows what is truly of this land – which it absolutely also does; we need to decolonise this, and every aspect of our lives – where does a translation from a bhasha to English locate itself in this discourse? What does speaking, writing, translating into English mean in these post-colonial, post-liberation, globalised, post-truth, post-, ultra-nationalist times mean?

 

I submit to you this: could we as translators cultivate a practice of translating with an accent? And editors and readers process it and read it, respectively, while noticing said accent? I understand this is a tricky premise to begin with, for the lines between foreignisation and domestication are constantly shifting, the blurriness between the choices blurred further by the translator’s own language, experiences, and so on. But what if we could find a way to retain a phrase here, a word there, to remind the reader that the text comes from another language; that, in reading an unfamiliar word, they have just learnt something new, have learnt a word which they might never use themselves but whose meaning, should they see it again, they might remember? In doing so, in my case, Kannada gains another reader. It goes without saying that there is a fine balance to be sought, between keeping some source language and ensuring a reader in English (in this case) is not met with an impenetrable target text. Here is where I shall argue that we, as various parties in this transfer between cultures, should, instead of trying to contort the source language to fit the English idiom, look for ways to stretch English so that it too can speak somewhat with the accent of the original language. Because, devoid of the musicality with which retained accents enrich the translation, we would remain separate languages and cultures, condemned to bear the burden of the proper in our unaccommodating, un-elastic cultural lives.

 

Working in the English language as an Indian with many languages is a process in negotiating with its politics every other day. Decolonising the mind, and then our outer worlds, and therefore our culture is but a lifelong attempt. In the meanwhile, though, I wonder if perhaps we could see the English language, in this context, for its elasticity. Language is meant to stretch this way and that; when an elastic band snaps back in place, it often no longer retains its perfect round shape. When we speak with an accent, write with one, translate with many, the palimpsest of language loses not much, but stretches across the artificiality of bridges and borders. Like that only, as we would say here in India.

 

Deepa Bhasthi is a writer and translator living and working in Kodagu, South India. Her translation of Jnanpitha Awardee Dr Kota Shivarama Karanth’s novel The Same Village, The Same Tree was published in August 2022. Fate’s Game and Other Stories, a translation of short stories by Kodagina Gouramma, among the earliest women writers in Kannada in the early twentieth century, was published by Yoda Press in January 2023. She was one of the six winners of the inaugural PEN Presents for a sample translation of the short stories of Banu Mushtaq, who explores the lives of women in contemporary southern India, and in particular the experiences of Muslim women. The book-length translation is forthcoming.

 

Deepa writes on visual art, literature and politics of culture for publications including ArtReview, MOMUS, Literary Hub, Himal Southasian and MOLD. Her research interests are in the areas of sociolinguistics, land versus landscape and food politics. She occasionally works in visual art projects."

 

Personal essays

May 25, 2023

 

https://pentransmissions.com/2023/05/25/to-translate-with-an-accent/

#metaglossia_mundus 

"‘Radical translation’ of Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq wins International Booker prize
Translator Deepa Bhasthi’s pick of 12 of Mushtaq’s ‘life-affirming’ tales about women’s lives in southern India becomes the first short story collection to win the £50,000 award

 

Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi, has won this year’s International Booker prize for translated fiction, becoming the first short story collection to take the award. The stories were originally written in Kannada, the official language of the state of Karnataka in southern India.

 

Described by the author and chair of judges Max Porter as “something genuinely new for English readers: a radical translation” of “beautiful, busy, life-affirming stories”, Heart Lamp’s 12 tales chronicle the lives of women in patriarchal communities in southern India. They were selected as well as translated by Bhasthi, the first Indian translator to win the award. She chose them from around 50 stories in six collections written by Mushtaq over a 30-year-period.

 

Receiving the award, Mushtaq said the win marks “more than a personal achievement. It is an affirmation that we as individuals and as a global community can thrive when we embrace diversity, celebrate our differences and uplift one another.”

 

“In a world that often tries to divide us, literature remains one of the last sacred spaces where we can live inside each other’s minds,” she added.

 

The £50,000 prize – shared equally between writer and translator – was presented at Tate Modern in London on Tuesday evening, where a video of actor Ambika Mod reading from the winning title was also shown.

 

Ambika Mod reads from Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi.
Writing about the shortlist in the Guardian, John Self said Mushtaq and Bhasthi’s “wonderful collection” would be a “worthy winner”. The tone of the book “varies from quiet to comic, but the vision is consistent”, he wrote.

 

Porter said he and his fellow judges – poet Caleb Femi, writer and Guardian critic Sana Goyal, author and translator Anton Hur and musician Beth Orton – spent six hours deliberating, during which they “argued a lot” before “unanimously” deciding the winner.

 

Though Porter said they were looking for the “best book” above all else, he called Heart Lamp a “really special book in terms of its politics”. The stories “contain the feminism for which [Mushtaq] is known. And they contain extraordinary accounts of patriarchal systems and resistance,” he added. “But they aren’t activist stories. First and foremost they’re beautiful accounts of everyday life and particularly the lives of women.”

 

Porter also praised Bhasthi’s translation, which he said “celebrates the movement from one language to another. It contains a multiplicity of Englishes. It is a translation with a texture.

 

“When one translates, the aim is to introduce the reader to new words,” Bhasthi said in an interview with Scroll.in earlier this year. “I call it translating with an accent, which reminds the reader that they are reading a work set in another culture, without exoticising it, of course. So the English in Heart Lamp is an English with a very deliberate Kannada hum to it.””"
Lucy Knight
Tue 20 May 2025 22.11 BST
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/may/20/radical-translation-of-heart-lamp-by-banu-mushtaq-wins-international-booker-prize
#metaglossia_mundus

"Google Beam Futuristic AI-Powered 3D Video Chats Are Coming This Year

Google Beam uses an AI model that turns video calls into a lifelike 3D experience. It could be the next best thing to being there.

 

Google's 3D Project Starline video chat system fits in a single flat-screen setup. The company's latest version is called Google Beam.

 

Beam me up, Google. Video chats could have a much more sci-fi feel with Google Beam, an AI-powered video communications platform that aims to make it feel like you're meeting up in person. 

 

Google announced Beam, an evolution of its Google Starline technology, at its annual I/O developer conference on Tuesday. Google has teamed up with HP to commercialize the system. 

 

Google Beam uses a six-camera array that captures the subject from different angles. An AI video model puts the views together in real time to create a 3D person. Google says the system features near-perfect head tracking, down to the millimeter, with video at 60 frames per second.  

 

The idea is reminiscent of any number of holographic communications systems seen in everything from Star Wars to Star Trek. Unlike the tiny, low-quality Princess Leia hologram from A New Hope, Beam is designed to be life-sized and lifelike. Google once described the technology as a "magic window."

 

The platform uses a light field display that doesn't require wearing any special equipment. CNET's Abrar Al-Heeti tried out Starline last year and called it "the closest thing to a hologram I've ever seen."

 

Speech translation, a feature Google is bringing to Google Meet, could come to Beam as well, Google said.

 

Google introduced Starline as a research project in 2021 and has been testing and refining prototypes ever since. Today's announcement means the technology is closing in on being ready for prime time.

 

Video calls have long been plagued with challenges. It can be hard to read expressions and gestures. Traditional video chats are missing a sense of eye contact. Zoom fatigue was a hot topic during the height of COVID-19. Beam wants to address those issues with a more immersive and lifelike experience.

 

Google said HP will share more about the platform at the InfoComm audio visual technology exhibition in June. Google is also working with Zoom and other audio visual companies. Beam will likely find its footing first with larger organizations that want to shake up the way they handle videoconferencing.

 

The first Beam devices will be available for early adopters later in 2025, so start practicing your "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."

 

Beam isn't Google's only big announcement of the day. Check out everything that's been revealed at Google I/O."

By Amanda Kooser

May 21, 2025 12:22 p.m. PT

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/google-beam-futuristic-ai-powered-3d-video-chats-are-coming-this-year/

#metaglossia_mundus 

Effective communication involves active listening, choosing words carefully, and checking in with the person you’re talking to to improve understanding.

 

"7 Cs of Effective Communication: How To Communicate Well

 

Effective communication involves active listening, choosing words carefully, and checking in with the person you’re talking to to improve understanding.

 

 

 

 

What do sourcing raw materials, running sales promotions, and leading a team of workers have in common? They all lean heavily on your communication skills. 

 

 

 

 

Whether your intended audience is an overseas supplier, a prospective customer, or your in-house sales team, an important part of being a leader is having the ability to share information clearly and succinctly. It’s equally important to be able to take incoming information from these external sources and process it in a reflective and open-minded way. To do this successfully, you need to master the art of communication. 

 

 

 

 

The good news is you don’t have to be a motivational speaker or even a natural extrovert to be an effective communicator. You can improve your communication skills through small, achievable steps—maintaining eye contact and projecting positive body language can sometimes achieve more than a grand monologue. 

 

 

 

 

There are numerous tips and techniques that people use to communicate effectively. Read on to learn about some time-tested methods. 

 

 

 

 

What is effective communication?

 

Effective communication is the clear, efficient exchange of information that results in mutual understanding between those imparting the information and those receiving it. Effective communication goes beyond the scope of one’s vocabulary, the timbre of one’s voice, or a specific communication style. It involves active listening, choosing words carefully, and checking in with the person you’re talking to to improve understanding and create a meaningful dialogue.

 

 

 

 

We can all use effective communication skills as part of everyday life, but for business leaders, the skill is essential. Kara Brothers, the president of Starface, a skin care company that sells fashionable acne treatment patches, talks about this on an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast. For Kara, effective communication helps her rally her team, avoid misunderstandings, and create a positive workplace culture.

 

 

 

 

“I really lean on transparency and communication,” Kara says. “We’re constantly talking. We’re constantly dividing and conquering. It’s a collaborative process. We all have our own specific skills that we bring to the table, and constantly revisiting those and checking in is something that’s really working well for us.”

 

 

 

 

The 7 Cs of effective communication

 

Clarity

 

Conciseness

 

Concreteness

 

Correctness

 

Coherence

 

Completeness

 

Courtesy

 

Many people discuss effective communication by breaking it down into seven key principles, known as the seven Cs:

 

 

 

 

1. Clarity

 

Effective communication is easy to understand. It uses language your audience will find clear and cogent. It doesn’t cram in unnecessary words that may make a person tune out or feel intellectually inadequate. For example, if you’re teaching a first aid class, avoid medical jargon and focus on practical tips in plain, everyday language. 

 

 

 

 

You can also emphasise clarity by taking the time to check that your listeners have clearly understood what you’re saying and leaving time for questions. 

 

 

 

 

2. Conciseness

 

Effective communicators articulate their messages quickly and efficiently. They speak or write with purpose and quickly get to the point. They respect the other party and don’t take up more time than necessary. Effective communicators resist the urge to go off on tangents or tell meandering stories. If you want your message to be understood, don’t dilute it with asides, and work on sharing it as efficiently as possible. 

 

 

 

 

3. Concreteness

 

An effective message comes with concrete, specific details. This might mean relevant anecdotes, or it may mean hard data and statistics. Vagaries, by contrast, can confuse a listener or cause them to tune out. Whether you’re speaking or writing, challenge yourself to convey your thoughts as tangibly and concretely as possible.

 

 

 

 

4. Correctness

 

Any message worth communicating has to be factually correct. No matter how confident or concise you may be, your message will be much stronger if it’s factually sound. To improve your communication, take the necessary time to research what you’re going to say and fact-check your anecdotes and claims. This commitment to correctness shows personal and professional respect to your audience. 

 

 

 

 

5. Coherence

 

Effective communication flows smoothly, with all points connected and easy to follow. Whether you’re speaking or writing, structure your message to guide the receiver through your thoughts. Use transitions like “by contrast” or “on a related note” to help your audience follow the direction of your train of thought.

 

 

 

 

6. Completeness

 

The most effective communication provides all the necessary information a person needs to understand the message fully and take any required action. If your thoughts are incomplete, you lower the odds that your audience will buy in or fully trust you as a source. Balancing completeness with conciseness can be tricky, so scrutinize what you need to say, and if you decide it’s worth saying, do so comprehensively. 

 

 

 

 

7. Courtesy

 

Effective communicators show courtesy to their audience. They seek to understand their audience’s background and base of knowledge. They talk or write using language to align with that audience profile. They also leave room for dialogue, questions, and differing points of view. As a communicator, it’s wise to use respectful, polite, and positive language. This helps you develop trust and avoid conflict."

 

by Shopify Staff

 

May 21, 2025

 

 

 

 

https://www.shopify.com/blog/effective-communication

 

#metaglossia_mundus 

"...An online dictionary which has rediscovered lost Gaelic phrases and word meanings is one of 12 projects set to benefit from a share of £500,000 of Scottish Government funding.

 

Faclair na Gàidhlig (the Historical Dictionary of Scottish Gaelic) seeks to provide a better understanding of Gaelic’s history and culture.

 

It is the first dictionary of the language which aims to detail the origins and meanings of every known Gaelic word. Compilers expect that it will contain more than 100,000 entries. 

 

As part of the initiative, researchers have investigated historical manuscripts dating back to the 12th Century.

 

Rediscovered phrases and word meanings include: the phrase “Ciod fo na rionnagan” (“what under the stars”), which was used in the early 1900s to emphasise a point similar to “what on earth”; the Gaelic word for prickly pear fruit, “peur stobach”, was first used in a letter documenting a visit to Saint Helena in 1900; and “uircean”, which is the Gaelic word for “piglet”, also used to mean "whale calf" in the 1800s.

 

The investment will build on 20 years of work by helping Faclair na Gàidhlig to reach new audiences including learners, researchers, writers and speakers of Gaelic.

 

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic Kate Forbes announced the funding as part of a wider £500,000 package to support the language’s growth across Scotland.

 

The investment will also support the publication of Gaelic language books, local mòd events throughout Scotland and Gaelic cultural activities including a summer school and musical events.

 

Ms Forbes said: “The dictionary initiative is providing researchers, writers, speakers and learners of Gaelic with new insight into the language and it will be a valuable resource for future generations. 

 

“Gaelic is a core part of Scotland’s culture, heritage and history. To support the language’s growth across Scotland, I am announcing funding for a range of Gaelic publishing, education, arts and community projects today.

 

“This will build on measures set out in the Scottish Languages Bill to strengthen Gaelic education provision and our investment of £35.7 million in initiatives to promote the language in 2025-26.”

 

Ola Szczesnowicz, Senior Editor of Faclair na Gàidhlig, said: “Faclair na Gàidhlig will be the most comprehensive dictionary of Scottish Gaelic compiled on historical principles, similar to the Oxford English Dictionary. This is a big undertaking, and we welcome the Scottish Government’s funding to help continue our work. Our dictionary entries are already going online, freely available to Gaelic speakers and everyone interested in the language.”

 

As well as the dictionary project, the £500,000 funding will also support Gaelic publishing and Gaelic cultural activities, including a summer school and musical events."

By Craig Williams

Reporter

21ST MAY

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25181445.funding-dictionary-rediscovered-lost-gaelic-phrases/

#metaglossia_mundus 

"À quoi bon l’université, si ChatGPT explique mieux, plus vite et gratuitement ? Loin de signer la fin de l’enseignement supérieur, l’IA l’oblige à se réinventer. Une chronique d'Amid Faljaoui qui bouscule, interroge, et pourrait bien déranger autant les étudiants que leurs professeurs.

 

Par Amid Faljaoui

Avec ses grandes bibliothèques et ses auditoires en bois, l’université est une institution que l’on croit éternelle. Mais l’intelligence artificielle est en train de bousculer le monde académique.

 

Prenons l’exemple concret de la traduction. Il y a encore dix ans, c'était une spécialité noble. Il fallait cinq années d'études, une grande rigueur grammaticale, une finesse culturelle. Aujourd'hui, une intelligence artificielle gratuite comme DeepL ou ChatGPT vous produit une traduction en quelques secondes. Bien entendu, cette traduction n’est pas parfaite mais dans 90 % des cas, elle est suffisante : correcte et fluide. Par conséquent, faut-il encore former des traducteurs comme auparavant ou faut-il désormais former des gens capables de collaborer avec les machines, de les entraîner et de les utiliser intelligemment ? C'est le premier petit pan de mur qui craque.

 

Illustration de l'article

À lire aussi : Dans un monde où l’IA fait les devoirs, à quoi sert encore l'école ?

Examens et infrastructures en question

Deuxième point de tension : les examens. Aujourd'hui, n'importe quel étudiant un peu débrouillard peut copier-coller son énoncé dans un chatbot et obtenir un devoir prêt à rendre. Faut-il revenir aux examens oraux ? C’est impossible dans un auditoire de 500 ou 800 étudiants. Certains parlent de revenir aux questions à choix multiples, mais ce type d’examen évalue surtout la mémoire et pas du tout l’intelligence.

 

L’IA ne rend pas l'enseignement obsolète, mais elle rend obsolète une bonne partie de son infrastructure, de ses méthodes et de ses routines. L’IA révèle les failles qu'on ne voulait pas voir : des cours parfois trop théoriques, des évaluations parfois déconnectées et une croyance un peu naïve que le diplôme garantit le savoir. Pourtant, tout n'est pas perdu, car l’IA ne remplace pas l'essentiel : l'échange, le doute, le sens critique, la capacité à articuler une pensée. Elle ne remplace pas un professeur qui inspire, qui fait réfléchir, qui déstabilise aussi. L'université est toujours précieuse, mais à condition de ne pas devenir une cathédrale vide, à condition d'oser se réinventer."

https://www.rtbf.be/article/face-a-l-ia-les-universites-doivent-se-reinventer-11549554

#metaglossia_mundus 

"UNESCO honours Sharjah Ruler for Arabic historical dictionary

Sharjah Ruler signs $6M agrmt. to digitise UNESCO global archive

 

May 21, 2025 / 9:01 PM

 

Sharjah24: His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, a Supreme Council Member and the Ruler of Sharjah, was awarded a distinguished UNESCO honour upon the completion of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language. At the official ceremony held at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, themed “Arabic Language: A Bridge Between Heritage and Knowledge”, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA), was present, along with Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA).

Upon his arrival at UNESCO headquarters, His Highness was received and warmly welcomed by Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO; Fahd Saeed Al Raqbani, UAE Ambassador to France; Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah’s Department of Culture; Jamal Al-Turaifi, President of Al Qasimia University; Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of the Sharjah Book Authority; Ali Al-Haj Al Ali, UAE Permanent Delegate to UNESCO; and Mohamed Hassan Khalaf, Director General of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority.

 

 

His Highness The Ruler of Sharjah delivered a speech during the ceremony, stating, “It is my honour to stand among you today in this esteemed cultural forum at UNESCO, whose noble mission we revere and whose fruitful partnership we cherish.” Together, we commemorate a groundbreaking scholarly and cultural milestone—the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language. This occasion is further enriched by its coincidence with the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, a day designated by UNESCO to promote mutual understanding and respect among cultures, reinforcing our collective humanity.

 

Language, in all its forms, undeniably serves as the main repository of culture and the most authentic reflection of a community's identity. In celebrating the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language today, we honour a vital aspect of our rich human diversity, represented by the Arabic language, which carries a deep civilisational heritage and has had a significant scientific and humanistic impact.

 

His Highness subsequently emphasised the contributions of the partner institutions that played a role in the creation of the dictionary, stating, “Sharjah, through its Arabic Language Academy and in collaboration with the Union of Arab Scientific and Language Academies in Cairo, along with linguistic academies, institutes, and institutions throughout the Arab world, succeeded in the completion of this dictionary in one hundred and twenty-seven volumes, as you see before you both in print and online.” I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the numerous researchers and proofreaders from diverse Arab nations whose remarkable dedication has made this accomplishment achievable.

 

“For centuries, Arabic has been a dynamic and enduring language, embodying the heritage of an entire civilisation and encompassing a multitude of fields of knowledge. It serves as the language of the Holy Qur’an, the means of communication for philosophers and scientists, and the artistic means for poets and intellectuals. Even now, it persists in accomplishing its mission throughout the domains of knowledge. But unlike other languages, no academic work has yet been done to show how its lexicon and meanings have changed over time. Thus, the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language originated as a vision, evolved into a project, and has now come to fruition—thanks to the collaboration of efforts, the amalgamation of expertise, and a steadfast dedication.

 

His Highness emphasised that all languages possess an equal right to exist and evolve, stating, “When we restore to Arabic its rightful history and highlight the aspects of its development, we simultaneously affirm to the world that every language is entitled to existence, progress and celebration, and that cultural justice demands that humanity not be reduced to a single tongue, nor the civilisations of peoples confined to one model.” "Just as biodiversity ensures the continuity of life, cultural and linguistic diversity secures the ongoing evolution and revitalisation of human creativity."

 

He then conveyed his sincere appreciation to UNESCO for recognising the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language and for the collaborative cultural initiatives between Sharjah and the organisation: “Our celebration of this work within UNESCO’s premises sends a clear message that culture transcends borders and that Arab endeavours, undertaken with sincerity and a collective spirit, receive global acknowledgement and acceptance.” From this podium, I express my heartfelt gratitude to UNESCO and its member states for their strong belief in the significance of Arabic and for their collaborative efforts in various initiatives—most notably, the Sharjah–UNESCO Arab Culture Award, which represents our cultural alignment with this esteemed organisation and its members.

He wrapped up with a call for unity: “Let us move forward together, dear friends, hand in hand, to enhance our cultural dialogue, to protect our common human heritage, and to guarantee that every culture's voice is acknowledged, every language valued, and every people stay true to their genuine identity.”

 

 

At the ceremony, Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, presented a speech to welcome His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah. She expressed her pleasure regarding the visit of the Sharjah delegation to Paris, acknowledging the emirate as a worldwide centre of knowledge and culture. Azoulay emphasised Sharjah's significant investments in diverse areas that align with UNESCO's mission, pointing out its achievement of multiple international cultural awards, including UNESCO's recognition of Sharjah as a "World Book Capital" in 2019. This acknowledgement highlights Sharjah's eternal commitment to literature, cultural heritage, the spread of knowledge, and cultural diversity.

 

Azoulay praised the foresight of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, which has placed culture and knowledge at the heart of Sharjah's policies. She recognised the emirate's arrangements for various cultural events, festivals, and exhibitions that span multiple areas of culture, arts, and history. These initiatives, such as the UNESCO–Sharjah Award for Arab Culture, promote intercultural dialogue and highlight the lasting collaboration between Sharjah and UNESCO that has continued for over 25 years.

She acknowledged Sharjah's initiative in signing an agreement to digitise UNESCO's archives, marking a significant step towards preserving the organisation's vast collection of books and documents, some of which date back over 80 years. This initiative guarantees the protection of precious historical documents that detail various events, agreements, and initiatives.

 

 

Azoulay conveyed her appreciation for the successful completion of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language, a significant accomplishment achieved under the guidance of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah. Created by a multitude of researchers and editors from 20 linguistic institutions throughout the Arab world, this dictionary has earned recognition from the Guinness World Records as the largest historical dictionary.

 

consisting of 127 volumes. It has been officially included in UNESCO's library, offering educators, researchers, students, and Arabic language enthusiasts a thorough resource.

She highlighted the richness and value of the Arabic language, showcasing its adaptability over time and its importance to millions around the globe. Azoulay highlighted her investigation of the term "peace", tracing it back to the triliteral root of the Arabic word mase, represented by the letters (س-ل-م), and noting its semantic similarities in different languages.

 

 

At the conclusion of the ceremony, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah graciously signed a copy of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language and presented it as a gift to UNESCO.

• https://sharjah24.ae/en/Articles/2025/05/21/a7

#metaglossia_mundus

"Quebec Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe tabled a bill today that would force streaming giants to make French-language content more accessible.

 

"Holly Cabrera · CBC News · Posted: May 21, 2025 8:27 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

 

 

 

 

Quebec Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe tabled Bill 109, which would impose quotas on online streaming services to help improve the discoverability of French-language content. (Sylvain Roy Roussel/CBC)

 

 

 

 

Quebec Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe tabled a bill today that would force streaming giants to add French-language content and make it more easily accessible to users.

 

 

 

 

Bill 109, titled An Act to affirm the cultural sovereignty of Quebec and to enact the Act respecting the discoverability of French-language cultural content in the digital environment, has been in the works for over a year.

 

 

 

 

It marks the first time that Quebec would set a "visibility quota" for French-language content on major streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney and Spotify.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bill comes as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) undertakes a two-week public hearing on a new definition of Canadian content that started last Wednesday.

 

 

 

 

The proceeding is part of its work to implement the Online Streaming Act — and it is bringing tensions between traditional players and large foreign streamers out in the open.

 

 

 

 

Lacombe said at a news conference on Wednesday that Quebec is following the example of European Union countries' policy on streaming services by not limiting French-language content quotas to Quebec productions.

 

 

 

 

"This is the bet we are making, that is to say, to ally ourselves with the French-speaking community because [protecting French] is a common fight after all."

 

 

 

 

In an interview with Radio-Canada, Lacombe explained that making French-language content readily available to Quebecers on digital platforms is part of the Coalition Avenir Québec government's vision for protecting French.

 

 

 

 

Only 8.5 per cent of music people listen to in Quebec is in French, which is "very little," according to Lacombe. He said he wants to reverse that trend for younger generations.

 

 

 

 

"Discoverability means being able to stumble across something, to discover it when you weren't actively looking for it," Lacombe said.

 

 

 

 

Making French web interfaces the default

 

Bill 109 would apply to every digital platform that offers a service for watching videos or listening to music and audiobooks online, including Canadian platforms such as Illico, Crave, and Tou.tv. 

 

 

 

 

It would amend the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms to enshrine "the right to discoverability of and access to original French-language cultural content."

 

 

 

 

Big streamers argue at CRTC hearing they shouldn't have Canadian content obligations

 

Montreal movie producers warn Trump's foreign film tariff could devastate industry

 

If the bill is adopted, streaming platforms and television manufacturers would be forced to present interfaces for screening online videos in French by default. 

 

 

 

 

Those interfaces would need to provide access to platforms that offer original French-language cultural content based on the government's pending criteria.

 

 

 

 

Financial penalties would be imposed on companies that don't follow the rules.

 

 

 

 

If the business models of some companies prevent them from keeping to the letter of the proposed law, companies would be allowed to enter into an agreement with the Quebec government to set out "substitute measures" to fulfil Bill 109 obligations differently. 

 

 

 

 

"We don't want to exempt them. We're telling them, 'let's negotiate substitute measures,'" Lacombe told reporters.

 

 

 

 

Impact on trade relations?

 

Lacombe noted that the bill complies with the terms of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), but acknowledged that with the tense economic context, the Trump administration might view his initiative as a way to further disrupt trade relations.

 

 

 

 

If the U.S. administration challenges the bill once it's adopted, the Quebec government plans to invoke the exception that excludes cultural property from trade agreements, Lacombe said.

 

 

 

 

"We must not fear the United States' reaction and stop ourselves from taking action," he said, noting that the Biden administration was also opposed to the cultural exception. "If we do that, we would directly contradict the principle of cultural exception [in trade agreements]. What's the point if we don't use it?"

 

 

 

 

Lacombe said he thinks the bill will show that Quebec can stand up to major digital players.

 

 

 

 

"Initially, I think many saw me as a young, naive minister who thought he could control the giants. Since then, we have demonstrated that we have the capacity to act, and we are acting," he said.

 

 

 

 

Earlier Wednesday morning, Parti Québécois MNA Joël Arseneau told reporters that the government also needs to intervene to help local productions "find their public." He said Quebec producers risk hindering the quality of their content because of the need to cut costs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parti Québécois MNA Joël Arseneau speaks to reporters at a news conference in Quebec City on Wednesday, May 21. (Sylvain Roy Roussel/CBC)

 

"The government has to protect not only the public and the spectators but the industry, the producers, the jobs that are generated by a very high-quality industry that is fighting against giants, and they're not having the same arms to compete," Arseneau said. 

 

 

 

 

Based on reporting by Cathy Senay, Radio-Canada's Mathieu Gohier and The Canadian Press"

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-quota-streaming-giants-bill-lacombe-1.7539749

Google va déployer une fonctionnalité permettant au navigateur de changer automatiquement un mot de passe faible. 

"Google Chrome va changer automatiquement vos mots de passe faibles ou corrompus

  21/05/2025 • 12:13

Google va déployer une fonctionnalité permettant au navigateur de changer automatiquement un mot de passe faible.

 

Trouver un bon mot de passe devient de plus en plus difficile. À une ère où les cyberattaques se multiplient, cette mesure de sécurité montre ses limites. Bien qu’il existe des gestionnaires de mot de passe permettant de s’assurer de la robustesse des mots de passe, certaines entreprises comme Microsoft font le choix drastique d’abandonner ce système de sécurité pour d’autres plus performants.

 

Du côté de Google Chrome, les mots de passe perdurent. Après avoir simplifié la connexion aux sites web, le navigateur souhaite désormais renforcer la sécurité de ce système en proposant une fonctionnalité capable de remplacer automatiquement certains mots de passe.

 

L’utilisateur garde le dernier mot

Annoncée lors de la conférence Google I/O, cette fonctionnalité se concentrera sur les mots de passe jugés comme trop faible ou qui aurait été compromis, rapporte The Verge. Plus qu’un simple indicateur, Google Chrome veut permettre aux utilisateurs de changer automatiquement ces mots de passe et de les stocker dans leur gestionnaire.

 

Parisa Tabriz, vice-présidente et directrice générale de Chrome, précise que si le choix du mot de passe se fera automatiquement par Google, l’utilisateur devra donner son consentement pour qu’il soit changé, même s’il est compromis.

 

Google n’a pour le moment pas donné de date précise quant au lancement de cette fonctionnalité. L’éditeur invite les développeurs à préparer leur site web pour accueillir ce changement dans l’année."

https://www.frandroid.com/marques/google/2622173_google-chrome-va-changer-automatiquement-vos-mots-de-passe-faibles-ou-corrompus

How British Sign Language is rewriting the script on screen

 

Story by Rabina Khan 

 

Rose Ayling-Ellis was named Strictly Come Dancing champion in 2021 with dance partner Giovanni Pernice. (BBC/Guy Levy)

 

When Strictly Come Dancing crowned Rose Ayling-Ellis as its 2021 winner, nearly 12 million viewers watched history being made. Her win marked a turning point in UK media, reshaping how Deaf culture and British Sign Language (BSL) are represented. 

 

 

 

 

This year’s Deaf Awareness Week (5–11 May 2025) themed, Beyond Silence, focussed on breaking down barriers for a fuller recognition of Deaf identity and influence. Now, as Ayling-Ellis prepares to star in ITV’s Code of Silence (airing 18 May), she returns not just as an actor, but as a symbol of how BSL is changing what representation really means — on screen, on stage, and behind the scenes.

 

 

 

 

Has BSL moved from the margins of media to the heart of mainstream storytelling? Tobi St Clair, Director of Deaf Set — a consultancy agency that empowers Deaf actors — said Rose Ayling-Ellis' impact is undeniable.  

 

 

 

 

"She brought BSL into people’s living rooms and challenged what people think Deaf people can do," St Clair told Yahoo News UK. "It’s incredibly rare to see that level of visibility."

 

 

 

 

Rose Ayling-Ellis as lipreader Alison Brooks in Code of Silence. (ITV/Mammoth Screen)

 

But she cautions that one person’s success doesn’t equate to structural change across the industry.

 

 

 

 

"Rose’s visibility started important conversations, but systemic barriers remain," said St Clair, "We still don’t see meaningful change in access or opportunities for most Deaf creatives."

 

 

 

 

St Clair’s connection to the industry is personal. Her mother, Jean St Clair, was the first British Deaf actress to perform in the West End, starring in Children of a Lesser God, her screen credits include Crown Court, the feature film The Banishing, and the recent short Coffee Morning Club. 

 

 

 

 

“If she’d had the kind of visibility someone like Rose Ayling-Ellis has today, her path could have been very different. It’s been incredible to see progress — Matty Gurney leading Reunion in BSL feels like a real shift. If Jean were starting out now, I’ve no doubt she’d be a star. The industry just wasn’t ready to embrace sign language and Deaf talent in the way it is beginning to today.”

 

 

 

 

But representation is only part of the story.

 

 

 

 

Legal recognition, cultural impact

 

 

 

 

A 'BSL Act Now' banner is outside the Parliament during a rally in support of the BSL (British Sign Language) Bill in 2022.

 

 

 

 

There are approximately 151,000 BSL users in the UK, including 87,000 Deaf people who use it as their first language, according to the British Deaf Association. 

 

 

 

 

For decades, BSL lacked legal status — but that changed with the British Sign Language Act 2022, which recognised BSL as an official language of the UK and compelled government departments to consider BSL accessibility in public services.  

 

 

 

 

The long-awaited GCSE in British Sign Language is now delayed until at least 2028 — three years later than originally planned. The Department for Education had aimed for a 2025 rollout.

 

 

 

 

BSL interpretation is now standard on BBC and Channel 4’s coverage of major events, from the Queen’s funeral to Glastonbury.

 

 

 

 

BSL on screens

 

 

 

 

Television has seen a rise in Deaf-led content and BSL-integrated storytelling. EastEnders introduced its first regular Deaf character (played by Ayling-Ellis) in 2020. CBBC’s Magic Hands — a BSL poetry show — continues to win praise for blending accessibility with creativity. Meanwhile, the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust (BSLBT) funds Deaf-led programming that reaches thousands of viewers, offering everything from dramas to documentaries created by and for the Deaf community.

 

 

 

 

Deaf performers are also calling for deeper inclusion on- and off-screen.

 

 

 

 

Actor Tianah Hodding, known for her BSL performances in Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Encanto, told Yahoo: "I'd love to see multiple talented Deaf actors in mainstream cinema, red carpets, Hollywood and massive series."

 

 

 

 

"Deaf-aware and trained crew working alongside Deaf, speaking, and BSL-using roles. A romance story in both worlds of Deaf and hearing like One Day. Deaf BAME actors shining through and representing not just the Deaf community but all ethnic groups as a whole," said Hodding.

 

 

 

 

The Rose effect

 

 

 

 

Rose Ayling-Ellis first broke through playing Frankie on the BBC soap EastEnders. (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

 

Ayling-Ellis' Strictly win wasn’t just high-profile — it was transformative. Google searches for "British Sign Language" tripled the week of her silent dance tribute. Since then, BSL courses across the UK have seen surges in enrolment.

 

 

 

 

Actor Jayden Reid, a Deaf performer in Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Encanto, and appeared in numerous commercials and music videos, told Yahoo: "The rise in roles and content by Deaf people over the last few years has impacted my confidence to charge headfirst and work for what I want… It’s the joy in entertainment that I’d never want to let go of." 

 

 

 

 

Reid adds that more opportunities are emerging, and while there's room for growth, "I’m always happy with the way things are going."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rose Ayling-Ellis as Alison in Code of Silence. (ITV)

 

In interviews, Ayling-Ellis has emphasised that true inclusion means Deaf people shaping stories — not just appearing in them. In her upcoming ITV drama Code of Silence, where she plays a Deaf undercover officer, BSL is central to the plot redefining what Deaf-led storytelling can look like on prime time.

 

 

 

 

This impact isn’t limited to screens — it's transforming how Deaf audiences experience live entertainment, too.

 

 

 

 

Interpreters as performers

 

 

 

 

A British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter performing with Kae Tempest at Glastonbury 2022. (Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

 

BSL has reshaped the live events landscape with British festivals embracing interpreters who don’t just translate — they perform. Interpreters like Tara Asher have earned acclaim for turning music into powerful visual art. As Glastonbury’s first BSL coordinator, Asher helped shift Deaf access from afterthought to creative centrepiece.

 

 

 

 

The 2023 BRIT Awards featured BSL interpretation for the first time. At the Edinburgh Fringe, more productions are now being created with integrated BSL from the start — not as an add-on, but as a creative foundation.

 

 

 

 

As the UK entertainment industry adapts to a more inclusive future, the success of BSL isn't measured by presence alone — but by power, authorship, and authenticity. The revolution is signed, not subtitled. 

 

 

 

 

For St Clair, inclusion is deeply personal. She signed before she could speak and grew up watching her mother fight for visibility. 

 

 

 

 

"It’s getting better. There’s more consultancy, more awareness. But until Deaf people are routinely in decision-making roles, we’ll keep running into the same barriers." said St Clair.

 

 

 

 

Code of Silence starts on ITV1 on Monday 18, May and will stream on ITVX.

 

 

 

 

This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at

 

 

 

 

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/british-sign-language-bsl-uk-tv-110007554.html

"UAE launches Arabic language AI model as Gulf race gathers pace
By Reuters
May 21, 202512:19 PM GMT+1Updated 3 hours ago

DUBAI, May 21 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates launched a new Arabic language artificial intelligence (AI) model on Wednesday as the regional race to develop AI technologies accelerates in the Gulf.
The UAE, a major oil exporter, has been spending billions of dollars in a push to become a global AI player, looking to leverage its strong relations with the United States to secure access to technology.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said during a visit last week that an AI agreement with the UAE creates a path for it to access some of the advanced AI semiconductors from U.S. firms, a major win for the Gulf country.
Falcon Arabic, developed by Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), aims to capture the full linguistic diversity of the Arab world through a "high-quality native (non-translated) Arabic dataset," a statement said.
It also matches the performance of models up to 10 times its size, it said.
"Today, AI leadership is not about scale for the sake of scale. It is about making powerful tools useful, usable, and universal," Faisal Al Bannai, ATRC secretary general said in the statement.
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ATRC also launched Falcon H1, which it said outperforms competitors from Meta and Alibaba (9988.HK), opens new tab by reducing the computing power and technical expertise traditionally required to run advanced systems.
AI was a central theme during Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia as well, which is pitching itself as a prospective hub for AI activity outside the U.S.
The kingdom launched a new company earlier this month to develop and manage AI technologies and infrastructure, which is also aiming to offer one of the world’s most powerful multimodal Arabic large language models, according to a statement.

Reporting by Yousef Saba; Writing by Sarah El Safty; Editing by Rachna Uppal"
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/uae-launches-arabic-language-ai-model-gulf-race-gathers-pace-2025-05-21/
#metaglossia_mundus

"In Mali, USAID funding cuts hit a local language learning program that empowered thousands

BY BABA AHMED

Updated 6:04 AM GMT+1, May 21, 2025

 

MOUNTOUGOULA, Mali (AP) — For Aminata Doumbia, an 18-year-old Malian, the “Shifin ni Tagne” project was a path for her life dreams. A phrase meaning “our future” in the country’s main local language, it refers to a yearslong program aimed at teaching around 20,000 young Malians to read and write in their local languages.

 

Backed by $25 million in funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, over five years, the project has now shut down following the Trump administration’s decision to cut 90% of the agency’s foreign aid.

 

“The joy I felt when I was selected for this project has been replaced by sadness,” said Doumbia in Mali’s capital, Bamako.

 

She had hoped to take advantage of the empowerment program to train as a pastry chef.

 

”I don’t have any hope of realizing my dream (again),” Doumbia said.

 

Poverty and illiteracy

Doumbia is among thousands of people who now find themselves stranded in Mali, a country ravaged by high poverty and insecurity levels and where 70% of the population of at least 22 million people haven’t had the opportunity to learn to read and write, according to Sylla Fatoumata Cissé, director of a government agency focusing on nonformal education and national languages in Mali.

 

The USAID funding cut also came at a time when Mali’s other development partners in Europe have withdrawn their support in the aftermath of the 2021 coup, which brought the current junta leader, Assimi Goita, to power."

https://apnews.com/article/mali-education-languages-usaid-b2bf965fd853de7f02b5a043ff7f4e48

#metaglossia_mundus 

Heart Lamp de Banu Mushtaq remporte l’International Booker Prize 2025
Le recueil de nouvelles Heart Lamp, de l’autrice indienne Banu Mushtaq et traduit de la langue kannada par Deepa Bhasthi, a remporté l’International Booker Prize 2025. C’est la première fois qu’un recueil de nouvelles obtient cette distinction internationale, qui récompense la meilleure œuvre de fiction traduite en anglais et publiée au Royaume-Uni ou en Irlande.

Le 20/05/2025 à 23:51 par Dépêche

Heart Lamp rassemble douze nouvelles rédigées sur plus de trente ans, entre 1990 et 2023. Ces histoires mettent en lumière les vies de femmes vivant dans des communautés patriarcales du sud de l’Inde. À travers des portraits de mères stoïques, de grands-mères opiniâtres, de maris cruels ou encore d’enfants résilients, le recueil explore les thèmes de la souffrance, de la résistance et de la solidarité féminine.

Avocate et militante pour les droits des femmes, Banu Mushtaq s’est inspirée des récits de celles qui sont venues lui demander de l’aide. Elle écrit : « La douleur, la souffrance et la vie impuissante de ces femmes suscitent une réponse émotionnelle profonde en moi, m’obligeant à écrire. »

Une traduction avec « un accent »
La traductrice Deepa Bhasthi devient la première Indienne à remporter ce prix. Elle décrit son approche comme une « traduction avec un accent », préservant la richesse linguistique et culturelle des textes originaux. Pour rendre fidèlement la réalité des personnages, elle a conservé certains mots en ourdou ou en arabe, reproduisant ainsi les rythmes de la langue parlée dans cette région multilingue de l’Inde.

Un prix prestigieux partagé entre autrice et traductrice
Le prix, doté de 50.000 £ (environ 58.500 €), est réparti équitablement entre l’autrice et la traductrice. Il a été remis lors d’une cérémonie organisée à la Tate Modern de Londres, animée par Max Porter, président du jury 2025. L’événement a été marqué par des lectures théâtralisées d’extraits des ouvrages sélectionnés et une performance musicale de Beth Orton, également membre du jury.

C’est la première fois qu’un livre traduit du kannada, une langue parlée par environ 65 millions de personnes, reçoit l’International Booker Prize. Banu Mushtaq est également la deuxième autrice indienne à remporter ce prix, après Geetanjali Shree en 2022. Quant à son éditeur, la maison indépendante britannique And Other Stories, il obtient ici sa première victoire, après plusieurs nominations.

Les critiques ont salué la sensibilité de Mushtaq et la finesse de la traduction. Le Financial Times souligne « la compassion et l’humour noir » de l’autrice, tandis que The Guardian qualifie le recueil de « digne lauréat » en raison de sa force littéraire et de sa forme originale."
https://actualitte.com/article/123937/prix-litteraires/heart-lamp-de-banu-mushtaq-remporte-l-international-booker-prize-2025
#metaglossia_mundus

Le navigateur web de Microsoft s'enrichit. Les nouvelles fonctionnalités permettront de traiter plus facilement les informations présentes au sein d'un PDF

 

"Edge traduit vos PDF tout seul (et ce n’est pas la seule nouveauté)

 

 

 

 

Par Samir Rahmoune

 

Publié le 20 mai 2025 à 16h44

 

 

 

 

Le navigateur web de Microsoft s'enrichit. Les nouvelles fonctionnalités permettront de traiter plus facilement les informations présentes au sein d'un PDF

 

 

 

 

Même s'il est toujours très loin derrière Chrome, Microsoft soigne son navigateur web Edge. Le géant américain travaille ainsi sur une intégration du modèle de langage IA Phi-4 mini telle qu'il pourrait être possible de l'utiliser pour traiter certaines tâches en local. Et aujourd'hui, c'est une fonction qui va s'appliquer au PDF que la firme de Redmond nous fait découvrir.

 

 

 

 

Une fonction de traduction sur les PDF beaucoup plus puissante arrive

 

La nouvelle conférence Build de Microsoft a été l'occasion de découvrir plusieurs nouvelles fonctionnalités dédiées à Edge. La plus intéressante est sûrement la nouvelle option de traduction de PDF, qui sera beaucoup plus puissante que celle actuelle, qui nécessite de sélectionner le texte sur le fichier.

 

 

 

 

Disponible dans Edge Canary, il est prévu qu'elle soit déployée en juin. « En quelques clics, les utilisateurs pourront ouvrir un PDF dans Edge, cliquer sur l'icône Traduire dans la barre d'adresse Edge et créer rapidement un nouveau document entièrement traduit dans la langue de leur choix » détaille Microsoft. La fonction sera disponible en plus de 70 langues.

 

 

 

 

Copilot Chat va permettre de résumer plusieurs types de documents dans Edge

 

L'IA sera aussi comme toujours au rendez-vous ces derniers temps. Copilot Chat, qui se retrouve dans la barre latérale d'Edge for Business, se verra aussi doté d'une capacité de résumer plusieurs types de fichiers issus de la suite Microsoft 365, à savoir les fichiers Word, Excel et PowerPoint.

 

 

 

 

Enfin, les agents IA vont aussi s'installer dans Edge for Business avec - objectif affiché par Microsoft - l'idée de permettre l'automatisation des tâches répétitives de l'utilisateur. L'ensemble de ces fonctions sont intégrées de façon à ce que le client puisse effectuer ces tâches, tout en ne quittant pas le navigateur - ce qui rendra son travail plus fluide. Les agents IA devraient être mis en service au début du mois de juin."

 

https://www.clubic.com/actualite-566160-edge-traduit-vos-pdf-tout-seul-et-ce-n-est-pas-la-seule-nouveaute.html

 

#metaglossia_mundus 

'You can't reproduce the language, but you can reproduce the effect it has on you when you read it'

 

"MAY 21, 2025

May 20, 2025 | Jaclyn Severance

 

Beautiful Choices: UConn Makes Its Mark on the World of Literary Translation

'You can't reproduce the language, but you can reproduce the effect it has on you when you read it'

 

 

 

 

 

On its face, the idea of translating a piece of literature from one language to another seems simple.

 

The English word “cat,” for instance, is chat when translated into French. In Spanish, it’s gato. In Turkish, it’s kedi. In Russian, it’s kot.

 

But with most forms of literature, the reality of translation is not so simple.

 

“There’s this equivalency assumption – that I can make an equivalent in the language that I am translating into,” says Catherine Keough, a literary translator and graduate student in UConn’s Department of English.

 

“But once someone starts engaging with the practice of translation, it becomes so clear that every single move that the translator is making to shift this text into the language they’re working in is a choice,” Keough says.

 

Choosing to put one word next to another can change that first word’s meaning.

 

Adding a third word into the mix can complicate things even further.

 

When it comes to a literary form like poetry, there’s also sometimes rhyme to contend with. And rhythm. And attitude.

 

A poem has tone. A poet instills a mood into the language they choose – it’s light, or it’s dark, or it’s somewhere in between. It could be humorous, or joyful, or sad, or none of those things, or all of those things, depending on choice.

 

A chosen phrase, the juxtaposition of words – it’s all done deliberately to convey something.

 

And when those phrases and words are crafted in Mandarin Chinese, or Arabic, or Hindi, the emotions they evoke and the cultural context they reflect typically don’t just translate word-for-word into another language, like English.

 

 

 

 

 

“Whether we’re focusing on the meaning, or the sound, or the rhythm, or the rhyme, or any of the formal features of the writing, every time we make one of those choices, we’re automatically making other choices impossible,” explains Christopher Clarke, a literary translator; visiting assistant professor in UConn’s Department of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages; and editor of World Poetry Review, UConn’s literary translation journal.

 

Because of this complexity, because of the myriad choices each translator must make when attempting to translate a text, translating poetry is as much of a skill and an art as writing original poetry itself.

 

And for the last nine years, UConn’s program in literary translation has been teaching hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students how to undertake translations – and how to do them well.

 

From Pond Hockey to Hockey East

 

Established in 2016, UConn’s program in literary translation has at times had as many as 125 undergraduate and 20 graduate students participating in its minor in literary translation and graduate certificate programs, respectively, or just taking the program’s course offerings as electives.

 

One year, Clarke noted, he had nearly 20 different languages in the undergraduate classroom at once – something that makes UConn’s program somewhat unique compared to others in the U.S.

 

“It is a multilingual workshop environment – everyone comes in with whatever other language they work with, and we build around that,” he says. “There are a few others like this in the country, but not many.”

 

Students in the program range from native bilingual speakers, to new learners of a foreign language, to creative writers looking for new techniques for expression, and they all share one common language to work toward: English.

 

They’re taught the tools and techniques for selecting, translating, and pitching translations, with many students publishing their work in literary journals or going on to pursue book-length translation projects.

 

“World Literature Today, one of the most respected international magazines in the field, has ranked us ‘among the finest translation programs in the world,’” notes Peter Constantine, a professor, literary translator, and editor and the director of UConn’s literary translation program. “This recognition reflects the impressive number of translations and peer-reviewed articles our undergrad and grad students have published, along with the prestigious awards and grants they’ve earned, including the NEA and PEN/Heim translation grants.”

 

World Poetry Review, the biannual literary journal founded in 2017 and based in UConn’s literary translation program, is just one of many outlets for literary translators seeking to have their work published.

 

And while it’s still a relative newcomer in a field that looks significantly different outside of the U.S. – only approximately 3% of all books in the United States are works in translation, compared to 45% in France and even greater numbers in other countries, according to Clarke – World Poetry Review is making its mark in the literary translation world.

 

 

(Word Poetry Review)

Four translations included in the journal’s Issue 10 were longlisted this spring for inclusion in the “Best Literary Translations” anthology, published annually by Deep Vellum.

 

One translation – Kate Deimling’s translation of six poems by the French poet Gabriel Zimmerman – will be included in the anthology’s 2026 edition.

 

The four longlisted works – translations from Deimling, Samuel Martin, Heather Green, and recent UConn alumna Zeynep Özer ’24 MA – competed amongst 400 submissions for inclusion in the anthology, a competition Constantine described as “particularly intense, as the anthology chooses the best translations of poetry, short fiction, and essays, drawn from U.S. literary journals and magazines.”

 

The 2026 anthology will mark the second time that a translation from World Poetry Review has been included in “Best Literary Translations.” The 2025 edition included work by the contemporary poet Yordan Eftimov translated from Bulgarian by Jonathan Dunne. UConn graduate student Xin Xu’s ’23 Ph.D. translation of the Chinese poet Yuan Yongping was longlisted that year.

 

For UConn’s literary translation journal and program, it isn’t quite the equivalent of winning the World Series or the Stanley Cup.

 

But it’s recognition that the program has grown significantly from the humble beginnings of skates on a pond to a team of real players in a growing and dynamic international field.

 

“It’s like if our team was invited to join a popular conference – like if suddenly World Poetry Review got to play in Hockey East,” says Clarke, the journal’s editor. “The bonus for us is that we will have work published next to work from other better-known journals or long-established journals, and our name listed among these many important other publications.”

 

Is the Original Beautiful? Is Yours?

 

There’s no golden rule on the kinds of translations that get accepted to journals like World Poetry Review, explains Clarke.

 

Texts can be contemporary or historical. Translators can be new to the field or established.

 

Every issue is different, though Clarke tries to curate his issues around submissions that complement each other in some way.

 

“We just launched Issue 11, and we’d received a really great submission of contemporary Ukrainian poetry, written in Ukrainian,” Clarke says. “And then, as counterpoint, I had another submission of Ukrainian poetry written in Russian. And then, as a late submission that I also really liked, we had some poetry from Russia, in Russian, and I thought it was a really interesting mix of aesthetic and political commentary to run the three together at the same time.”

 

The journal also launched a bonus dossier featuring 14 different translations of the 1926 poem “J’ai tant rêvé de toi” by the French poet Robert Desnos – a striking example of how each translator’s individual choices can impact the way a reader experiences the original text.

 

“I tell our students: You can translate this, and it might mean the same thing, but ask yourself, is the poem in the original language beautiful? Is yours?” Clarke says. “And if they aren’t both, then you’re doing a disservice and it’s not a good translation, even if it’s very accurate.

 

“You have to translate the way you react to it, and really what you’re trying to reproduce is not the language – because you can’t reproduce the language, you’re using different tools. But you can reproduce the effect that it has on you when you read it.”

 

World Poetry Review will have an open call for submissions for its next issue in August 2025 – an opportunity for both established and upcoming translators, including UConn students, to compete for a space that’s quickly become notable in the field.

 

“Competition for publication in World Poetry Review is considerable,” says Constantine. “World Poetry Review is not a student publication, but it has included outstanding translations by both UConn undergraduate and graduate students, work that holds its own beside that of widely published literary translators.”

 

That includes work like alumnus Michal Ciebielski’s ’20 (ENG, CLAS) translation of Grzegorz Kwiatkowski, which set off a remarkable career for the contemporary Polish poet, according to Constantine.

 

“Thanks to Michal’s translations, Kwiatkowski’s work was discovered outside Poland, leading to versions in German, French, Greek, and Slovene,” Constantine says.

 

“It’s a reminder of how literary translators can open doors and shape careers for the writers they translate, and it’s especially rewarding to see one of our own undergraduates play such a part.”

 

Issue 12 of World Poetry Review will launch in October."

https://today.uconn.edu/2025/05/beautiful-choices-uconn-makes-its-mark-on-the-world-of-literary-translation/

#metaglossia_mundus

Google Meet va traduire en temps réel toutes vos conversations. Comme l'a annoncé Google lors de la Google I/O 2025, le service de visioconférence va se servir de l'IA pour doubler les paroles de vos interlocuteurs qui ne parlent pas la même langue que vous.

 

"Publié le 21 mai 2025 à 08:51

Google Meet va traduire en temps réel toutes vos conversations. Comme l’a annoncé Google lors de la Google I/O 2025, le service de visioconférence va se servir de l’IA pour doubler les paroles de vos interlocuteurs qui ne parlent pas la même langue que vous.

 

Google a profité de la Google I/O 2025 pour annoncer l’arrivée d’une nouvelle fonctionnalité au sein de Google Meet. Désormais, le service de visioconférence va pouvoir traduire en temps réel, avec « une faible latence », les conversations de ses utilisateurs. Pour réaliser cette prouesse, Google Meet s’appuie évidemment sur l’intelligence artificielle de Google.

 

Le géant de Mountain View indique que le modèle d’IA à l’origine de la fonction n’est autre que AudioLM, une intelligence artificielle capable de générer de l’audio, comme des voix humaines ou de la musique, à partir d’un petit extrait sonore. Le modèle est développé par Deepmind, la filiale de Google consacrée à l’IA.

 

Comment fonctionne la traduction en temps réel de Google Meet ?

Concrètement, l’IA va doubler les paroles de vos interlocuteurs. Il n’est pas question de sous-titres, une fonction qui est déjà disponible sur le service. Au lieu d’entendre la voix de votre collègue dans sa langue natale, vous entendrez celle de l’IA dans la langue de votre choix. En fait, l’IA va venir se substituer aux paroles de votre interlocuteur. Celui-ci aura également droit à une traduction en temps réel de vos réponses, ce qui vous permettra d’échanger sans avoir à apprendre une nouvelle langue.

 

« Les différences linguistiques sont un obstacle fondamental à la connexion avec d’autres personnes – que vous travailliez avec toutes les régions du monde ou que vous discutiez simplement avec votre famille à l’étranger », explique Google dans un billet de blog.

 

Comme l’explique Google, vous entendrez d’abord la voix originale, en sourdine, puis la traduction arrivera juste après, ce qui « entraînera des retards dans la conversation ». Google précise que Google Meet est programmé pour préserver les caractéristiques de la voix de l’utilisateur, comme le ton, l’intonation et l’émotion. Grâce à l’IA générative, Meet peut comprendre et percevoir les nuances dans les paroles des internautes.

 

Dans un premier temps, le service de traduction en temps réel de Google Meet est réservé aux abonnés Google AI Pro et Ultra, le nouvel abonnement à plus de 250 dollars par mois qui vient d’arriver aux États-Unis.

 

Seules deux langues sont prises en charges : l’anglais et l’espagnol. L’italien, l’allemand et le portugais seront déployés dans les « prochaines semaines ». Google prévoit de mettre la traduction en temps réel à disposition de toutes les entreprises utilisant Workspace. Google promet des « tests précoces » dans le courant de l’année."

https://www.01net.com/actualites/google-meet-traduction-temps-reel-conversations-arrive.html

#metaglossia_mundus

"Google’s new features in Search, Meet and more escalate the AI war

 

ByTim Biggs

Updated May 21, 2025 — 2.29pmfirst published at 9.41am

 

 

Google has announced a new wave of AI features, expanding the technology’s reach to online shopping, video conferences and even its ubiquitous search engine, which is getting a mode that relies entirely on chatbots rather than web links.

 

The new “AI mode” for Google search is currently live in the US only, and is designed to engage users in conversation to answer their queries. It appears on browsers and in the Google app, and will automatically perform multiple web searches to speak confidently on any topic. It can even be given follow-up questions, or be prompted with images, videos or screenshots.

 

 

After decades of dominance, Google’s search empire is increasingly under threat from startups such as OpenAI and Perplexity.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES

 

Meanwhile, shopping in AI Mode will allow bots to go through checkout on your behalf and can apply products to your own photos for a preview of how new clothes will look.

 

Other features, the majority of which are only available to Google’s paying subscribers, include live language translations in Meet calls, personalised smart replies in Gmail, and a Deep Think mode for the Gemini chatbot that can reason to break down complex tasks. In the future, Google plans to roll out expanded AI powers to its Chrome web browser, so the chatbot could gain a holistic understanding of the projects you’re working on.

 

Advertisement

 

“More intelligence is available, for everyone, everywhere. And the world is responding, adopting AI faster than ever before,” said chief executive Sundar Pichai in announcing the updates overnight at the Google I/O developer conference.

 

“What all this progress means is that we’re in a new phase of the AI platform shift where decades of research are now becoming reality for people, businesses and communities all over the world.”

 

 

The new products come at a time when the search giant is under unprecedented threat from AI start-ups as well as old rivals including Microsoft and Apple.

 

US-based OpenAI and Perplexity are fast moving into Google’s turf off the back of rapidly improving generative AI. And Apple, which said last week it is seeing Google searches on iPhones drop for the first time, is expected to make some major AI announcements of its own at its development conference next month.

 

On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Apple was planning to allow outsiders to build AI features based on the large language models that the company uses for Apple Intelligence, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

 

 

Apple has been bedevilled by AI. 

 

 

 

 

The move is part of a broader attempt to become a leader in generative AI; a field that has bedevilled Apple. The company launched the Apple Intelligence platform last year in a bid to catch up with rivals. But the initial features haven’t been widely used, and other AI platforms remain more powerful. The bet is that expanding the technology to developers will lead to more compelling uses for it.

 

Apple Intelligence already powers iOS and macOS features such as notification summaries, text editing and basic image creation. But the new approach would let developers integrate the underlying technology into specific features or across their full apps. The plan could echo the early success of the App Store, and turn Apple’s operating systems into the largest software platforms for AI.

 

A spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.

 

The new plan for developers is expected to be one of the highlights of the developers conference, better known as WWDC. But the biggest announcement will likely be overhauled versions of the iPhone, iPad and Mac operating systems, part of a project dubbed “Solarium”. The idea is to make the interfaces more unified and cohesive. The new approach will be largely reminiscent of visionOS, the operating system on the Vision Pro headset.

 

Yet while Google and Apple go head-to-head on AI, the two giants also face extraordinary regulatory scrutiny.

 

 

‘I don’t see how it doesn’t happen’: Apple eyes giant change to devices

A US federal judge has determined that Google has an illegal monopoly in search, and is mulling what penalties to impose, with one mooted option being the forced sale of the Chrome web browser. Yet with roughly 90 per cent of the search market, and the latest raft of AI features touching every corner of the company’s business, wrestling away Google’s hold on the ecosystem could be next to impossible.

 

Meanwhile in a separate matter, a US judge ruled last month that Apple must allow developers to steer customers to the web to complete purchases, bypassing the company’s revenue sharing system. Which means that a surge in new apps, powered by expanded access to the iPhone’s on-device AI, may not result in as big a financial benefit as Apple hopes."

https://www.smh.com.au/technology/google-apple-turn-up-the-heat-in-the-ai-arms-race-20250521-p5m0xm.html

#metaglossia_mundus

"Google Meet adding real-time speech interpreter, consumer beta today 

 

Abner Li

May 20 2025 - 11:00 am PT

 

At I/O 2025, Google announced that Meet is getting real-time Speech Translation capability that’s like having an actual human interpreter in the call. 

 

Meet already offers text captions that can be translated in real-time. Speech Translation takes things a step further, with Google translating “your spoken words into your listener’s preferred language.”

 

Language differences are a fundamental barrier to connecting with other people — whether you’re working across regions or just chatting with family abroad.

 

For example, if you’re speaking Spanish, the other person will hear English that preserves your voice, including tone, intonation, and emotion. Meanwhile, you will hear what they’re saying in Spanish.

 

This happens in “near real time, with low-latency,” with the goal of allowing a free-flowing conversation. You will first hear the original language/speech, but it will be quite faint, before the translated version comes in. Officially, Google notes how “Translation will cause delays in the conversation.”

 

This is powered by a large language audio model from Google DeepMind. Trained and built on audio data, AudioLM performs direct audio-to-audio transformations. This allows it to preserve as much of the original audio as possible.

 

In the top-right corner of Google Meet on the web, you can access a “Speech translation with Gemini” panel to specify the “Language you speak in this call” and “Language you prefer to hear.” The entire video feed will get a Gemini glow and “Translating from [language]” pill in the corner. 

 

Google Meet Speech Translation

Google Meet Speech Translation

Notably, Speech Translation will begin rolling out in beta for consumers starting today as part of the new Google AI Pro and Ultra plans. Available on the web, only one participant in the call needs to be subscribed for Speech Translation to work. English and Spanish are supported right now, with Italian, German, and Portuguese following in the “coming weeks.”

 

Google plans to bring this to businesses with “early testing coming to Workspace customers this year.”"

https://9to5google.com/2025/05/20/google-meet-speech-translation/

#metaglossia_mundus 

"Google Meet traducirá en tiempo real diálogos en inglés y español con "la voz" del usuario
por REDACCIÓN EFE
MAYO 20, 2025

Captura de un video de Google de la presentación del traductor de voz simultáneo en Google Meet. EFE/ Google
Mountain View (EE.UU.), 20 may (EFE).- Google Meet anunció este martes que desde hoy ya puede traducir conversaciones en inglés y español manteniendo "la voz" del interlocutor gracias a la inteligencia artificial (IA), un anuncio realizado por el gigante tecnológico en su conferencia de desarrolladores Google I/O.

De acuerdo Sundar Pichai, director ejecutivo de la compañía, esta nueva función ayuda a las personas a superar las barreras lingüísticas "casi en tiempo real", manteniendo la voz, tono y expresión de interlocutor.

El gigante tecnológico demostró esta nueva función en el Anfiteatro Shoreline de Mountain View, en la sede de la compañía en California, con un video pregrabado en el que se vio una conversación entre una estadounidense y una latina que tenían una conversación (cada una en su lengua nativa) sobre el alquiler de una casa.

"El resultado es una conversación auténtica y natural, incluso en diferentes idiomas, ya sean nietos angloparlantes charlando sin esfuerzo con sus abuelos hispanohablantes o colegas de todo el mundo conectados desde diferentes continentes", anota Google en un comunicado.

De momento, esta herramienta solo está disponible para suscriptores de los planes Google AI Pro y Ultra en versión beta, pero la empresa destacó que "pronto estará disponible para empresas".

Además, adelantó que añadirán más idiomas en las próximas semanas, pero Google no indicó cuáles serían."
https://quepasamedia.com/noticias/vida-y-estilo/tecnologia/google-meet-traducira-en-tiempo-real-dialogos-en-ingles-y-espanol-con-la-voz-del-usuario/
#metaglossia_mundus

Imogen Nunn, 25, who was born deaf, died in Brighton on New Year’s Day 2023 after taking a poisonous substance.

"A nurse involved in the care of a deaf TikTok star who died after ingesting poison warned of a “huge shortage” of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters during an inquest into the death.

 

Imogen Nunn, 25, died in Brighton, East Sussex, on New Year’s Day 2023 after taking a poisonous substance she ordered online.

 

Ms Nunn, who was born deaf, raised awareness of hearing and mental health issues on her social media accounts, which attracted more than 780,000 followers.

 

There is a huge shortage of BSL interpreters. Even in my current job I still struggle to get interpreters for my role in my work and because I’ve seen deaf patients requiring access to mental health teams, I see that they are also struggling

 

On Tuesday, the Inquest at West Sussex Coroners Court in Horsham were informed of a “huge shortage” in BSL interpreters from Carmen Jones, a nurse for the deaf adult community team (DACT) at South West London and St George’s NHS Trust.

 

Just days before Ms Nunn’s death, she received a check-in visit at her home from care professionals after sending a text message saying she had had an increase in suicidal thoughts.

 

No BSL interpreter was brought to the meeting as there was not enough time to arrange it, the court was told in March.

 

Communicating through a BSL interpreter on Tuesday, Ms Jones said: “There is a huge shortage of BSL interpreters.

 

“Even in my current job I still struggle to get interpreters for my role in my work and because I’ve seen deaf patients requiring access to mental health teams, I see that they are also struggling.”

 

She told senior coroner Penelope Schofield “it would be very difficult” for a deaf person to communicate the crisis they were in without an interpreter.

 

“It’s based around language, how can anyone understand another person if they don’t share a language?” Ms Jones added.

 

Consultant psychiatrist Simon Baker, who visited Ms Nunn on 29 December 2022 at her home, previously told the court he was “surprised” how well the meeting had gone.

 

The inquest into Ms Nunn’s death was previously adjourned for two months because there were no BSL interpreters available to translate for two members of DACT.

 

This correlated with concerns noted in a prevention of future deaths report written by Ms Schofield regarding Ms Nunn’s care.

 

It reads: “During the course of the inquest (which has yet to be concluded), I heard evidence that there was a lack of availability of British Sign Language Interpreters able to help support deaf patients in the community who were being treated with mental health difficulties.

 

“This was particularly apparent when mental health staff were seeking an interpreter at short notice for a patient who was in crisis.

 

“The lack of interpreters available has meant that urgent assessments are being carried out with no interpreters present.”..."

 

https://www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/news/national/25177992.deaf-tiktok-star-had-no-translator-care-check-up-three-days-death/

#metaglossia_mundus 

"Concepts en sciences humaines et sociales à l’épreuve de la traduction (Univ. Paris Cité)
Le 12 Juin 2025
À : Université Paris Cité
Publié le 20 Mai 2025 par Marc Escola (Source : Florence Zhang)

Programme

9h30 François Rastier, Mots, termes, concepts : quelles unités, que traduire ?

10h30 Thamy Ayouch, Traduire la race, lever les démentis : le diachronique, le dialogique et le diacritique

11h30 René Lemieux, La retraduction de La pensée sauvage de Claude Lévi-Strauss en anglais et l’enjeu de l’intertextualité

Pause

14h Bruno Poncharal, Sur la notion de faux-ami conceptuel

15h Stéphane Feuillas, La voie avec quelle voix ? (titre provisoire)

16h Kazuhiko Yatabe, Le concept de société et la sociologie japonaise : le périlleux périple d’une notion clé des sciences sociales

17h   Discussions.

Responsable :
Florence Zhang
Adresse :
Université Paris Cité - voir sur une carte
Document(s) joint :
https://www.fabula.org/actualites/documents/127788_534a19bf7e7ddddd80fedc3578f8d002.pdf";

https://www.fabula.org/actualites/127788/concepts-en-sciences-humaines-et-sociales-a-l-epreuve-de-la-traduction.html
#metaglossia_mundus

For those who can inject credibility, provenance and structure into the system, the next era of instant answer discovery offers a chance to lead.

"Google Search is collapsing. Here is how to profit from AI
For those who can inject credibility, provenance and structure into the system, the next era of instant answer discovery offers strategic upside and a chance to lead.

James Dore
Strategist
May 21, 2025 – 10.52am
Google Search is tanking.

The web’s main gateway is about to vanish in a puff of generative smoke. According to Statcounter, Google’s global search market share dropped below 90 per cent for the first time in nearly a decade.

Apple confirmed in 2025 that Safari-based Google searches had declined for the first time in 22 years. Referral traffic to news publishers has long been falling. AI is now accelerating that decline.

The search engine is being replaced by the answer engine. Getty

Artificial intelligence assistants are displacing search. Platforms such as ChatGPT, Copilot and Google’s SGE are becoming the default for getting fast, confident answers. But these systems don’t cite sources in any meaningful way. They replace discovery with assertion, and increasingly, they’re learning from content that they or their peers already produced.

We’ve entered the search ouroboros. It feeds on its own outputs and erodes its utility. If we reach the tipping point where both search and content are AI-generated, the system becomes fully recursive. A closed loop. A Frankenstein’s monster where truth is untethered from fact.

The implications are existential: for publishers, for educators, for policymakers and for anyone who believes a functioning democracy relies on discoverable, verifiable information.

The end of search
Google’s dominance is no longer guaranteed. Its share of global search traffic is slipping. In 2024, Google’s SGE trial led to a 44 per cent drop in link clicks.

“The internet may be eating itself. But feeding it wisely can break the cycle.”

Gartner predicts global search volume will drop 25 per cent by 2026 as AI tools replace basic queries. In the US, 58.5 per cent of Google searches already end without a single click.

SGE is Google’s attempt to stay relevant, but it signals a shift away from discovery. For content creators, there are fewer ways in.

The rise of AI as truth
Search historically pointed outwards, ranking results by authority, relevance and freshness. AI flattened that model.

The problem? The input pool is already changing. Estimates suggest over 30 per cent of web content in 2024 was AI-generated, and rising fast. Content farms and SEO-optimised spam are increasingly built for generative engines, not humans.

This is not just a quality issue. It’s an epistemic one. When the inputs are synthetic, the outputs become untethered. Like a photocopy of a photocopy, clarity degrades. Verifiability disappears. Truth blurs into statistical probability.

The diminishing loop: AI feeding AI
LLMs, the foundation for tools like ChatGPT were trained on a snapshot of the world. That world is now increasingly shaped by those same models’ outputs.

This is model pollution: the point where AI-generated content floods the web, drowning out verifiable information.

With no metadata, attribution or accuracy incentives, AIs are training on themselves. Credibility is eroding, and the system risks converging into homogenised consensus. Once LLMs dominate knowledge access, misinformation will not be fringe. It will be standard.

Why this is an opportunity for the brave
I’m arguably part of the problem. I’ve built programmatic tools that help clients game traditional search rankings and LLM visibility. In doing so, I’ve fed the very machine that I’m warning you about. That may work now, but it proves the system still rewards scale over substance and remains brittle.

But in that brittleness lies opportunity. The advantage now lies with those who inject trust and provenance.

Major publishers and other sources of high-quality content should be racing to sign licensing agreements with OpenAI, Gemini, Perplexity and their ilk. It’s a rare win-win: LLMs desperately need trusted, human-authored content to ground their outputs. Traditional media needs alternatives to the collapsing search funnel. Those who move first will shape how future answers are surfaced and attributed.

Reddit, the AP and Politico license content to OpenAI. A startup could do the same with verified sources, but Facebook’s failed fact-checking showed why authority must be decentralised and democratised.

It comes at a cost
The moment AI replaces links with answers, monetisation models break. Referral traffic drops. CPMs collapse. The ad-supported web cannot survive this shift. Google earned $175 billion from search ads in 2023.

Which is why monetising the query layer is next. Not just through API access or licensing, but through real, scaled incentives for publishers. If GPTs become the new homepage, then attention must be compensated upstream.

This demands a rethink of how content is structured, attributed and surfaced. Publishers should not fear AI. They should optimise for it, build schemas, enforce provenance, and create incentives for users to go beyond the summary.

GPTs have not yet found the right balance of monetisation, sustainability and competitive equity. In generative SEO, success means becoming part of the model’s memory.

The endgame
We are watching the web rewire itself. The search engine is being replaced by the answer engine. If left unchecked, that engine will soon spin into machine-confirmation bias, where self-reinforcing predictions masquerade as truth.

But it can be reversed. Trusted content creators, those with authority, rigour and real-world grounding, have a rare moment to become the backbone of the next knowledge layer.

The internet may be eating itself. But feeding it wisely can break the cycle."
https://www.afr.com/technology/google-search-is-collapsing-here-is-how-to-profit-from-ai-20250521-p5m0yl

Site des Nations Unies sur la Journée mondiale de la diversité culturelle pour le dialogue et le développement, célébrée chaque année le 21 mai. La diversité culturelle est une force motrice du développement pour ce qui est de la croissance économique et comme moyen de mener une vie intellectuelle, affective, morale et spirituelle plus satisfaisante.

 

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Journée mondiale de la diversité culturelle pour le dialogue et le développement

21 mai

La protection de la diversité des expressions culturelles plus importante que jamais

Tous les ans le 21 mai, la Journée mondiale de la diversité culturelle pour le dialogue et le développement  est organisée par l'UNESCO  pour célébrer non seulement la richesse des cultures du monde, mais aussi le rôle essentiel du dialogue interculturel pour la paix et le développement durable.

 

Selon l'UNESCO, 89 % de tous les conflits actuels ont lieu dans des pays où le dialogue interculturel est faible. Pour forger une coopération efficace et maintenir la paix, le renforcement du dialogue interculturel doit être une priorité.

 

Le secteur culturel et créatif constitue l’un des moteurs de développement les plus puissants au monde. Il représente plus de 48 millions d’emplois à l’échelle globale - dont près de la moitié sont occupés par des femmes - soit 6,2 % de tous les emplois existants et 3,1 % du PIB mondial. C’est également le secteur qui emploie et offre des opportunités au plus grand nombre de jeunes de moins de 30 ans.

 

Cependant, le secteur culturel et créatif n'a toujours pas la place qu'il mérite dans les politiques publiques et la coopération internationale.

 

Une Déclaration historique pour la Culture

Plus grande conférence mondiale consacrée à la culture de ces 40 dernières années, MONDIACULT 2022 a réuni pendant trois jours à Mexico près de 2600 participants. 150 Etats ont répondu à l’invitation de l’UNESCO et du Mexique, en envoyant des délégations – 135 d’entre eux étaient représentés au plus haut niveau, par leur ministre de la Culture.

 

Dans cette Déclaration, fruit de dix mois de négociations multilatérales animées par l’UNESCO, les Éats affirment pour la première fois la culture comme étant un « bien public mondial ». À ce titre, ils appellent à intégrer la culture « en tant qu'objectif spécifique à part entière » parmi les prochains Objectifs de Développement Durable des Nations Unies.

 

Le texte adopté par les États définit un ensemble de droits culturels qu’il convient de prendre en compte dans les politiques publiques, allant des droits sociaux et économiques des artistes, à la liberté artistique, jusqu'au droit des communautés autochtones à sauvegarder et à transmettre leurs connaissances ancestrales, et à la protection et promotion du patrimoine culturel et naturel.

 

Il appelle également à une régulation substantielle du secteur numérique, en particulier des grandes plateformes, au bénéfice de la diversité culturelle en ligne, de la propriété intellectuelle des artistes et d'un accès équitable pour tous aux contenus.

 

La Conférence MONDIACULT 2025 est l'occasion de faire le point sur les réalisations nationales, régionales et internationales suite à l'adoption de la Déclaration historique de MONDIACULT , qui a défini un ensemble de droits culturels qui doivent être garantis. La dynamique a été évidente, avec l'inclusion de la culture dans les agendas du G20, du G7, du G77+Chine et d'autres forums régionaux et internationaux.

 

Elle suit également l'appel de la Déclaration à faire de la culture « un objectif spécifique à part entière » dans l'Agenda de développement post-2030. MONDIACULT 2025 est un moment décisif et stratégique pour lancer un appel mondial en faveur d'un objectif culturel à part entière, en présence de milliers de décideurs et d'influenceurs culturels.

 

Culture et développement durable

Avec l'adoption, en septembre 2015 de l'Agenda 2030 Agenda pour le développement durable par les Nations Unies, et de la résolution sur la culture et le développement durable par l'Assemblée générale en décembre de la même année, le message de la Journée mondiale de la diversité culturelle pour le dialogue et le développement est plus important que jamais. Le meilleur moyen de réaliser les 17 objectifs de développement durable est de s’appuyer sur le potentiel créatif des diverses cultures du monde, et d’engager un dialogue permanent afin d'assurer que tous les membres de la société bénéficient du développement durable.

 

Les Indicateurs thématiques de l’UNESCO  pour la culture dans le Programme 2030 forment un cadre d’indicateurs thématiques visant à mesurer et évaluer la contribution de la culture à la réalisation des Objectifs et des Cibles du Programme de développement durable à l’horizon 2030, tant à l’échelle nationale qu’à l’échelle locale.

 

Pourquoi la diversité culturelle est-elle importante ?

La dimension culturelle est présente dans les trois quarts des grands conflits mondiaux. Combler le fossé entre les cultures est urgent et nécessaire pour la paix, la stabilité et le développement.

 

La diversité culturelle est une force motrice du développement pour la croissance économique et comme moyen de mener une vie intellectuelle, affective, morale et spirituelle plus satisfaisante. Il existe plusieurs conventions culturelles , qui favorisent la promotion de la diversité culturelle, en affirmant son atout indispensable pour éliminer la pauvreté et pour réaliser le développement durable.

 

Ces traités internationaux s'efforcent de protéger et de sauvegarder le patrimoine culturel et naturel mondial, dont les sites archéologiques, le patrimoine subaquatique, les collections des musées, le patrimoine immatériel comme les traditions orales et d'autres formes de patrimoine tout en soutenant la créativité, l'innovation et l'émergence de secteurs culturels dynamiques.

 

Dans le même temps, l'acceptation et la reconnaissance de la diversité culturelle – notamment par l'utilisation innovante des médias et des technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) – sont propices au dialogue entre les civilisations et les cultures, au respect et à la compréhension mutuelle.

 

Origines et objectifs de la Journée

En 2001, l'UNESCO a adopté la Déclaration universelle sur la diversité culturelle , et, en décembre 2002, l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies, dans sa résolution 57/249, a déclaré le 21 mai comme la Journée mondiale pour la diversité culturelle pour le dialogue et le développement. En 2015, la deuxième Commission de l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies a adopté la résolution sur la culture et le développement durable A/C.2/70/L.59, affirmant la contribution de la culture aux trois dimensions du développement durable, reconnaissant davantage la diversité naturelle et culturelle du monde et que les cultures et les civilisations peuvent contribuer au développement durable et en sont des catalyseurs essentiels.

 

La journée donne l'occasion d'approfondir notre compréhension des valeurs de la diversité culturelle et de favoriser la progression des quatre objectifs de la Convention sur la protection et la promotion de la diversité des expressions culturelles , adoptée le 20 octobre 2005 :

 

Soutenir des systèmes durables de gouvernance de la culture ;

Parvenir à un échange équilibré de biens et services culturels et améliorer la mobilité des artistes et des professionnels de la culture ;

Intégrer la culture dans le développement durable ; et

Promouvoir les droits de l'homme et des libertés fondamentales.

La dixième session de la Conférence des Parties à la Convention sur la protection et la promotion de la diversité des expressions culturelles (Paris, 18-20 juin 2025) commémore le 20e anniversaire de la Convention. L'objectif est d'examiner les progrès accomplis, d'évaluer la mise en œuvre du Fonds international pour la diversité culturelle et de discuter de diverses recommandations.

 

Les principales activités comprennent l'établissement d'orientations stratégiques pour le Comité intergouvernemental pour 2026-2027, l'élection de 12 nouveaux membres du Comité et la révision du règlement intérieur. En outre, un Forum de la société civile sera organisé le 17 juin 2025 pour renforcer la collaboration avec les parties prenantes de la société civile."

https://www.un.org/fr/observances/cultural-diversity-day

#metaglossia_mundus

"The £50,000 International Booker Prize Winner: ‘Heart Lamp’. Published by the independent house And Other Stories, ‘Heart Lamp’ wins the United Kingdom’s 2025 International Booker Prize.

 

‘Heart Lamp’ by Banu Mushtaq — in its translation to English by Deepa Bhasthi — is the winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize.

 

This evening (May 20) at the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in London, it has been announced that Heart Lamp: Selected Stories by India’s Banu Mushtaq and translated by Deepa Bhasthi is the winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize. This is the first win for the independent publisher And Other Stories, although its work has been nominated six times.

This honor, the brother award to the better-known Booker Prize for Fiction, is focused on translated work and was established in 2005. The win pays £50,000 (US$66,901), which is divided between the winning author and translator (or translators where a book has more than one). Each of the shortlisted titles is also given £5,000 (US$6,690)..."

In Feature Articles by Porter Anderson

Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

May 20, 2025

https://publishingperspectives.com/2025/05/the-50000-international-booker-prize-winner-heart-lamp/

 

#metaglossia_mundus