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Charles Tiayon
June 10, 11:00 PM
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The most successful digital transformations I have seen were not about flashy tech or big budgets. They were about people who could translate across the many gaps between business, technology, and culture. As Southeast Asia races toward its AI-driven future, we cannot ignore the human infrastructure needed to make it real. Without translators, even the best AI ideas risk staying locked on whiteboards or trapped forever in a Mural board. "WHY SOUTHEAST ASIA'S AI REVOLUTION NEEDS MORE TRANSLATORS, NOT JUST TECHNOLOGISTS Over the past 15 years, I have been involved in driving digital transformation across Southeast Asia from e-commerce platforms to consumer health initiatives and precision instruments. I have sat in big conference rooms with global executives and key opinion leaders debating strategy, and I have also been on the ground with local teams trying to get systems working amid real-world challenges. One thing is clear: Southeast Asia does not just need more engineers or shiny technology to make its AI revolution happen. What it really needs are more translators. Not language translators (though language does matter in this diverse region), but people who can bridge the often wide gap between AI’s technical promise and the messy realities of local businesses. People who translate ideas into action, global tech into local impact, and strategy into execution. This “translation layer” is invisible until you realize how much gets lost without it. AI adoption: Just another chapter in a familiar story
Many companies here are still getting their feet wet with AI. It’s exciting, but it’s also very much an experiment-and-learn process. Just like when companies first adopted ERP systems, CRM tools, or eCommerce platforms years ago, AI rollout comes with trial, error, and adaptation. I once worked with a regional team rolling out an eCommerce platform across five APAC countries. The tech was solid, the budget was good, but adoption varied wildly. In some countries, users embraced the platform. In others, it barely made a dent. The difference was not the technology. It was whether local digital champions existed to translate business needs into tech realities and back again. In successful markets, those “bridge builders” made the strategy real. In others, it stayed trapped in PowerPoint decks. Similarly, AI is no silver bullet. I recently experienced this first-hand with an AI chatbot project designed for after-sales support. The model was trained on clean, Western HQ data. But in the field, customers used WhatsApp, switched between three languages in a single chat, and expected empathy rather than robotic efficiency. Without someone to bridge that cultural and operational gap, the bot simply did not work. Why translators are essential in Southeast Asia
SEA’s diversity is both its biggest strength and challenge. What works in Singapore might not necessarily fly in Indonesia or Vietnam. Different languages, regulatory environments, infrastructure gaps, and cultural expectations mean one-size-fits-all AI won’t cut it. Moreover, many companies here operate with legacy systems and business models built on relationships, not just processes. These ecosystems demand patient, thoughtful integration of AI guided by translators who understand local context deeply. These translators are not a specific job title, they might be product owners, digital leads, operations managers, or even head of sales. But they share the ability to: Understand business priorities and technical constraints;
Speak the languages of frontline teams and data scientists alike;
Recognize when global solutions need local adaptation;
Drive change through collaboration, not just mandates.
Growing translators: A new kind of talent
The good news? Translators can be nurtured, but not through traditional, siloed career paths. We need more hybrid talent people who can move fluidly between stakeholder conversations, user stories, and ROI discussions all in a day’s work... Conclusion: Translators are the quiet heroes of AI success
The most successful digital transformations I have seen were not about flashy tech or big budgets. They were about people who could translate across the many gaps between business, technology, and culture. As Southeast Asia races toward its AI-driven future, we cannot ignore the human infrastructure needed to make it real. Without translators, even the best AI ideas risk staying locked on whiteboards or trapped forever in a Mural board. Next time, when you plan your AI strategy, consider this: it is not just about having the right technology, it is about having the right translators too. BY SEBASTIAN TAI JIAN HAW
JUNE 9, 2025
https://technode.global/2025/06/09/why-southeast-asias-ai-revolution-needs-more-translators-not-just-technologists/
#metaglossia_mundus
Researchers across Africa, Asia and the Middle East are building their own language models designed for local tongues, cultural nuance and digital independence
"In a high-stakes artificial intelligence race between the United States and China, an equally transformative movement is taking shape elsewhere. From Cape Town to Bangalore, from Cairo to Riyadh, researchers, engineers and public institutions are building homegrown AI systems, models that speak not just in local languages, but with regional insight and cultural depth.
The dominant narrative in AI, particularly since the early 2020s, has focused on a handful of US-based companies like OpenAI with GPT, Google with Gemini, Meta’s LLaMa, Anthropic’s Claude. They vie to build ever larger and more capable models. Earlier in 2025, China’s DeepSeek, a Hangzhou-based startup, added a new twist by releasing large language models (LLMs) that rival their American counterparts, with a smaller computational demand. But increasingly, researchers across the Global South are challenging the notion that technological leadership in AI is the exclusive domain of these two superpowers.
Instead, scientists and institutions in countries like India, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are rethinking the very premise of generative AI. Their focus is not on scaling up, but on scaling right, building models that work for local users, in their languages, and within their social and economic realities.
“How do we make sure that the entire planet benefits from AI?” asks Benjamin Rosman, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand and a lead developer of InkubaLM, a generative model trained on five African languages. “I want more and more voices to be in the conversation”.
Beyond English, beyond Silicon Valley
Large language models work by training on massive troves of online text. While the latest versions of GPT, Gemini or LLaMa boast multilingual capabilities, the overwhelming presence of English-language material and Western cultural contexts in these datasets skews their outputs. For speakers of Hindi, Arabic, Swahili, Xhosa and countless other languages, that means AI systems may not only stumble over grammar and syntax, they can also miss the point entirely.
“In Indian languages, large models trained on English data just don’t perform well,” says Janki Nawale, a linguist at AI4Bharat, a lab at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. “There are cultural nuances, dialectal variations, and even non-standard scripts that make translation and understanding difficult.” Nawale’s team builds supervised datasets and evaluation benchmarks for what specialists call “low resource” languages, those that lack robust digital corpora for machine learning.
It’s not just a question of grammar or vocabulary. “The meaning often lies in the implication,” says Vukosi Marivate, a professor of computer science at the University of Pretoria, in South Africa. “In isiXhosa, the words are one thing but what’s being implied is what really matters.” Marivate co-leads Masakhane NLP, a pan-African collective of AI researchers that recently developed AFROBENCH, a rigorous benchmark for evaluating how well large language models perform on 64 African languages across 15 tasks. The results, published in a preprint in March, revealed major gaps in performance between English and nearly all African languages, especially with open-source models.
Similar concerns arise in the Arabic-speaking world. “If English dominates the training process, the answers will be filtered through a Western lens rather than an Arab one,” says Mekki Habib, a robotics professor at the American University in Cairo. A 2024 preprint from the Tunisian AI firm Clusterlab finds that many multilingual models fail to capture Arabic’s syntactic complexity or cultural frames of reference, particularly in dialect-rich contexts.
Governments step in
For many countries in the Global South, the stakes are geopolitical as well as linguistic. Dependence on Western or Chinese AI infrastructure could mean diminished sovereignty over information, technology, and even national narratives. In response, governments are pouring resources into creating their own models.
Saudi Arabia’s national AI authority, SDAIA, has built ‘ALLaM,’ an Arabic-first model based on Meta’s LLaMa-2, enriched with more than 540 billion Arabic tokens. The United Arab Emirates has backed several initiatives, including ‘Jais,’ an open-source Arabic-English model built by MBZUAI in collaboration with US chipmaker Cerebras Systems and the Abu Dhabi firm Inception. Another UAE-backed project, Noor, focuses on educational and Islamic applications.
In Qatar, researchers at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and the Qatar Computing Research Institute, have developed the Fanar platform and its LLMs Fanar Star and Fanar Prime. Trained on a trillion tokens of Arabic, English, and code, Fanar’s tokenization approach is specifically engineered to reflect Arabic’s rich morphology and syntax.
India has emerged as a major hub for AI localization. In 2024, the government launched BharatGen, a public-private initiative funded with 235 crore (€26 million) initiative aimed at building foundation models attuned to India’s vast linguistic and cultural diversity. The project is led by the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay and also involves its sister organizations in Hyderabad, Mandi, Kanpur, Indore, and Madras. The programme’s first product, e-vikrAI, can generate product descriptions and pricing suggestions from images in various Indic languages. Startups like Ola-backed Krutrim and CoRover’s BharatGPT have jumped in, while Google’s Indian lab unveiled MuRIL, a language model trained exclusively on Indian languages. The Indian governments’ AI Mission has received more than180 proposals from local researchers and startups to build national-scale AI infrastructure and large language models, and the Bengaluru-based company, AI Sarvam, has been selected to build India’s first ‘sovereign’ LLM, expected to be fluent in various Indian languages.
In Africa, much of the energy comes from the ground up. Masakhane NLP and Deep Learning Indaba, a pan-African academic movement, have created a decentralized research culture across the continent. One notable offshoot, Johannesburg-based Lelapa AI, launched InkubaLM in September 2024. It’s a ‘small language model’ (SLM) focused on five African languages with broad reach: Swahili, Hausa, Yoruba, isiZulu and isiXhosa.
“With only 0.4 billion parameters, it performs comparably to much larger models,” says Rosman. The model’s compact size and efficiency are designed to meet Africa’s infrastructure constraints while serving real-world applications. Another African model is UlizaLlama, a 7-billion parameter model developed by the Kenyan foundation Jacaranda Health, to support new and expectant mothers with AI-driven support in Swahili, Hausa, Yoruba, Xhosa, and Zulu.
India’s research scene is similarly vibrant. The AI4Bharat laboratory at IIT Madras has just released IndicTrans2, that supports translation across all 22 scheduled Indian languages. Sarvam AI, another startup, released its first LLM last year to support 10 major Indian languages. And KissanAI, co-founded by Pratik Desai, develops generative AI tools to deliver agricultural advice to farmers in their native languages.
The data dilemma
Yet building LLMs for underrepresented languages poses enormous challenges. Chief among them is data scarcity. “Even Hindi datasets are tiny compared to English,” says Tapas Kumar Mishra, a professor at the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela in eastern India. “So, training models from scratch is unlikely to match English-based models in performance.”
Rosman agrees. “The big-data paradigm doesn’t work for African languages. We simply don’t have the volume.” His team is pioneering alternative approaches like the Esethu Framework, a protocol for ethically collecting speech datasets from native speakers and redistributing revenue back to further development of AI tools for under-resourced languages. The project’s pilot used read speech from isiXhosa speakers, complete with metadata, to build voice-based applications.
In Arab nations, similar work is underway. Clusterlab’s 101 Billion Arabic Words Dataset is the largest of its kind, meticulously extracted and cleaned from the web to support Arabic-first model training.
The cost of staying local
But for all the innovation, practical obstacles remain. “The return on investment is low,” says KissanAI’s Desai. “The market for regional language models is big, but those with purchasing power still work in English.” And while Western tech companies attract the best minds globally, including many Indian and African scientists, researchers at home often face limited funding, patchy computing infrastructure, and unclear legal frameworks around data and privacy.
“There’s still a lack of sustainable funding, a shortage of specialists, and insufficient integration with educational or public systems,” warns Habib, the Cairo-based professor. “All of this has to change.”
A different vision for AI
Despite the hurdles, what’s emerging is a distinct vision for AI in the Global South – one that favours practical impact over prestige, and community ownership over corporate secrecy.
“There’s more emphasis here on solving real problems for real people,” says Nawale of AI4Bharat. Rather than chasing benchmark scores, researchers are aiming for relevance: tools for farmers, students, and small business owners.
And openness matters. “Some companies claim to be open-source, but they only release the model weights, not the data,” Marivate says. “With InkubaLM, we release both. We want others to build on what we’ve done, to do it better.”
In a global contest often measured in teraflops and tokens, these efforts may seem modest. But for the billions who speak the world’s less-resourced languages, they represent a future in which AI doesn’t just speak to them, but with them."
Sibusiso Biyela, Amr Rageh and Shakoor Rather
20 May 2025
https://www.natureasia.com/en/nmiddleeast/article/10.1038/nmiddleeast.2025.65
#metaglossia_mundus
Celebrating the adoption of Kiswahili day, commemorated on 7 July.
"World Kiswahili Language Day, celebrated on 7 July each year, honours Kiswahili as one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa and the world, with over 200 million speakers. It is a vital tool of communication and integration across East, Central, and Southern Africa, and serves as an official language of the African Union (AU), SADC, and the EAC. Kiswahili is more than a language—it is a vessel of African identity, unity, and culture. From its role in liberation movements, including those led by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, to its modern use in education, diplomacy, and media, Kiswahili continues to foster regional cohesion and global cultural understanding.
Recognized by UNESCO as the first African language to be honored with its own international day, Kiswahili embodies the power of multilingualism to promote diversity, tolerance, and sustainable development. As a bridge between communities and civilizations, it plays a critical role in quality education, cultural preservation, and socio-economic progress. More than just a means of communication, Kiswahili is a carrier of identity, values, and a worldview, representing the rich cultural tapestry of the African continent.
In acknowledgment of its growing global significance, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/78/312, further affirming the importance of Kiswahili in fostering solidarity, peace, and pan-African unity. "
Kiswahili Language Day | United Nations https://share.google/1OmVYJsoosEg3aRHT
#metaglossia_mundus: A very happy World Kiswahili language Day to all lovers of Africa! May this Day be the beginning of true international recognition for each of the well over 2000 languages of Africa!
"Translation Skills Program Puts Students on Unique Career Track
Santa Barbara High’s Translation & Interpretation Pathway is only one of its kind in the state
ED ZUCHELLI FOR SANTA BARBARA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
July 6, 2025 | 9:04 am
Students in Santa Barbara High School’s Translation & Interpretation Pathway graduated with professional certificates that qualify them to enter the growing field of interpretation and translation.
Santa Barbara High School students graduated with professional certificates for work in the fields of translation and interpretation. (Courtesy photo)
The Career Technical Education (CTE) program celebrates the bilingual assets of Santa Barbara’s many native Spanish speakers and empowers students to transform their language skills into viable career opportunities, the school said.
Santa Barbara High School’s Translation & Interpretation Pathway, led by teacher Alison Mendoza, is the first and only high school CTE pathway of its kind in California.
“Developing this pathway has been a career highlight,” Mendoza said. “By committing to offering a Translation & Interpretation program, we have reimagined Spanish course offerings and connected language learning to the world that surrounds students in a new way.
“Students receive Language Other Than English (UC A-G) credit for participating and put their language abilities into practice,” she said. “Watching this year’s cohort leave their high school experience with various college options, a tangible career possibility, a deeper sense of who they are, and pride in their linguistic backgrounds aligns with why I wanted to become a teacher.
“The collaboration with our local community partners, the district LAU team, and higher education gives students opportunities that they often hadn’t imagined yet.”
This year, the program expanded its offerings to include the Community Interpreter course and certificate. To earn this industry-recognized credential, students completed a rigorous 40-hour training led by Sofia Rubalcava of Santa Barbara Unified School District’s Language Access Unit.
Programs like this are designed to strengthen the connection between classroom learning and real-world careers by integrating industry training, all while allowing students to embrace and connect with their home languages and cultures, the district said.
“This expansion of the Translation & Interpretation Pathway is a testament to our commitment to providing students with tangible skills that directly lead to meaningful careers,” said Superintendent Hilda Maldonado.
“By empowering our bilingual students with professional certificates, we are not only opening doors to vital professions but also reinforcing the value of their linguistic and cultural heritage within our community and beyond,” she said.
“It is a testament to the resiliency of our teachers and staff,” she said. “They started this even though we were in a pandemic. At SB Unified, we are resilient, strong and bold.”
The Translation & Interpretation Pathway equips students with foundational skills in translation and interpretation, emphasizing cultural competence, ethics, and the importance of language access in diverse community settings.
Students apply their learning through real-world experiences, serving their local community, and engaging with professionals currently working in the fields of court, medical, and community interpreting.
This year alone, students in the pathway have interpreted the daily morning announcements at their school; created student-friendly translations with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art; volunteered at the Unity Shoppe; established internship opportunities with the Santa Barbara County Courthouse; and provided key support to parents and the community at the Know Your Rights event alongside the Language Access Unit team.
Jose Navarrete, a court interpreter at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, is one of numerous professionals who supports the program.
Underscoring the need to inspire a new generation of interpreters, Navarrete said, “You need to bring up a whole new generation of interpreters. Approximately 35% of interpreters in the state are 65 years old or older. So they’re going to retire pretty soon. We’re going to need a new generation.”
The program’s impact is evident in the students themselves. Rubiell Angel Fernandez, a graduating pathway senior, said, “I’ve had Ms. Mendoza all four years of high school. It really means a lot, seeing how much the program and the pathway have grown throughout the years.”
“It’s a rigorous program, but even still, it’s served us well, it’s going to give us options for the future,” said student Jay Valencia.
“This expansion solidifies Santa Barbara High School’s Translation & Interpretation Pathway as a national model for preparing bilingual students for in-demand careers while fostering cultural understanding and community engagement,” the school said."
https://www.noozhawk.com/translation-skills-program-puts-students-on-unique-career-track/
#metaglossia_mundus
"Ni la loi ni la force n’imposent une langue. Une langue s’impose d’elle-même par son usage [Par Sayon Mara]
Mediaguinee Juil 5, 2025
Contrairement à ce que certains guinéens pensent, il n’existe aucune loi au Sénégal, au Mali ayant imposé les langues Wolof et Bambara aux autres communautés.
En effet, représentant respectivement 43% et 35%, les Wolofs et les Bambaras constituent les groupes ethniques les plus importants au Sénégal et au Mali. C’est pourquoi justement ils se sont imposés aux autres. Sinon, au Mali, outre le bambara (Bamanankan), il existe d’autres langues nationales officielles, à savoir le Bomu, le Bozo, le Dogon (Dogo-so, Dogo-kan), le Peul (Fulfulde ou Pulaar), le Soninké (Soninkaxanne), le Songhaï, le Sénoufo-mamara (Minianka), le Syenara (Sénoufo), le Touareg (Tamalayt), le Hassanya, le Khassonké et le Malinké (Maninkakan). Au Sénégal, en plus du Wolof, le Diola, le Malinké, le Pular, le Sérère et le Soninké.
Ceux qui pensent que le projet de nouvelle Constitution, en son article 5, devrait impérativement imposer une langue nationale comme, soutiennent-ils, au Mali et au Sénégal, doivent davantage s’informer, car ces deux pays voisins n’ont reconnu une langue comme langue nationale officielle mais plutôt plusieurs comme langues nationales. En d’autres termes, ils doivent comprendre que la meilleure manière de promouvoir les langues, c’est de les laisser compétir entre elles car, imposer une langue n’est pas une politique linguistique recommandée."
https://mediaguinee.com/2025/07/ni-la-loi-ni-la-force-nimposent-une-langue-une-langue-simpose-delle-meme-par-son-usage-par-sayon-mara/
#metaglossia_mundus
La littérature vietnamienne trouve son chemin à l'international
Pour que la littérature vietnamienne soit diffusée sur la scène internationale, de nombreux facteurs doivent être pris en compte par les éditeurs, les maisons d'édition, les traducteurs et les auteurs eux-mêmes.
Báo Tuổi Trẻ
05/07/2025
L'écrivain Nguyen Khac Ngan Vi était l'un des intervenants d'un séminaire littéraire dans le cadre d'un programme d'écriture à Shanghai l'année dernière - Photo : NVCC
L'écrivain Nguyen Nhat Anh a eu de nombreux livres protégés par le droit d'auteur et publiés dans de nombreuses langues différentes.
Lors d'un échange, il a révélé que ses œuvres ont été traduites dans d'autres langues grâce à des éditeurs ou traducteurs internationaux qui l'ont contacté pour coopérer. Avec « Je vois des fleurs jaunes sur l'herbe verte » , la maison d'édition Tre a pris l'initiative.
Selon lui, pour avoir l'opportunité d'atteindre les lecteurs du monde entier, les éditeurs de livres nationaux doivent être déterminés et faire des efforts pour trouver des opportunités.
Livres sélectionnés pour la traduction en fonction des intérêts personnels
Président du Conseil de littérature de traduction (Association des écrivains de Ho Chi Minh-Ville), Hien Nguyen a traduit des nouvelles de nombreux écrivains et poètes vietnamiens tels que Nguyen Huy Thiep, Nguyen Ngoc Tu, Le Minh Khue, Nguyen Quang Thieu, Trinh Bich Ngan... et elles ont été sélectionnées pour être publiées par des revues littéraires coréennes.
Mme Hien a déclaré à Tuoi Tre : « La littérature vietnamienne est introduite en Corée principalement grâce aux relations établies par des traducteurs coréens qui étudient la littérature vietnamienne tels que le professeur Bae Yang Soo, le professeur Ahn Kyung Hwan, le professeur Jeon Hye Kyung, les traducteurs Ha Jae Hong et Kim Joo Yeong...
Un traducteur coréen m'a confié un jour que, comme les traducteurs sont motivés par eux-mêmes et n'ont pratiquement aucun soutien du Vietnam ou de la Corée, les œuvres qu'ils choisissent de traduire principalement d'intérêts personnels ou de la relation entre le traducteur et l'auteur, ce qui rend très difficile la recherche d'un éditeur pour une publication officielle.
Traduction chinoise de « Passing Through the Clouds and Hanoi People », une histoire sur la nourriture et la boisson dans le passé - Photo : Maison d'édition
Lors de la 31e Foire internationale du livre de Pékin qui s'est tenue récemment en Chine, le directeur de Chibooks, Nguyen Le Chi, et des unités d'édition d'autres pays d'Asie du Sud-Est tels que la Thaïlande, le Laos, le Myanmar, le Cambodge... ont signé le projet de traduction de la littérature d'Asie du Sud-Est avec le représentant de l'édition chinoise, la maison d'édition Ly Giang (province du Guangxi).
Les œuvres littéraires des pays signataires seront sélectionnées et traduites en chinois par les maisons d'édition signataires.
Il s'agit du premier projet visant à introduire des livres de littérature vietnamienne sur un marché d'un milliard de personnes.
Le projet a débuté avec deux livres , Passing Through the Clouds (Do Quang Tuan Hoang) et Hanoiens, Stories of Eating and Drinking in the Past (Vu The Long).
L'investissement de Chibooks dans la promotion des livres vietnamiens à l'étranger est entièrement autofinancé par l'entreprise, il reste donc limité. Nous n'avons pas les moyens de traduire une série d'ouvrages satisfaisants comme le font d'autres pays.
« Sans traductions dans des langues populaires telles que l'anglais, le chinois, etc., il est très difficile de convaincre les partenaires d'édition étrangers de coopération », a déclaré Mme Chi.
Pour nouveau, si l'on écrit bien, « la chance viendra ». Sinon, tous les efforts seront vains. Mais pour qu'un livre atteigne ses lecteurs, il faut encore une stratégie, des contacts avec des éditeurs et des intermédiaires dévoués.
Auteur Nguyen Ngoc Thuan
Connaître des langues étrangères pour acquérir de l'expérience
L'écrivain Nguyen Ngoc Thuan a confié et Tuoi Tre que ses œuvres sont souvent traduites directement du vietnamien. La traduction hongroise du livre « Les yeux juste fermés, la fenêtre juste ouverte », publié en 2020 dans Európa, a été traduite en anglais.
Ou János, un célèbre écrivain, poète et dramaturge hongrois qui a traduit Les yeux fermés, la fenêtre ouverte , a déclaré qu'il était tombé sur le livre dans la bibliothèque d'un Hôtel d'une ville du centre du Vietnam :
Traduction hongroise du livre Les yeux ouverts, la fenêtre fermée
« Pendant des semaines, je n'ai rien lu, j'ai juste parcouru quelques livres de voyage sans vie.
J'ai commencé à avoir l'impression que je dérivais moi aussi dans un pays spécial, mais avec une humeur désespérée, j'ai commencé à lire ce roman.
Je l'ai lu d'un bout à l'autre.
« Les efforts de la maison d'édition Tre pour présenter le livre Ouvrez la fenêtre, les yeux fermés dans les salons internationaux du livre ne sont pas minces.
La traduction du livre en suédois lui a permis de remporter le prix Peter Pan en Suède en 2008.
L'écrivain Ho Anh Thai est également un pont important, ce que très peu d'éditeurs vietnamiens peuvent faire.
« Grâce à ses efforts, de nombreux écrivains vietnamiens ont fait connaître leurs livres à l'étranger », a déclaré M. Thuan.
En tant que première écrivaine vietnamienne à participer au programme d'écriture de l'Association des écrivains de Shanghai, Nguyen Khac Ngan Vi a déclaré que cela lui avait ouvert des opportunités de contacter les principaux éditeurs de Shanghai en particulier et de Chine en général.
Ngan Vi vient de signer un contrat avec la maison d'édition littéraire de Shanghai pour la publication du livre Van Sac Hu Vo , dont la sortie en Chine est prévue cette année. Son master à l'université Fudan et sa maîtrise du chinois ont été d'un grand secours pour Ngan Vi lors de sa participation au programme d'écriture et pour trouver des opportunités.
Elle espère que la génération de jeunes écrivains vietnamiens de sa génération trouvera davantage d'opportunités de sortir et d'interagir, comme des programmes de résidence, des camps d'écriture, des salons du livre, des échanges culturels... Ngan Vi partage que la littérature vietnamienne n'est pas une littérature forte qui oblige les étrangers à lui donner la priorité pour l'écouter.
Elle a déclaré : « Le secteur de l'édition vietnamienne devrait adopter une stratégie marketing plus flexible. Pour réussir, nous devons disposer d'une bonne traduction. Nous, les écrivains, ne sommes pas qualifiés pour agir de manière proactive, mais dépendons des politiques publiques et des investissements des maisons d'édition et des éditeurs. Et surtout, les écrivains doivent conserver une attitude professionnelle. »
Version anglaise de deux livres : Sitting on a Tree Crying et Wishing You a Good Day - Photo : Publishing House
Au cours de ses 25 années de travail dans l'édition et de ses efforts pour introduire des livres culturels vietnamiens à l'échelle internationale, Mme Le Chi a confié franchement qu'il ya très peu d'éditeurs étrangers qui ont une demande pour des livres vietnamiens.
Elle a déclaré que la plus grande difficulté pour une unité qui propose des livres à vendre est le budget limité pour traduire le manuscrit."
https://www.vietnam.vn/fr/van-chuong-viet-tim-duong-ra-quoc-te
#metaglossia_mundus
The death of Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o in May 2025 raises the question of his influence in French-speaking Africa: how is this important author seen by African authors?
"What is the role of Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o in French-speaking Africa?
The writer placed his mother tongue on equal footing with other languages
Written (Français) by
Filip Noubel
Written (Français) by
Jean Sovon
Translated (English) by
Rebecca Cluett
Original posted 18 June 2025
Translation posted 6 July 2025
In light of the death of Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o on May 28, 2025, many literary fans are reflecting on his influence in French-speaking Africa. How is this author, who wrote first in English and then Kikuyu, his maternal language, regarded by those African authors who write in French?
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was born in 1983 in a Kenya that was still under British colonial rule. He studied English and then began a threefold career as a writer, a university researcher, and a journalist, which took him to Uganda and then to London.
Toward the end of the 1970s, he started to write in Kikuyu, his mother tongue, and abandoned English for his prose through the 1980s. Exiled in London and then California, he continued to produce many essays and plays. He made the decision to return to Kenya with his wife in 2004 but the couple were attacked in their apartment, during which his wife raped and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's face burned. He died in the United States on May 28, 2025.
In his country, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is an important icon of Kenyan literature. Global Voices interviewed Kenyan poet Njeri Wangarĩ, a Kikuyu language activist, via email on what this author represents for her:
Translation Original Quote
I have a deep reverence for him for making and sticking to this choice in language. This is mainly because I speak the same language and therefore, when reading his work, nothing is lost in translation. Within the literary and cultural world, many admire him for taking such a strong stand in advocating for African Languages. To this day, he remains one of the few (if not the only) widely renowned African writers to place African languages on an equal pedestal to the global languages.
When my three children were young, I once again turned to Ngugi's writing for inspiration. Reading to them his children's series Njamba nene, was as much a cathartic experience for me as it was a magical journey for them to a land where buses had wings.
The choice of language
As a fiction writer, he wrote much about colonialism and explored this topic in the still-relevant reference book “Decolonising the Mind” (1986). In this, work he deals with the question of choice of language in writing for post-colonial African authors. He speaks of the English language as a “cultural bomb” in Africa.
This question of choice of language has reverberated throughout Africa, including French-speaking countries, as noted by Réassi Ouabonzi, also known by the name Lareus Gangoueus, a Congoleseman living in Paris who facilitates the literary blog “Chez Ganngoues” as well as the collaborative platform “African Literary Chronicles.” Interviewed by email, he explains:
At the return African Presence (Présence Africaine) event in October 2019 in Paris, I was struck by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's radical statement on the theme of “Translating to Transmit” which quickly led him to ask the question of how we could define African Literature. Is it possible to envisage an African literature that is not spoken, which is not written in Indigenous languages? In the context of this encounter he addressed the recurrent objections from Africans at the limitations of writing in Kikuyu, in Shona or Lingala, in terms of the reach of literary works and the access to the rest of the world. Never one to take the easy route, he gave translators the mission of the work of translating from Swahili into French, Arabic or English but also into Lingala or Zulu.
Wangarĩ adds:
Translation Original Quote
He represents an oracle; his prophecies about what will become of our future generation if we continue to abandon our mother tongue turned me into his disciple. And with that, a responsibility to continue his work of writing and creating spaces where children and writers can share in the joy of African stories told in their language.
A pan-African writer who remains unrecognised in French
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's body of work went beyond the borders of his country of origin and the English and Kikuyu languages, as is noted in this article in the online commentary site The Conversation in May 2025:
The recognition of exceeds his pioneering role in his home country. He is particularly known for has unique telling of the everyday lives of Africans, always with a fairness and fidelity consistent with the principles of equality and social justice.
But strangely, his influence remains modest in French, as is underlined in this article from May 2025 in the online site En Attendant Nadeau:
Despite the thunder clap that was the death of this great African writer for Africa and the English-speaking world as a whole, nobody was surprised at the muted and understated media coverage in France given that the cultural institutions (media, print, festivals, public organization) have done everything they can for the past 40 years to ensure that the French-speaking public are unaware not only of the man bu also of his works. In effect, as noted by one of his translators, Jean-Pierre Orban, in a touching interview on the day of his death ‘It is uphill battle to have an piece of Ngũgĩ's work published in French.’
As is remarked by the Togolese Writer Sami Tchak, who Global Voices interviewed by email, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is often mentioned for his political message, but not always seen as a writer:
What have we read of his? Have we read his writing? In which language? and when? Here is a writerwho's fame depends much less on his work than his politics on language; writing partly in Kikiyu, his mather-tongue, rather than in English, even though European languages are the ones in which he is, in the main, read. Here is an author discussed by many, even without having read his books, because it is enough to praise his commitment to think that he has been given the tribute he deserves. Perhaps this is a problem, as it is their work that should be an author's legacy. Therefore, we should read the works of in whatever language we can, this is the only way that we can contribute to making it part of the African and global literary pantheon.
He remains hopeful that more translations will lead to greater exposure of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's body of work in Francophone countries"
https://globalvoices.org/2025/07/06/what-is-the-role-of-kenyan-writer-ngugi-wa-thiongo-in-french-speaking-africa/
#metaglossia_mundus
"The Language Faculty is promoting intelligence, not artifice
Isaac Asimov’s fantastic short story ‘The Last Question’ has always struck me as vaguely implausible, not because of its depictions of the next trillion-or-so years of human evolution and civilisation, nor because of its wonderful twist, but simply because of what the ‘last question’, the hardest problem for the story’s artificial intelligence to solve, is. Tritely put, I thought that the ‘last question’ would be that of the meaning of life. Interestingly, Asimov disagrees with me. The last question was a scientific one, rather than a more philosophical one, because the thought that the latter would be entirely outside of the purview of artificial intelligence.
But current iterations of artificial intelligence are far from the masters of logic that Asimov imagined. ChatGPT can explain, in detail, how it is possible never to lose a game of noughts and crosses but, when asked to put this into practise, it plays with about as much skill as a toddler. What they are good at is usurping creativity and human thought with thoughtless knockoffs. This is an attack which should be resisted.
With this in mind, I admit to being baffled by reactions to the change in the format of finals examinations in modern languages. That the previous format of entirely open-book examinations is not practicable in the current age of artificial intelligence is obvious. There is, unfortunately, nothing stopping a student struggling in an exam from loading up ChatGPT and using it to plan or write an essay. Software which purports to detect AI-generated writing churns out far too many false positives to be reliable. And the academic arms race promoted by examinations means that any come edge, no matter how unscrupulous, will be taken by some. To allow this to go on harms both those who cheat and those who do not. Those who choose to cheat, by shouldering their preferred large language model with as much work as they can, surrender their thoughts to the mindless convulsions of an algorithm; they fail to develop the essential skills which a degree is supposed to foster. Those who choose not to will be at an undeniable disadvantage; their grades will suffer.
This raises an obvious question. If artificial intelligence really would improve people’s performance, should we not be teaching and encouraging students to use it in a productive manner? Plausibly. As long as one is not outsourcing one’s own thoughts to an artificial intelligence I see no real argument against its use, though, given its tendency to be confidently wrong, I have little faith in its research skills.
When it comes time for exams, however, the options on the table are closed book or open book. One protects essential and important skills whilst, admittedly, underpreparing students or the age of artificial intelligence. The other allows students to ignore and underdevelop these essential skills in favour of short-term gains in their marks. People who argue that this decision fails properly to prepare students for the future overlook the timeless skills that it is designed to protect and take their rightful place at the front of the queue of people ready to be replaced by computers. They are, as Milan Kundera put it, the allies of their own gravediggers.
I assume that, in many cases, the reactions are rationalised rather than rational. It is frustrating to get half, or three quarters, of the way through your degree only then to discover that you will not be able to flick your way through your notes if you forget a source or a quotation in the exam – or to learn that you are going to have to reacquaint yourself with the technology of a bygone era: the pen. The problem comes when such frustration is reimagined to be what it is not: a genuine critique of closed book exams. That in-person exams prioritise ‘outdated’ skills like memorisation is obviously a weak argument.
Memorisation is not outdated but nor is it the most important skill being protected by in- person exams. To risk sounding like an egghead, this is a strawman. I assume that what is secretly being said is ‘memorising material is such an unnecessary drag’. I sympathise. But this is not a principled stance and it should not be allowed to masquerade as one."
Lloyd Doré-Green
6th July 2025
https://cherwell.org/2025/07/06/the-language-faculty-is-promoting-intelligence/
#metaglossia_mundus
"African stories and languages could unlock billions for the continent’s publishing industry if governments back local writers, a Unesco report has found. Africa’s book market, now worth $7 billion, could reach $18bn with more homegrown books in local languages.
Issued on: 06/07/2025 - 12:48
A new report by Unesco examines the publishing industry in Africa, and how to boost the market on the continent.
By:
Melissa Chemam
The African book industry, from authors to distributors and publishers, represents 5.4 percent of the global publishing industry, according to a new report from Unesco – which found that African literature has a growing influence around the world.
The report – which covers the 54 Unesco member states in Africa – demonstrates that this potential is largely underexploited, and examines solutions to increase publishing on the continent.
"The African Book Industry: Trends, Challenges & Opportunities for Growth" reports that the continent has all the means to develop a lucrative sector that would create jobs.
There are 6,400 publishers in Africa, publishing 86,000 titles per year on average. The continent is home to 8,000 public libraries, 270 annual book festivals and fairs, and 200 professional publishing associations.
Current trends include an increase in formats such as comics and graphic novels, a new focus on publishing for children and young people, and African books being made into films.
Africa has also seen rapid growth in digital reading. "Over the past years, we've seen a big push on digital platforms, and particularly in young publishers going this way," Caroline Munier, culture programme specialist at Unesco, told RFI. "This can play a transformative role"."
https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250706-untold-stories-in-african-languages-could-turn-the-page-on-publishing-unesco
#metaglossia_mundus
"Abstract: Research suggests that the texts produced using machine translation (MT) do not fully represent the linguistic traits of the natural language. Yet, the ever-increasing quality and access to MT is resulting in its steady adoption by both language professionals and general users. According to contact linguistic theories, such adoption might result in MT-specific language traits permeating the target languages. This work takes a first step into considering the changes that a language might endure over time by observing the variation of linguistic trends along a series of MT generations. We train ten sequential engines using each to produce the target side of the training corpus of the following and calculate a number of metrics to observe linguistic diversity at a lexical, morphological, and syntactic level for a large, fixed test set. Quantitative results show an initial loss of lexical diversity, which, albeit gradually, only continues at a much slower pace in the following MT generations. In turn, structural variations and, in particular, morphological variations across generations are less marked, which might indicate a more stable behaviour regarding grammatical consistency. Overall, the resulting MT language seems increasingly homogeneous, marked by the reduced presence or disappearance of low-frequency words, and compact, with a decreasing proportion of function words relative to content words."
Nora Aranberri and Jose A. Pascual
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 June 2025
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/natural-language-processing/article/propagating-machine-translation-traits-to-predict-potential-impact-on-the-target-language/A873E9434BBA7A0A10D2AEA911D3D04F
#metaglossia_mundus
"Bilingual barrister comes to aid of 'nervous' translator in Special Criminal Court
TUE, 01 JUL, 2025 - 18:50
EOIN REYNOLDS
A bilingual barrister came to the rescue at the Special Criminal Court today when a "nervous" interpreter on his first day struggled to translate for a group of Spanish men charged with drug offences.
The three-judge court was expecting to be updated on whether a group of six men would require trial dates for allegedly conspiring to import a large quantity of drugs into Ireland.
As prosecution counsel Tessa White began to speak, Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, presiding, became concerned that the Spanish interpreter was not translating what was being said.
The judge turned to Cathal McGreal, defending, saying: "You have good Spanish, are you satisfied that what is being translated is accurate?"
"No," Mr McGreal replied.
The court gave the parties time to tell their clients what was happening. When the court resumed, Mr McGreal explained that the interpreter has worked previously in hospitals but never in a court setting. "The interpreter is perfectly capable but he got very nervous and was worried if he could continue," Mr McGreal said.
He said the interpreter would be able to translate the rest of the day's business which required nothing more than setting dates for a next appearance.
Juan Antonio Gallardo Barroso, aged 56, of no fixed address in Spain, is one of 10 men charged following the massive seizure of drugs in 2024. Picture Larry Cummins
Ms Justice O'Connor heard that two of the accused, Ali Ghasemi Mazidi, aged 50, with an address in the Netherlands, and Raul Tabares Garcia, aged 48, of Cadiz in Spain, will require trial dates. Ms White said the trial is likely to take four to six weeks.
Ms Justice O'Connor adjourned the matter to July 21, when she will set a trial date. Co-defendants Sean Curran, aged 37, with an address at Carrickyheenan, Aughnacloy, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, Juan Antonio Gallardo Barroso, aged 56, of no fixed address in Spain, Pedro Pablo Ojeda Ortega, aged 36, of Cadiz, and Angel Serran Padilla, aged 40, of Malaga will have their cases mentioned again on July 7.
In total, 10 men from Ireland, Spain, Serbia, and the Netherlands are charged with conspiring with one another to do an act in the State that constitutes a serious offence, namely the importation of controlled drugs in excess of €13,000 on dates between February 27 and March 14, 2024, both dates inclusive.
The alleged offence is contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.
Gardaí arrested the ten men in March last year during operations in the villages of Tragumna and Leap near Skibbereen in west Cork, where a jeep, camper van, articulated truck, and rigid inflatable boat were seized as part of the suspected drug smuggling operation.""
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41661713.html
#metaglossia_mundus
"...7 must-read translated Indian novels that retain their soul
7 must-read translated Indian novels that retain their soul
Let us take a look at few Indian books that have traversed linguistic boundaries without diluting their emotional and literary content.
New Delhi | Updated: July 4, 2025 14:59 IST
In India, the landscape changes every few hundred kilometres, and so does the language. A phrase uttered in one village might sound completely different a district away. At times, it’s a new dialect. At times, it is an entirely new language. Thus, in a nation woven together by its multilingualism, translation is not merely a creative decision; it’s a cultural imperative. But with each act of translation, there is a silent risk attached to it, the risk of something slipping between the cracks. It may mean losing nuance, humour, agony, the rhythm of a sentence or simply the weight of a silence.
But, as Ken Liu reminds us, “Every act of communication is a miracle of translation.” And that’s exactly why, when translation succeeds, it is rather more than ability. It is more like alchemy. Let us take a look at few Indian books that have traversed linguistic boundaries without diluting their emotional and literary content.
Srinath Perur translated this book from Kannada to English in 2015. Ghachar Ghochar shows how unexpected wealth changes a family in ways people don’t notice. The story’s main character, who doesn’t have a name, lives well in Bangalore now. He sees how money breaks down his family’s sense of right and wrong. The made-up phrase “ghachar ghochar” means a mix of feelings, values, and how people connect. Shanbhag writes without extra words, and Perur keeps this style in the translation. This helps readers feel the tight calm mood of the book. The main character asks, ““When the house is on fire, do you waste time chasing rats?” In just over 100 pages, this book shows how respectability can conceal rot, cutting straight to the heart of familial dysfunction.
Against the backdrop of Partition, Tamas is a sobering portrayal of how communal violence is engineered. Translated into Hindi and published in 1974, the novel begins with the sight of a pig’s carcass hurled outside a mosque, a minor action that has disastrous fallout. Bhisham Sahni himself translated the book into English so that nothing was lost in terms of tone or emotion. Through various characters – Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and colonial officials, he reveals how riots are more planned and less spontaneous. “The riots had not erupted,” he writes, “they had been ignited.” With understated prose and unflinching honesty, Tamas remains one of the most haunting literary documents of Partition.
Mother of 1084 by Mahasweta Devi
Published in 1974, With the translation into English by Samik Bandyopadhyay, the novella stands as an intimate portrait of political violence that soon casts an enormous shadow across the reader’s consciousness. Written in Bengali, it begins with Sujata, a middle-class homemaker, being asked to visit a morgue to identify her son who was murdered for being with the Naxalite movement and was given the designation, “Corpse No. 1084.” Saddened, Sujata embarks on questioning her own position and privilege; she questions inaction on her part as well as society’s gruesome acceptance of this injustice. “I gave him birth. And the state gave him death,” she says, encapsulating the novel’s emotional and political weight. The translation is stark and elegant, echoing Mahasweta Devi’s fiery critique of state repression and class apathy.
Moustache, a dark folk story set in Kerala’s backwaters first came out in Malayalam in 2013. Jayasree Kalathil translated it later. The book tells the story of a man from a lower caste who grows a moustache. This facial hair, a symbol of upper-caste male power, causes wonder, jealousy, and dread. As the moustache gets bigger – like something out of a myth – Hareesh looks at caste, manhood, and fighting back. He does this through a dreamlike tale full of rich details. Kalathil’s translation won the JCB Prize for Literature in 2020. People praised it for keeping the poetic feel and political punch of the original work. In the book, the moustache “comes to life – growing rebellion.” By doing this, it becomes a story about getting back one’s honor.
This peculiar short Bengali novella from 1993, which Arunava Sinha translated to English, features a deceased aunt who lingers in the family’s thoughts, both as a spirit and a symbol of resistance. The tale intertwines the experiences of women across three generations as they grapple with rich male dominance, and the weight of tradition. Mukhopadhyay’s writing has a whimsical touch but also contains many depths blending the with everyday gender bias and pointed social commentary. Sinha’s translation keeps the wit and closeness while bringing out its feminist undertones. “It’s not death that scares me,” says the aunt, “it’s forgetting.” It is a book that keeps reverberating after the slim volume is set down.
Published for the first time in 1889, Indulekha is regarded as the first full-fledged Malayalam novel and continues to be remarkably forward-thinking for its era. Written in the midst of British colonial times, it is a narrative of an educated, smart Nair woman who goes against the norms to exercise her right to choose. O. Chandu Menon’s incisively ironic voice and social commentary come into English translation through Anitha Devasia, whose translation maintains the Victorian-era vocabulary but brings the text to within reach of contemporary readers. The novel lightly challenges orthodoxy without discounting cultural identity. Its eponymous heroine’s announcement, “A woman with learning is feared by men who do not understand her”, rings like a call across the ages.
The Bride, written in Maithili in the 1950s, is both comical and sharp in its satirical thrust from the rural heart of Bihar. Harimohan Jha satirizes social customs of dowry, arranged marriages, and Brahmanical pride through the narrative of an overloaded scholar trying to cope with the absurdities of wedding negotiations. Translated into English by Lalit Kumar, the novel’s humor and cultural particularity survive translation without sacrificing readability. Its appeal lies in how lightly it wears its satire, never compromising humor for sermonizing. “Perhaps you know Panini’s grammar,” remarks one of them, “but unless you know how to please your wife’s father, you are lost.” This Maithili gem is gently comic, sharply observed, and deeply rooted in cultural detail.
In a land of many voices, these seven books remind us that translation is not just an act of language, but also an act of faith. When done with devotion, it enables stories to traverse not only geography but into new hearts, new readers, and new lives. Because the finest stories, wherever they start, need to be heard everywhere."
https://indianexpress.com/article/books-and-literature/7-indian-books-translation-english-10104300/
#metaglossia_mundus
"Michal Kosinski’s recent study on theory of mind (ToM) tasks given to different large language models (LLMs) (1) is fascinating and offers many insights into the continued evolution and development of LLMs.
When testing ToM in animals, much ethological research has focused on differentiating “genuine” ToM from other cognitive functions. Morgan’s Canon recommends using “lower” rather than “higher” psychological faculties to explain animal behavior where possible (2). While this “canon” may lack justification, “association-blindness” is also problematic (3).
Researchers working in developmental psychology and animal behavior have developed increasingly sophisticated methods to rule out alternative explanations (4), gradually building cumulative cases based on converging evidence (5). We suggest that the same should be done with LLMs. Kosinski considered some alternative explanations and included control trials to exclude simple heuristics (1). We suggest that this should be expanded by examining other alternatives like associative learning, which can be achieved through simple electronic circuits (6) and can be explicitly trained.
Given the sudden jump in performance in newer models, it is likely that LLMs have either been explicitly trained or engineered to solve ToM tasks, which could explain some observed differences from humans (7). Explicit training would likely result in overinferring false beliefs when a similar pattern exists. For example, stating that the container is transparent [inspired by the “goggles experiment” in ethology (8)] should not result in false beliefs while retaining a similar structure to ToM tasks. We suggest that wrongly inferring a false belief in such a scenario would be indicative of explicit training.
LLMs use mathematical representations of word vectors in a multidimensional space that include word associations and positions. Each vector is interpreted through surrounding vectors to give a broader context. Such structured composition can mimic the logic of its training data, given that logical relationships often result in specific vector patterns. LLMs are trained on texts created by humans as well as using reinforcement learning from human feedback (9). Both the training data and the feedback come from humans who possess a ToM, making it at least possible for LLMs to pass ToM tasks simply through pattern recognition.
Testing this would require ToM tasks with radically different patterns (not just novel particulars) from the ones found in the existing literature included in the training data. Alternatively, a significant improvement in ToM task performance in older models through training without model tuning (10) would indicate that patterns in the training data rather than in the model can account for task performance.
None of this implies that LLMs cannot have a genuine ToM. However, we propose that successfully solving isolated ToM tasks is insufficient evidence to indicate the presence of ToM (5). While the studies conducted by Kosinski (1) and others (7) are important and relevant, we suggest that attributing ToM to LLMs may be premature until simpler explanations can be ruled out and a cumulative case based on converging evidence can be made.
Acknowledgments
Author contributionsD.K.F.P. convened discussion group; S.K.Y.P., M.D.B., and A.H. participated in discussion group; and D.K.F.P., S.K.Y.P., M.D.B., and A.H. wrote the paper."
Competing interestsThe authors d
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2507080122
#metaglossia_mundus
According to psychologists like Steven Pinker, music is a peripheral part of our humanity. If music vanished overnight, Pinker argues, "the rest of our lifestyle would be virtually unchanged." For Nietzsche, this is a radical mistake.
"Pinker vs Nietzsche: Is music the basis of language?
Language is born out of music
4th July 2025
Kathleen Higgins | Kathleen Higgins is a professor of philosophy at Austin, Texas University. Her work focuses on continental philosophy, philosophy of the emotions, and aesthetics.
According to psychologists like Steven Pinker, music is a peripheral part of our humanity. If music vanished overnight, Pinker argues, "the rest of our lifestyle would be virtually unchanged." For Nietzsche, this is a radical mistake. In this article, Kathleen Higgins presents Nietzsche's argument for music being the foundation of language, without which our lives would not be recognizably human at all. Far from being peripheral, music is essential to our humanity. As Nietzsche wrote late in life: "Without music, life would be a mistake."
Music is a pervasive presence, not only marking special occasions like birthdays and weddings, but also serving as background for daily activities like driving, exercising, or watching a show. So prevalent is music in our ordinary routines that it is hard to imagine what our lives would be like without it.
But cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker considers music more or less dispensable. “Compared with language, vision, social reasoning, and physical know-how,” he remarks, “music could vanish from our species and the rest of our lifestyle would be virtually unchanged.” He contends that music is a “spandrel,” in the terminology of biologist Stephen Jay Gould, a by-product of the way we have evolved, but without evolutionary value itself. Pinker calls music “auditory cheesecake.” It “tickles” a number of our mental faculties, but is no more essential to human life than cheesecake is to our diet. In this respect, music is unlike language, which is an important evolutionary adaptation that aids in our survival.
___
Our ability to communicate meanings linguistically presupposes our musicality.
___
Nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche would argue that Pinker has it all wrong, particularly in his comparison of music and language. Nietzsche rejects the idea that language is more fundamental than music to the life of our species. According to him, our ability to communicate meanings linguistically presupposes our musicality. Without music, he argues, we would not have language as we know it.
The idea that music is a precondition of language may sound far-fetched, but debates about whether music or language is more fundamental have been longstanding in Western thought. Ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle examined the connection between music and language when they considered poetry set to music. They argued that in such settings, musical rhythms and melodies should support the texts that they accompanied. This view led late Renaissance opera composers to develop the recitative, which involved setting texts so that the music mimicked the rhythms and contours of speech. The recitative was so musically constrained that composers interspersed recitatives with arias, providing opportunities for singers to show off their virtuosity.
SUGGESTED VIEWING
Dostoevsky vs Nietzsche
With Niki Seth-Smith, Janne Teller, Oliver Ready, Kathleen Higgins
Early Christian thinkers debated whether God had endowed human beings with music as part of their nature or whether music was a later human invention. Modern thinkers disagreed on the origin of music and language and whether one preceded the other. Jean-Jacques Rousseau thought that language and music emerged from a common expressive mode—a view that in broad terms continues to have some currency. Herbert Spencer maintained that language came first, with music developing as a way of heightening emotion in speech. Charles Darwin, by contrast, contended that the melodic and rhythmic features of nonhuman animal vocalizations developed as means for attracting members of the opposite sex, suggesting that music (in some sense of the term) was prior to language."
https://iai.tv/articles/pinker-vs-nietzsche-is-music-the-basis-of-language-auid-3247
#metaglossia_mundus
"Russian companies are hiring Korean-language translators and cultural experts as thousands of North Korean laborers pour into Russia to fill construction and infrastructure jobs, the Daily Storm news outlet reported.
North Korea has emerged as one of Russia’s key allies since the invasion of Ukraine, sending thousands of troops and workers to Russia. This influx has created a demand for translators to manage the thousands of North Koreans now working in the country.
Job postings for Korean interpreters — some offering salaries as high as $4,000 per month — have appeared on major Russian job sites and niche Telegram channels in recent weeks, the Daily Storm reported.
One recent listing from Strana Development, a construction firm based in Moscow, sought an interpreter fluent in Korean with knowledge of North Korean culture and etiquette to work on a construction site in the capital.
Similar vacancies have appeared on Telegram channels for translators.
A reporter from the Daily Storm called the phone number on a post seeking a Korean language specialist for work with construction teams in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region.
The reporter was told that the position was intended for North Korean citizens, adding that “groups of 30 to 35 people will be arriving every seven to 10 days and will be assigned to various construction sites.”
“The main tasks are to help the workers adapt to their job sites, organize daily routines, provide safety briefings and define the scope and methods of work,” the employer added.
NEWS
North Korea Targets Russian Tourists with New Beach Resort
READ MORE
The influx of workers has prompted academic and military institutions to step in. The Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Russia’s top diplomatic training university, recently advertised a position for a Korean military translation instructor.
Applicants are required to have military experience or an advanced academic degree, with salaries ranging from 100,000 to 120,000 rubles per month ($1,000 to $1,300).
Translation services are also being sought for more formal business engagements.
The outsourcing company Excelsior recently posted an opening for an interpreter to accompany a delegation of North Korean businessmen, with duties including providing live interpretation at meetings and events.
Pavel Belenets, a representative of the Primorsky-based development firm Eskadra, said in late June that more than 150,000 North Koreans have submitted job applications to work in Russia.
He estimated that around 15,000 are currently employed, mostly in construction and restoration projects, a figure that could potentially reach 50,000 by the end of the year.
NEWS
North Korea Will Send Thousands of Military Personnel to Help Rebuild Kursk Region, Shoigu Says
READ MORE
Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said last month that some 6,000 North Korean “specialists” would be deployed to the Kursk border region to help with reconstruction following Ukraine's cross-border incursion.
Similar arrangements have been discussed for war-torn areas of eastern Ukraine occupied by Russian forces, including the Donbas region.
United Nations sanctions prohibit member states from hiring North Korean workers abroad due to fears that their wages are funneled directly to the regime in Pyongyang.
Human rights groups have long documented harsh conditions for North Koreans working overseas, citing cases of surveillance, forced labor and the confiscation of salaries by the state."
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/07/04/russian-firms-seek-north-korean-translators-to-support-influx-of-workers-a89683
#metaglossia_mundus
"Newswire / July 3, 2025 / Propio, a leading innovator in interpreting, translation, and localization solutions, is proud to announce its acquisition of CyraCom International Inc., one of the world's largest remote interpretation providers that specializes in healthcare. This historic transaction brings together two of the largest U.S.-based Language Service Providers (LSPs), creating an unparalleled partnership capable of delivering expanded solutions, deeper expertise, and even greater resources to clients across healthcare, government, insurance, education and enterprise sectors.
"This is a transformative moment in our industry and Propio is taking the lead in it," said Marco Assis, CEO of Propio. "We are combining two trusted leaders with decades of remote-interpretation excellence. Together, we'll set an even greater standard for access, speed, and quality in language solutions."
Clients of both organizations will benefit from a seamless transition, continued support from their dedicated teams, and immediate access to enhanced technology and service options. The combined entity will allow for Propio's AI-powered automation and workflows, technology solutions, and compliance infrastructure, to drive even better outcomes for the new clients and the communities they serve.
"Language access is something both organizations are very passionate about and, together, we will be able to more effectively help our clients remove barriers to communication and care," added Assis.
The integration process is already underway, with both leadership teams working closely to ensure a smooth and transparent experience for all clients.
About Propio Language Services
Propio is an industry-leading language solutions partner that combines high-quality human expertise with advanced technology to support interpretation, translation, and localization needs across healthcare, education, legal, financial, and other industries.
To support its clients, Propio offers secure, easy-to-use tools like the Propio ONE app for interpretation, Propio Workforce OS® for resource service coordination in healthcare, and AI translation solutions to increase speed and efficiency. Powered by a network of over 20,000 linguists covering 300+ languages, Propio now works with more than 12,000 client partners worldwide.
Propio's vision is simple: to make communication easier through the use of advanced technology.
About CyraCom
CyraCom has been a leader in language services for over 30 years, specializing in over-the-phone and video interpretation. Known for its rigorous interpreter training and U.S.-based operations, CyraCom has supported clients across healthcare, legal, and public service industries.
Media Contact:
Sarah Haner, Marketing Director
communications@propio.com
SOURCE: Propio Language Services"
https://www.morningstar.com/news/accesswire/1045129msn/propio-language-services-acquires-cyracom-combining-two-of-the-worlds-largest-healthcare-interpretation-providers
#metaglossia_mundus
"Quelles initiatives pour préserver les langues en danger ?
Publié le : 03/07/2025 - 17:30
Environ 7 000 langues sont parlées dans le monde, mais celui-ci est dominé par une vingtaine de langues ! Qu'en est-il des autres ? En cette décennie des langues autochtones décidée par l'UNESCO, RFI a consacré un grand dossier aux langues en danger, conçu par Baptiste Condominas.
Combien de langues disparaissent chaque année ? Difficile à quantifier, car il est parfois impossible de savoir à quel moment le dernier locuteur d'une langue meurt.
Depuis quelques années, les chercheurs s'y intéressent, parce que lorsqu'une langue disparaît, c'est toute une culture qui disparait avec.
L'Unesco juge que si rien n'est fait, la moitié des langues pourrait disparaitre au cours de ce siècle. L'Asie-Pacifique est la première aire géographique concernée avec notamment les langues indonésiennes, ou encore les langues aborigènes en Australie. Certains pays d'Afrique comme le Cameroun, le Nigeria, l'Éthiopie ou le Soudan sont concernés.
Pourquoi chaque année, certaines langues disparaissent ? Comment protéger des langues en danger ? En quoi le changement climatique peut-il favoriser la disparition de certaines langues ? Quelles sont les conséquences de la disparition de langues chaque année ? Y a-t-il des mouvements de revendications pour la sauvegarde de ces langues ?
Certaines langues disparaissent, car certains groupes sont obligés d'abandonner leur langue ancestrale au profit d'une langue dominante. Il y a trois contextes : la colonisation européenne qui a entraîné la mort de millions d'autochtones, la formation des États-nations avec une éducation monolingue dans une langue unique et les périodes de crises comme les guerres, les épidémies. Les langues ne meurent pas, elles sont tuées.
Evangelia Adamou
Exemples avec :
Le live : une langue finno-ougrienne complexe, à déclinaisons, encore parlée en Lettonie par une vingtaine de personnes, dans un pays de 1,8 million d’habitants. Parlée autrefois par les communautés lives sur les terres de Courlande et au nord de Riga, les locuteurs sont aujourd’hui dispersés et se mobilisent pour que cette langue ne disparaisse pas. Depuis 1999, cette langue a le statut de langue indigène. Une vraie langue survivante !
Avec notre correspondante en Lettonie, Marielle Vitureau.
Le taa : une langue d'Afrique australe, parlée par environ quatre mille locuteurs au Botswana et en Namibie. Une langue «qui a le système sonore le plus complexe du monde» avec plus d'une centaine de sons qui a fasciné Ian Brennan, compositeur et producteur récompensé aux Grammy Awards en 2011 pour le meilleur album de musique du monde !
Avec notre correspondant régional, Valentin Hugues.
Le sapara : une langue indigène de l'Équateur. L'une des dernières locutrices, Mukusawa Santi Ashanga, est décédée en mars dernier à Quito. Les Saparas étaient un peuple indigène assez nombreux au XVIIè siècle puis les maladies (fièvre jaune, fièvre du caoutchouc) ont décimé une partie de la population qui est passée de 100.000 à 20.000 personnes au début du XXè siècle. Il resterait aujourd'hui quelques centaines de personnes, mais qui ne parleraient pas ou peu la langue.
Avec notre correspondant en Équateur, Eric Samson..."
https://www.rfi.fr/fr/podcasts/de-vive-s-voix/20250703-quelles-initiatives-pour-pr%C3%A9server-les-langues-en-danger
#metaglossia_mundus
"L’Académie française décerne le Grand Prix Hervé-Deluen à Souleymane Bachir Diagne
VENDREDI 4 JUILLET 2025 À 22H51
Dakar, 4 juil (APS) – L’Académie française a décerné le Grand Prix Hervé-Deluen 2025 à Souleymane Bachir Diagne, en reconnaissance de ‘’sa contribution remarquable à l’éclat de la langue et de la pensée françaises’’, ont annoncé, vendredi, les Éditions Albin Michel, éditeur du philosophe sénégalais.
‘’Nous sommes heureux d’annoncer que quatre auteurs publiés chez Albin Michel sont nommés aux prix de l’Académie française’’, a écrit la maison d’édition sur sa page Facebook.
Elle précise ensuite que Souleymane Bachir Diagne est lauréat du Grand Prix Hervé-Deluen, qui récompense ‘’toute personne ou toute institution qui contribue efficacement à la défense et à la promotion du français comme langue internationale’’.
Décernée chaque année par la fondation Hervé-Deluen depuis 2007, cette distinction est devenue le Grand Prix Hervé-Deluen en 2015.
Le lauréat reçoit une récompense de 25 000 euros, soit 16,3 millions de francs CFA.
M. Diagne, âgé de 69 ans, éminent spécialiste de l’histoire des sciences et de la philosophie islamique, a enseigné pendant plusieurs années à l’université Cheikh-Anta-Diop de Dakar (Sénégal), avant d’intégrer l’université Columbia (États-Unis d’Amérique).
Il est auteur de nombreux livres, dont un essai consacré à la traduction, ‘’De langue à langue : l’hospitalité de la traduction’’ (2022), publié chez Albin Michel.
Le poète François Cassingena-Trévedy, le scénariste et réalisateur Thierry Thomas, et l’écrivain Ruben Barrouk, tous de nationalité française, sont les autres auteurs publiés par Albin Michel et nommés aux prix de l’Académie française 2025.
M. Cassingena-Trévedy est lauréat du Grand Prix Moron. Il a été récompensé pour ‘’Paysan de Dieu’’ (2024).
Thierry Thomas est lauréat du prix Roland-de-Jouvenel, qui lui a été décerné pour le roman ‘’Feydeau s’en va’’ (2024).
Ruben Barrouk, qui est d’origine marocaine, est lauréat du prix Mottant. Il a été récompensé pour le roman ‘’Tout le bruit du Guéliz’’ (2024).
FKS/ESF "
https://aps.sn/lacademie-francaise-decerne-le-grand-prix-herve-deluen-a-souleymane-bachir-diagne/
#metaglossia_mundus
"Internet haut débit : Starlink lance ses services au Tchad avec une offre illimitée à 32 000 FCFA/mois
Le Tchad devient le 24ᵉ pays africain à accueillir Starlink, avec des forfaits inédits et compétitifs pour combler le déficit de connectivité, notamment en zone rurale.
Un kit starlink au Tchad
Le fournisseur d'accès à internet par satellite Starlink, filiale de SpaceX d'Elon Musk, a annoncé ce jeudi 3 juillet le lancement officiel de ses services au Tchad. « L'Internet haut débit de Starlink est désormais disponible au Tchad, marquant le 24 e pays, territoire ou marché en Afrique où Starlink est disponible ! », a précisé un communiqué de l’entreprise.
D’après les informations sur le site de Starlink, les utilisateurs tchadiens pourront bénéficier d'un internet haut débit avec deux offres tarifaires compétitives : un forfait de 18 000 Fcfa pour 250 Go et une offre illimitée à 32 000 Fcfa par mois.
Une stratégie de couverture et des partenariats locaux
Le déploiement de Starlink au Tchad s'inscrit dans une stratégie visant à combler le déficit de connectivité internet, particulièrement dans les zones reculées du pays. Le 13 mars 2025, le Tchad avait signé une convention de partenariat avec Starlink pour bénéficier de cette connexion à haut débit, avec l'objectif d'améliorer l'accès des citoyens à l'information publique et aux services administratifs en ligne. Ce lancement est également le fruit d'un accord stratégique signé le 5 mai 2025 entre Airtel Africa et SpaceX pour commercialiser les services Starlink sur le continent. De son côté, Moov Africa (Maroc Telecom), déjà présent via sa filiale tchadienne, l’un des leadeurs du secteur, devrait être le principal concurrent de Starlink sur ce marché.
L'arrivée officielle de Starlink promet de transformer l'accès à internet au Tchad, où la connectivité était jusqu'ici limitée dans de nombreuses zones. Le ministre tchadien des Télécommunications, Michel Boukar, avait déjà annoncé en mars dernier l'autorisation de Starlink, insistant sur l'objectif d'une meilleure couverture du territoire. Cette initiative place le Tchad comme le premier pays de la CEMAC à bénéficier officiellement des services Starlink, alors que des négociations sont toujours en cours au Cameroun, première économie de la zone. Les offres tarifaires tchadiennes sont par ailleurs plus abordables que celles pratiquées en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), où un forfait résidentiel illimité ou de 50 Go coûte environ 144 000 FC (environ 51,4 USD)"
Internet haut débit : Starlink lance ses services au Tchad avec une offre illimitée à 32 000 FCFA/mois"
Publiée jeudi 3 juillet 2025 à 17:50:26
Modifiée jeudi 3 juillet 2025 à 17:50:41
Par
Albert AMOUGOU https://share.google/RdaXUtWl5im4tXwXQ
#metaglossia_mundus
"Local languages are becoming an important tool of identity and cultural assertion due to their superior literary expressions.
As India takes confident strides, it is shedding the mantle of English language supremacy. Indian writers want the world to engage in conversations with them - in their native languages. Local languages are becoming an important tool of identity and cultural assertion due to their superior literary expressions. This shift in perspective has not come under a government scheme. Publishing industry is witnessing a churning.Indian spices
Though, Indian bibliophiles have enjoyed a globalised world view. Russian, French, German, Latin American or Japanese - the best literature of these languages has been made available in English and Hindi translations for decades.
But this has been a one-way traffic. While Indians were reading world literature; the language-literature of India was not made available to the global audience. Thereby limiting the reach of writers writing in 24 Indian languages.
While Indian writers, writing in English — Vikram Seth, Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie et. al. became global celebrities; this was not so for other Indian languages. Few writers in Malayalam, Tamil, Marathi, Assamese etc. produced world-class literature yet their reach remained limited to the region.
Indian spices
Not only great works of literature written in regional languages of India were not getting translated into foreign languages; almost no translation activity was taking place among the 24 literary languages recognised by Sahitya Akademi of India. This made the writers feel isolated. Even when they did get translated, the translations remained obscure, locked in some government library. Readers could not access them.
Changing the script
This scenario is changing. When Penguin India, the largest English publishing house in India, publishes an English international award-winning book; it simultaneously gets it published in Hindi translation. Almost all popular authors of English want their books to be available in Hindi. Hindi readership is, by some rough estimates, five to ten times greater than English.
"Japanese yakuza novel wins UK award for crime fiction in translation
A novel depicting yakuza gangster life by a Japanese author has won a prestigious British award for crime fiction.
The Crime Writers' Association awarded its 2025 Dagger prize for crime fiction in translation to Otani Akira's "The Night of Baba Yaga" in London on Thursday. The novel was translated by Sam Bett.
Created in 1955, the Daggers are considered one of the world's most prestigious awards for crime and thriller writing along with the Edgar Awards of the United States.
The story is about the bond between a woman known for her fighting prowess and the only daughter of the head of a Japanese yakuza group. The woman is forced to become the daughter's bodyguard.
It depicts how the two women come to trust each other against the backdrop of the criminal underworld.
The fast-paced novel makes use of graphically violent scenes and language to depict the two women in pursuit of their hopes for their lives.
The book was first published in Japan in 2020. Translated versions later hit the British, US, and South Korean markets. Some reviews described the novel as one that empowers women in a sophisticated way.
Otani, 44, is from Tokyo and was originally a scenario writer for video games. She has written novels and essays on a variety of themes, including love and families.
The Daggers' translated novel category was created in 2006. Japanese author Yuzuki Asako's Butter was also shortlisted for this year's prize.
Otani is the first Japanese Dagger winner and the second Asian, following South Korean writer Yun Ko-eun who won in 2021."
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250704_05/
#metaglossia_mundus "Japanese yakuza novel wins UK award for crime fiction in translation
A novel depicting yakuza gangster life by a Japanese author has won a prestigious British award for crime fiction.
The Crime Writers' Association awarded its 2025 Dagger prize for crime fiction in translation to Otani Akira's "The Night of Baba Yaga" in London on Thursday. The novel was translated by Sam Bett.
Created in 1955, the Daggers are considered one of the world's most prestigious awards for crime and thriller writing along with the Edgar Awards of the United States.
The story is about the bond between a woman known for her fighting prowess and the only daughter of the head of a Japanese yakuza group. The woman is forced to become the daughter's bodyguard.
It depicts how the two women come to trust each other against the backdrop of the criminal underworld.
The fast-paced novel makes use of graphically violent scenes and language to depict the two women in pursuit of their hopes for their lives.
The book was first published in Japan in 2020. Translated versions later hit the British, US, and South Korean markets. Some reviews described the novel as one that empowers women in a sophisticated way.
Otani, 44, is from Tokyo and was originally a scenario writer for video games. She has written novels and essays on a variety of themes, including love and families.
The Daggers' translated novel category was created in 2006. Japanese author Yuzuki Asako's Butter was also shortlisted for this year's prize.
Otani is the first Japanese Dagger winner and the second Asian, following South Korean writer Yun Ko-eun who won in 2021."
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250704_05/
#metaglossia_mundus
Incomes and literacy rates are growing nationwide; contributing to publishing in local languages with a rigour not known before. An estimate puts roughly 19,000 active publishers in India, mostly in Hindi and other regional languages like, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, which have had a long tradition of libraries and reading clubs. The corporate publishing houses are tapping these small publishers to capitalise on their writing traditions.
International Booker and translation
Recognition to the quotidian; the voices emanating from narrow, smaller spaces has come, by the fillip given to translation as a literary activity. The Booker International Prize 2022, received by Hindi novelist Geetanjali Shree for Ret Samadhi, translated by Daisy Rockwell and for 2024 by Banu Mushtaq’s, Heart Lamp translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi, has put the status of translator at par with the author. The Booker Prize money of 50,000 pounds is divided equally between the author and the translator to acknowledge the significant contribution of translators in bringing literary works to a wider audience.
“The coming decade of world literature belongs to translators. They are getting money and recognition at par with the authors. Most literary awards are going to be based on translations which used to be a missionary work; in India translators’ names did not appear on the cover page. This is changing—the translator shares the same space as the author. The world is going to be unified by translators; they have more power now,” comments Madhav Kaushik, President, Sahitya Kala Akademi.
Indian spices
Almost all major universities are teaching comparative literature and translation, which is no more limited to the linguistics department; where the linguists debated over the nomenclature—to call it trans-literation or trans- creation. Foreign embassies are engaging translators to introduce their literature to India and vice versa.
Translation has arrived as a well-paid, well-recognised creative art.
Self- translation
While the name and money of the Booker Prize is shared with the translator, India’s only Nobel Laureate in Literature, Rabindranath Tagore, preferred to translate his own poems from original Bengali into English. His collection of poetry Geetanjali, for which he was granted the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1913, Tagore did not want to rely on others’ interpretations of his poems. He was not always satisfied with the translations done by others —as he wanted to ensure his voice and finer nuances were preserved in the English version. Though, several English writers pointed at the flaws in his translations for their Indianness—Tagore stuck to his conviction—to his uniqueness. Indian spices
Tagore was not alone. Many great authors and poets translated their own works. Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov, known for his complex and intricate characters, translated his own works from Russian into English. So did Samuel Beckett, a French Nobel Laureate, Ngugi wa Thiong'o and others. Despite the best efforts of the translator, at times the author feels, no one else can get the soul of his/her writing. Especially in the case of poetry.
In the market-driven economy of demand and supply, nuances are replaced by speed. Now, readers demand instant translations of popular books.
From creativity to AI
Several established authors are engaging in translation to enhance their understanding of creative processes of writing — of translating thoughts and emotions into a language. Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer award-winning author says, translation has transformed the way she writes; in her book Translating Myself and Others. Deepa Bhasthi, translator of Banu Mushtaq’s Kannada short story collection Heart Lamp, says, “I was very deliberate in my choice to not use italics for the Kannada, Urdu or Arabic words that remain untranslated in English.” This is reflective of a new kind of confidence in the local culture and its expressions, while engaging with a global audience.
Writers no longer want to wait for the long process of translation that takes years and, at times, decades to see the light of other languages. Vikram Sampath, a well-known published author of several research-based books in English, says he had to wait for his books to be translated into Kannada, his mother tongue, for almost 15 years. His well-researched book; Splendours of Royal Mysore, meant for Kannada readers; his two-volume authentic biography of Veer Savarkar; Tipu Sultan; The Saga of Mysore’s Interregnum etc. are still not available in Kannada or Marathi languages.
Not giving up, he has started a start-up NAAV AI, that aims to get writings translated into Indian languages “to infuse frenetic speed, functionality and efficiency into the publishing industry through AI-generated translations.”
The future of the publishing world belongs to good translators — with or without AI.
By Vandana Shukla
July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM -
https://newsarenaindia.com/undefined/translation-gateway-to-global-cultural-understanding/49198
#metaglossia_mundus
"Opera browser update adds built-in translation, custom cursors, and multitasking tools
By Wayne Williams
Norwegian browser company Opera has launched a major update for its desktop browsers Opera One and Opera GX, adding a privacy-focused translation feature, improved multitasking tools, and a new level of personalization for GX users.
The update rolls out as Opera continues to try to compete with bigger players like Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox by leaning into user-driven customization and features.
SEE ALSO: How safe are your browser extensions? New free database helps you find out
Opera Translate is the highlight of the new release. Built directly into Opera One and Opera GX, the tool detects when a webpage is in a different language and instantly offers to translate it, with options for one-time or always-on translation for specific languages.
Unlike most browser translation tools, Opera Translate keeps all translation processing in-house, running through servers based in Europe and avoiding third-party data sharing. This privacy angle is a central part of Opera’s pitch, especially at a time when data handling practices are increasingly under public scrutiny.
The translation feature uses AI-enhanced technology from Lingvanex and supports over 40 languages. According to Opera, this was one of the most requested additions by its global user base. For users browsing news sites in foreign languages, shopping internationally, or researching across different regions, the feature removes a recurring problem while maintaining control over personal data.
In Opera One, the update enhances Split Screen functionality. Now integrated with Tab Islands, the browser allows users to open side-by-side views within grouped tabs, giving them more flexibility when comparing content or managing multitasking workflows. Opera also enabled toolbar access within each tab in Split Screen mode. That means tools like Bookmarks, Downloads, and the Snapshot tool remain accessible without exiting the current view. The Music Player, often used by Opera One’s productivity-focused users, also stays visible throughout Split Screen browsing.
Talking about the new feature, Tomasz Stawarz, Director of Product at Opera, said:
"The internet connects the world, but language can still be a barrier to exploring its full potential. With the introduction of Opera Translate, we're giving our users access to content and ideas from across the globe without compromising their privacy."
Opera GX Browser
Opera GX, the gaming-focused variant of the browser, is pushing even further into personalization with a new feature that lets users fully customize their mouse cursor across the browser interface.
Opera says it is the first browser to offer this level of cursor control, thanks to a collaboration with Sweezy Cursors. More than 30 cursor packs, including animated and static versions, are now available directly through the GX Store. Users don’t need to modify system settings or install extensions to apply these custom designs.
Opera says security was a key concern with this feature as many cursor customization tools from third-party extensions can introduce risks by accessing page content.
Opera GX avoids this by executing all cursor rendering locally within the browser engine, ensuring privacy and performance. The cursor customizations also extend across the entire interface, offering a consistent and immersive browsing experience. Opera says it plans to roll out branded cursor packs based on popular game IPs in the future.
The update also brings Opera GX's Tab Islands feature out of early access and into the stable release. Tab Islands are designed to make managing browser tabs easier by letting users group tabs by purpose and assign colors and names to those groups. This is especially useful for gamers who might want to separate game guides from Discord or YouTube. Whole Tab Islands can now be saved as single Speed Dials on the browser’s homepage, letting users relaunch entire research or gaming setups instantly.
Opera’s focus on built-in tools and user customization is a deliberate strategy to differentiate itself from its larger rivals. While Chrome and Edge dominate market share, Opera has found a niche with users who want a browser that feels personal and doesn’t rely heavily on third-party add-ons. It’s also targeting users who value European data privacy standards, something that becomes a clearer competitive angle with features like in-house translation.
Compared to Firefox, which is also user-focused but more barebones out of the box, Opera continues to add quality-of-life updates with a tighter integration between features. And while Chrome remains the go-to browser for the vast majority of web users, it typically lags in native customization without the use of extensions.
Users can get all of these new features by updating to the latest version of Opera One or Opera GX manually or waiting for the automatic update to arrive. Opera GX is available on both Windows and macOS, and all features, including the animated cursors and Tab Island upgrades, are live now."
https://betanews.com/2025/07/03/opera-browser-built-in-translation/
#metaglossia_mundus
"Japanese yakuza novel wins UK award for crime fiction in translation
A novel depicting yakuza gangster life by a Japanese author has won a prestigious British award for crime fiction.
The Crime Writers' Association awarded its 2025 Dagger prize for crime fiction in translation to Otani Akira's "The Night of Baba Yaga" in London on Thursday. The novel was translated by Sam Bett.
Created in 1955, the Daggers are considered one of the world's most prestigious awards for crime and thriller writing along with the Edgar Awards of the United States.
The story is about the bond between a woman known for her fighting prowess and the only daughter of the head of a Japanese yakuza group. The woman is forced to become the daughter's bodyguard.
It depicts how the two women come to trust each other against the backdrop of the criminal underworld.
The fast-paced novel makes use of graphically violent scenes and language to depict the two women in pursuit of their hopes for their lives.
The book was first published in Japan in 2020. Translated versions later hit the British, US, and South Korean markets. Some reviews described the novel as one that empowers women in a sophisticated way.
Otani, 44, is from Tokyo and was originally a scenario writer for video games. She has written novels and essays on a variety of themes, including love and families.
The Daggers' translated novel category was created in 2006. Japanese author Yuzuki Asako's Butter was also shortlisted for this year's prize.
Otani is the first Japanese Dagger winner and the second Asian, following South Korean writer Yun Ko-eun who won in 2021."
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250704_05/
#metaglossia_mundus
"...Award-winning poet discusses 'What Is Korean Literature to the International Reader?' at the 2025 LTI Korea Global Literature Forum
Poet Kim Hye-soon speaks during the 2025 LTI Korea Global Literature Forum held at Yonsei University in Seoul on Friday. (LTI Korea)
Translated literature is a gift to the language it arrives in, acclaimed poet Kim Hye-soon said, describing it as the Korean language offering a present — “like tossing a new pebble into the well of another language.”
“I think translating Korean literature isn’t about elevating Korea’s literary status. Rather, it’s about expanding the boundaries of the target language. Translation is a reciprocal relationship, not a one-way transaction,” Kim said.
“We already know how much the boundaries of Korean have broadened through translations of foreign works — how our ways of thinking have deepened and diversified. I believe the same holds true in reverse.”
Kim spoke at the 2025 LTI Korea Global Literature Forum during a wide-ranging onstage conversation with Jeffrey Yang, editor-at-large at New Directions, on the topic “What Is Korean Literature to the International Reader?” New Directions has published two of Kim’s recent English collections: “Autobiography of Death” and “Phantom Pain Wings,” both translated by Choi Don Mee.
Poet Kim Hye-soon (left) and Jeffrey Yang, editor-at-large at New Directions Publishing, attend the 2025 LTI Korea Global Literature Forum held at Yonsei University in Seoul on Friday. (LTI Korea)
Fresh from a monthlong European book tour through Germany, Austria and the UK, Kim said conversations with international audiences had energized her in unexpected ways.
“Through these exchanges, I feel as though we’re expanding the ‘territory of poetry.' Maybe that’s why we call out to poets from afar,” she said.
Kim also reflected on the contrast between how literature is discussed at home and abroad.
“In Korea, I’m often asked about ‘Korean literature’ — where it should be heading, what its defining characteristics are — but honestly, I don’t even know where ‘my own literature’ is headed.”
“Outside the country, however, I’ve always had the impression that people focus more on individual works rather than national categories. I can’t recall being asked a question framed around nationality, and we don’t approach their writers that way either.”
While she’s happy to recommend Korean poets when asked abroad and welcomes growing international interest in Korean literature, Kim noted that she has never thought of herself as writing “Korean literature.”
“I’ve always just seen myself as doing ‘literature,’” she said, adding that she hopes policymakers will move beyond broad national labels and show greater respect for each writer’s individuality.
Poet Kim Hye-soon (center) and Jeffrey Yang (right), editor-at-large at New Directions Publishing, attend the 2025 LTI Korea Global Literature Forum held at Yonsei University in Seoul on Friday. (LTI Korea)
‘Translation is creative act’
Kim has been steadily gaining international recognition, winning numerous accolades worldwide. In 2019, she became the first Asian woman to win Canada’s prestigious Griffin Poetry Prize.
More recently, she was named an International Writer by the Royal Society of Literature in England in 2022, elected an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in April, and shortlisted for Germany’s international prize for literature this year.
Despite these honors, Kim remains candid about her uncertainty over why her work resonates with readers abroad.
“That’s the part I really don’t understand. Whether in Korea or elsewhere, I don’t know exactly why I have readers. Some may be drawn to the way the translation offers a familiar way of speaking, while others might be intrigued by its unfamiliarity. I think I fall into the latter group.”
What has moved her most, however, is not the prizes but what happens to her translators.
“The most striking moments for me are when those who translated my poems later debuted as poets themselves. Some began writing poems while translating my work, opened up their own poetic worlds, published collections and went on to win major awards. That has been the most memorable part.”
She cited Choi, her longtime English translator, who often says that translating Kim’s poems sparked her own writing practice.
“Just as I discover my poems in the sound drifting through this world, I think there’s a similar kind of discovery at work in poetry translation. Translation is not just word-by-word interpretation; it is a creative act.”
Kim shared her views on the art of poetry translation itself.
“I believe that translating poetry begins with translating its form and rhythm,” she said. “When translators ask me what I want most from them, I always tell them: ‘Translate the rhythm.’”
She also acknowledged the inevitable challenges and occasional mistranslations in the process.
“Sometimes a homonym might be misunderstood, for example, the word for ‘tribe’ was translated as ‘lack,’ or ‘starting a pilgrimage’ was rendered as ‘ending a pilgrimage,’” she said.
But she emphasized that translation is not about nitpicking such errors.
“I think of translation as translating the house the poet built,” she said. “The mistakes I mention are more like a cup placed slightly askew on a shelf in that house, a small detail, but the house itself remains intact.”
Updated : July 4, 2025 - 18:36:10
July 4, 2025 - 15:12:49
By Hwang Dong-hee
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
https://m.koreaherald.com/article/10524686
#metaglossia_mundus
"L’éditeur bordelais Monsieur Toussaint Louverture annonce une nouvelle traduction de «Frankenstein»
«Frankenstein» ouvre la nouvelle collection de classiques de l’éditeur Monsieur Toussaint Louverture
Après avoir rencontré un succès fulgurant avec la saga Blackwater, les éditions Monsieur Toussaint Louverture annoncent leur entrée dans la réédition de grands classiques de la littérature. Premier titre au programme: Frankenstein de Mary Shelley, dans sa version de 1831, avec une traduction inédite signée Marie Darrieussecq, à paraître le 12 septembre.
L'éditeur de l'un des succès les plus inattendus de ces dernières années avec la saga Blackwater de Michael McDowell, Monsieur Toussaint Louverture, a annoncé vendredi se lancer dans la réédition de classiques de la littérature.
Le premier titre dans cette veine sera Frankenstein de Mary Shelley (dans son édition révisée de 1831), avec une traduction inédite de Marie Darieussecq, à paraître le 12 septembre.
«C'est décidé: nous avions envie de revisiter ces grands textes de la littérature mondiale, pour leur donner tout ce que nous avons à donner», a écrit la maison d'édition sur ses réseaux sociaux, avec une photo de la couverture de ce Frankenstein.
«Le hasard nous a fait croiser le chemin de Marie Darrieussecq et sa ferveur pour Mary Shelley et ses créations. Un court texte lu dans la presse nous a tout de suite donné envie de lui écrire pour la convaincre de se lancer. Et elle a accepté», a-t-elle ajouté.
Monsieur Toussaint Louverture édite essentiellement de la littérature étrangère et a connu de belles réussites dans la découverte ou la redécouverte d'auteurs non traduits en France.
C'est le cas de Blackwater de l'Américain Michael McDowell, une saga fantastique et familiale initialement publiée en 1983 et traduite pour la première fois en français en 2022. Les six tomes ont atteint un total d'un million d'exemplaires en un an et demi et continuent à bien se vendre.
Cette maison d'édition est implantée dans un bourg de la région de Bordeaux, Sadirac.
La Britannique Mary Shelley avait achevé à l'âge de 20 ans Frankenstein ou le Prométhée moderne, publié pour la première fois en 1818 et devenu ensuite l'une des fictions les plus lues et adaptées au monde.
Avec AFP"
https://icibeyrouth.com/articles/1319916/lediteur-bordelais-monsieur-toussaint-louverture-annonce-une-nouvelle-traduction-de-frankenstein
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Valoriser la créativité des traducteurs, c’est privilégier la diversité culturelle et la beauté des langues contre l’uniformisation numérique des textes, fait valoir Philippe Robinet, le directeur-général des éditions Calmann-Lévy.
"La traduction littéraire fait appel à la sensibilité humaine : défendons-la face à l’IA !
Valoriser la créativité des traducteurs, c’est privilégier la diversité culturelle et la beauté des langues contre l’uniformisation numérique des textes, fait valoir Philippe Robinet, le président–directeur des éditions Calmann-Lévy.
La traduction littéraire ne peut être réduite à un simple transfert de mots d’une langue à une autre. Ici, dans une librairie de Lyon, le 26 janvier 2023. (Antoine Boureau/Hans Lucas)
par Philippe Robinet, président-directeur général des éditions Calmann-Lévy
publié aujourd'hui à 15h50
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Pour chaque livre traduit, il y a un travail d’une complexité et d’une richesse importantes. Le traducteur n’est pas un simple passeur de mots, il est un créateur à part entière, un artisan du langage qui façonne la réception d’une œuvre, lui donne une nouvelle voix et une nouvelle vie. Sa voix dans une nouvelle langue. Or, à l’heure où l’intelligence artificielle s’impose dans de nombreux secteurs, la reconnaissance du rôle des traducteurs dans le monde de l’édition devient un enjeu fondamental.
Les étudiants en traduction, premières victimes de l’ère ChatGPT
La traduction littéraire est une activité profondément humaine, où la sensibilité, l’intuition, la culture, et la connaissance intime des langues et des contextes jouent un rôle essentiel. Chaque choix du traducteur − un mot, une tournure, un rythme − peut transformer le texte d’origine et influer sur la manière dont le lecteur percevra l’œuvre. C’est un acte de création qui mêle fidélité au texte source et adaptation à la langue cible, dans le but de préserver autant que possible l’esprit, le ton et la puissance évocatrice de l’original.
Cependant, cette fonction est encore trop sous-estimée et le traducteur reste parfois un «invisible» de l’édition. Cette invisibilité est paradoxale, d’autant que le traducteur est indispensable à la circulation des idées et des cultures dans un monde globalisé. C’est pourquoi il est urgent de valoriser ces voix qui, dans l’ombre, donnent vie aux œuvres étrangères."
https://www.liberation.fr/idees-et-debats/tribunes/la-traduction-litteraire-fait-appel-a-la-sensibilite-humaine-defendons-la-face-a-lia-20250704_L22BSI27FFD4PKSIK3CHEXEHOY/
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Le PDG de la Commission de la littérature, de l’édition et de la traduction rencontre l’ambassadrice du Royaume de Norvège en Arabie saoudite
Riyad, 04 juillet 2025, SPA -- Le PDG de la Commission de la littérature, de l’édition et de la traduction, Dr Abdullatif Alwasel, a rencontré aujourd’hui l’ambassadrice du Royaume de Norvège en Arabie saoudite, Mme Kjersti Tromsdal.
Au cours de cette rencontre, les deux parties ont discuté des moyens de renforcer les relations culturelles entre les deux pays, et ont passé en revue plusieurs programmes et initiatives mis en œuvre par la Commission pour encourager les échanges culturels et soutenir les écrivains, les traducteurs et les intellectuels.
Ils ont également exploré les possibilités de coopération dans les domaines de la littérature, de l’édition et de la traduction, ainsi que la participation conjointe à des salons culturels afin de renforcer les liens littéraires entre l’Arabie saoudite et la Norvège.
À cette occasion, Dr Alwasel a présenté plusieurs initiatives destinées à promouvoir les échanges de savoirs, notamment la traduction d’ouvrages norvégiens en arabe et de publications saoudiennes en norvégien, dans le but de diffuser la culture saoudienne à l’international et de favoriser le dialogue interculturel. Par ailleurs, il a invité l’ambassadrice à assister aux prochaines manifestations organisées par la Commission, telles que la Foire internationale du livre de Riyad, le Forum de la traduction et la Conférence internationale de philosophie de Riyad.
-- SPA
02:15 Heure locale 23:15 GMT
0007
https://www.spa.gov.sa/fr/N2351832
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"Une extension Chrome et Firefox désactive le doublage par IA de YouTube
Article de Pierre Dandumont
Depuis quelques mois, YouTube tend à traduire automatiquement les titres des vidéos dans la langue de l'utilisateur, mais aussi de traduire automatiquement le contenu des vidéos, avec dans de nombreux cas de l'audio généré par une intelligence artificielle1. Si ce comportement vous énerve et que vous utilisez Firefox ou Chrome, il existe une extension : YouTube No Translation.
Un exemple de titres de vidéos traduits automatiquement. Image iGeneration.
Elle effectue quatre opérations sur les vidéos. La première est de garder le titre original, sans afficher la traduction automatique. La seconde est d'empêcher la traduction de la description. La troisième va forcer la piste audio originale dans tous les cas, pour éviter que YouTube impose une version doublée ou générée par IA. Enfin, elle désactive les sous-titres générés automatiquement et force le cas échéant les sous-titres dans la langue originale de la vidéo, s'ils existent2.
MrBeast est mis en avant sur le site de l'extension, mais ses vidéos ne sont pas traduites par IA.
L'extension est gratuite mais l'auteur propose aux personnes qui apprécient son travail de l'aider... peut-être pour lui demander de développer une version pour Safari..."
https://www.msn.com/fr-fr/actualite/technologie-et-sciences/une-extension-chrome-et-firefox-d%C3%A9sactive-le-doublage-par-ia-de-youtube/ar-AA1HVfXB
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The most successful digital transformations I have seen were not about flashy tech or big budgets. They were about people who could translate across the many gaps between business, technology, and culture. As Southeast Asia races toward its AI-driven future, we cannot ignore the human infrastructure needed to make it real. Without translators, even the best AI ideas risk staying locked on whiteboards or trapped forever in a Mural board.
"WHY SOUTHEAST ASIA'S AI REVOLUTION NEEDS MORE TRANSLATORS, NOT JUST TECHNOLOGISTS
Over the past 15 years, I have been involved in driving digital transformation across Southeast Asia from e-commerce platforms to consumer health initiatives and precision instruments. I have sat in big conference rooms with global executives and key opinion leaders debating strategy, and I have also been on the ground with local teams trying to get systems working amid real-world challenges.
One thing is clear: Southeast Asia does not just need more engineers or shiny technology to make its AI revolution happen. What it really needs are more translators.
Not language translators (though language does matter in this diverse region), but people who can bridge the often wide gap between AI’s technical promise and the messy realities of local businesses. People who translate ideas into action, global tech into local impact, and strategy into execution. This “translation layer” is invisible until you realize how much gets lost without it.
AI adoption: Just another chapter in a familiar story
Many companies here are still getting their feet wet with AI. It’s exciting, but it’s also very much an experiment-and-learn process. Just like when companies first adopted ERP systems, CRM tools, or eCommerce platforms years ago, AI rollout comes with trial, error, and adaptation.
I once worked with a regional team rolling out an eCommerce platform across five APAC countries. The tech was solid, the budget was good, but adoption varied wildly. In some countries, users embraced the platform. In others, it barely made a dent.
The difference was not the technology. It was whether local digital champions existed to translate business needs into tech realities and back again. In successful markets, those “bridge builders” made the strategy real. In others, it stayed trapped in PowerPoint decks.
Similarly, AI is no silver bullet. I recently experienced this first-hand with an AI chatbot project designed for after-sales support. The model was trained on clean, Western HQ data. But in the field, customers used WhatsApp, switched between three languages in a single chat, and expected empathy rather than robotic efficiency. Without someone to bridge that cultural and operational gap, the bot simply did not work.
Why translators are essential in Southeast Asia
SEA’s diversity is both its biggest strength and challenge. What works in Singapore might not necessarily fly in Indonesia or Vietnam. Different languages, regulatory environments, infrastructure gaps, and cultural expectations mean one-size-fits-all AI won’t cut it.
Moreover, many companies here operate with legacy systems and business models built on relationships, not just processes. These ecosystems demand patient, thoughtful integration of AI guided by translators who understand local context deeply.
These translators are not a specific job title, they might be product owners, digital leads, operations managers, or even head of sales. But they share the ability to:
Understand business priorities and technical constraints;
Speak the languages of frontline teams and data scientists alike;
Recognize when global solutions need local adaptation;
Drive change through collaboration, not just mandates.
Growing translators: A new kind of talent
The good news? Translators can be nurtured, but not through traditional, siloed career paths. We need more hybrid talent people who can move fluidly between stakeholder conversations, user stories, and ROI discussions all in a day’s work...
Conclusion: Translators are the quiet heroes of AI success
The most successful digital transformations I have seen were not about flashy tech or big budgets. They were about people who could translate across the many gaps between business, technology, and culture.
As Southeast Asia races toward its AI-driven future, we cannot ignore the human infrastructure needed to make it real. Without translators, even the best AI ideas risk staying locked on whiteboards or trapped forever in a Mural board.
Next time, when you plan your AI strategy, consider this: it is not just about having the right technology, it is about having the right translators too.
BY SEBASTIAN TAI JIAN HAW
JUNE 9, 2025
https://technode.global/2025/06/09/why-southeast-asias-ai-revolution-needs-more-translators-not-just-technologists/
#metaglossia_mundus