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Charles Tiayon
July 9, 1:22 AM
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"Rwanda reaffirms commitment to promoting Kiswahili language
Source: XinhuaEditor: huaxia2025-07-08 20:13:16
KIGALI, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting Kiswahili language as part of the country's efforts to strengthen African solidarity and fraternity. "Rwanda recognizes the importance of Kiswahili in achieving inclusive and equitable education. Our government made a decision in 2017 to designate Kiswahili as one of the official languages of the country, alongside Kinyarwanda, English, and French," Minister of State for Education Claudette Irere told the closing the 4th World Kiswahili Language Day celebrations in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, on Monday. "This move was not just symbolic. It was a deliberate strategy to position Rwanda within the East African Community and the broader African linguistic landscape, while also strengthening African solidarity and fraternity," she said. Caroline Asiimwe, executive secretary of the East African Kiswahili Commission, said Kiswahili language is fundamental to building society, nations, and the EAC region. She emphasized the commission's commitment to youth empowerment and digital innovation, urging young people to take ownership of Kiswahili's digital future and use it as a tool for entrepreneurship and peace building. "Let us build AI tools, dictionaries, and platforms in Kiswahili not only to preserve the language but to empower the next generation of African innovators," Asiimwe said. Co-hosted by Rwanda and the East African Kiswahili Commission, the two-day celebrations were held under the theme of "Kiswahili, Inclusive Education and Sustainable Development" to examine relevant policies, best practices, and stakeholder engagement. The event drew more than 300 participants, including senior government officials, delegates from EAC partner states, academics, Kiswahili experts, and university students. The celebrations featured a regional symposium, youth engagement sessions, and an exhibition. Participants explored how Kiswahili, artificial intelligence, and inclusive education can advance a culture of peace and drive innovative initiatives"
https://english.news.cn/20250708/ceac3d1006f74b0a903d77769da5b682/c.html
#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
Earn a Master's in Translation & Interpreting from NYU. Full- or part-time study online. Comprehensive curriculum and world-class faculty. Apply today!
"The online Master's (MS) in Translation and Interpreting offered by the NYU SPS Center for Publishing, Writing, and Media prepares you for a range of fulfilling careers, whether you are interested in business translation, medical translation, legal translation, literary translation, transcreation, localization, or project management.
This comprehensive online program provides students with the best of both worlds—the convenience and flexibility of learning on your own terms and at your own pace, while benefiting from a rigorous curriculum, a variety of elective courses tailored to your interests, and the prestige of earning your master’s degree at NYU, one of the world's most respected universities.
Connect the World through Translation and Interpreting
Tuition*
$2,575 Per credit
$26,520 Per term (10-12 credits)
# of Credits
36 credits
Study Options
Online
Fall | Spring
Full-time | Part-time
Minimum Duration
15 months
*See NYU Bursar site for more info.
9% job growth in this degree area
$76,200
median national salary for this degree
95%
of our grads working, in school, or both
1,294
Global Center for Publishing, Writing and Media alumni
[1] Lightcast 2025
[2] Lightcast 2025
[3] NYU Life Beyond the Square: SPS Undergraduate Class of 2024
[4] as of 1/2024
Why This Degree?
Fully Online
This flexible, asynchronous format allows opportunities to engage with faculty members and other students at regular intervals.
A Strong Foundation
You can study translation from any language into English. Our curriculum covers both written translation and oral interpreting best practices. From here, you will have the opportunity to work in a wide range of disciplines including law, science, literary translation, social work, and more.
Tailored to Your Goals
Customize your learning experience with our elective courses and real-world translation projects.
Path Toward Credentialing
Prepare for the American Translators Association (ATA) Certification Exam, a language industry-recognized credential.
Expert Faculty
Learn translation and interpreting skills from and network with senior professionals in your field.
Designed for Your Schedule
Both full- and part-time study options are available
What You’ll Study
Core Curriculum
Core courses cover the major fields and foundations of the language professions, including translation theory and practice, editing and revision, translation technology, terminology management, and principles of interpreting.
Electives
Elective courses are designed to prepare students for multiple career paths, including legal and financial translation, literary translation, transcreation, website localization, machine translation, and project management.
Thesis Project / Capstone
In their final semester, students pursue a substantial translation or localization project, research paper, or a combination of the two."
More information 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-translation.html
#metaglossia_mundus
IA et langues locales : le Burkina Faso veut former sa population à une tech inclusive
"(Agence Ecofin) - Face aux défis que rencontre le Burkina Faso dans le développement de solutions d’intelligence artificielle adaptées à ses réalités, une approche innovante émerge pour démocratiser l’IA : intégrer les langues locales afin d’élargir l’accès aux technologies et dynamiser l’emploi des jeunes.
En partenariat avec le Programme des Nations unies pour le développement (PNUD), le ministère de la Transition numérique a organisé, le vendredi 4 juillet, une réunion de concertation sur la promotion de l’IA dans les langues locales du pays.
Cette démarche entend rendre l’IA accessible à une majorité de Burkinabè souvent exclus des progrès numériques à cause des barrières linguistiques. Parallèlement, elle soutient la formation de jeunes techniciens à un usage responsable et éthique de ces technologies, ce qui favorise l’inclusion numérique et la création d’emplois locaux...
Avec un peu plus de 16 millions d’habitants, soit 72,4 % de la population burkinabè vivant en milieu rural selon un rapport 2022 de l’Institut national de la statistique et de la démographie (INSD), la numérisation des langues locales devient un levier clé pour faciliter l’appropriation de l’IA. Cette stratégie ouvre des perspectives concrètes pour améliorer l’accès à l’éducation numérique et aux services publics digitaux.
En formant la jeunesse à ces innovations, le Burkina Faso prépare une main-d’œuvre qualifiée prête à répondre aux besoins du secteur technologique, contribuant ainsi à la croissance économique nationale.
Le succès de cette initiative repose sur la formation des formateurs, un cadre réglementaire solide et l’adhésion des acteurs locaux. D’autres pays africains, comme le Kenya et le Rwanda, ont lancé des projets similaires avec des résultats encourageants.
Au Kenya, Simba AI développe un chatbot multilingue qui traduit l’anglais en langues locales telles que le Kikuyu, le Meru et le Kalenjin. Cette innovation facilite l’accès à l’IA pour des populations souvent exclues, tout en valorisant les langues indigènes et en créant des opportunités pour les jeunes développeurs.
Au Rwanda, l’application Mbaza a joué un rôle clé durant la pandémie de Covid-19, diffusant des informations via un chatbot multilingue, notamment en Kinyarwanda. Ce projet collecte aussi des données linguistiques essentielles pour adapter l’IA au contexte local et aux besoins des populations.
Pour le Burkina Faso, la prochaine étape consistera à généraliser l’usage de ces outils dans les écoles et à renforcer les synergies entre les secteurs public et privé afin de stimuler l’innovation. Cette stratégie pourrait positionner le pays comme un leader régional de l’IA inclusive au service d’un développement équitable.
Félicien Houindo Lokossou (stagiaire)
Edité par Sèna D. B. de Sodji"
https://www.agenceecofin.com/actualites-services/0907-129906-ia-et-langues-locales-le-burkina-faso-veut-former-sa-population-a-une-tech-inclusive
#metaglossia_mundus
RDC : des écrivains plaident pour le renforcement du kiswahili dans l’enseignement pour avoir des répercussions sur la littérature congolaise
Le 7 juillet de chaque année, le monde célèbre la Journée mondiale de la langue kiswahili. C’est une langue d'une importance capitale en Afrique de l’Est et centrale, servant de langue officielle ou nationale dans plusieurs pays. Elle est omniprésente en Tanzanie et au Kenya, est devenue langue officielle en Ouganda, et constitue l’une des quatre langues nationales de la RDC, où elle est particulièrement parlée dans l’est du pays, avec 9,1 millions de locuteurs.
Par ailleurs, cette langue demeure encore peu présente, notamment dans le domaine de la littérature en RDC. Laëtitia Malira Tembeya, écrivaine et éditrice vivant à Goma, estime que cette langue est plus présente dans la musique que dans la littérature parce qu’elle est plus facilement consommée à travers le rythme et la mélodie. En revanche, dans le système éducatif, très peu de temps est accordé à l’enseignement du swahili dans les écoles, d’autant plus que la langue varie selon les régions.
« Il ne m’est encore jamais arrivé d’écrire en swahili, et je ne l’envisage même pas. La majorité de mes lecteurs étant francophones, ils ne s’intéressent pas aux livres en swahili. Pour toucher un public plus large, je préfère écrire dans une langue avec laquelle je suis plus à l’aise. De plus, la maison d’édition dans laquelle j’évolue ne dispose pas d’une communauté de lecteurs swahiliphones. D’ailleurs, la plupart des plateformes publient principalement des livres en français », a-t-elle confié.
La perception sociale du français comme langue de prestige incite certains éditeurs à privilégier son usage pour gagner en notoriété.
« Cette faute incombe à notre système éducatif. Moins on accorde d’importance à cette langues56, moins la population sera capable de lire un livre entier en swahili, car elle n’y a pas été exposée dès le bas âge », ajoute l’écrivaine.
De son côté, Edimo Moïse, animateur culturel et défenseur des langues congolaises, souligne que le kiswahili demeure peu promu en raison de préjugés l’associant à une tribu.
« L’absence de formalisation du swahili tel qu’il est parlé au Congo, qui est assez différent de celui des pays voisins ; l’absence de son enseignement à l’école ; ainsi que la propagation de la fausse idée selon laquelle un "peuple swahili" existerait au Congo — alors que chacun des peuples qui parle swahili en RDC a sa langue propre qu’il perpétue également », a-t-il expliqué, révélant que sur l’ensemble de ses publications, une seule est en swahili.
Il précise que, selon lui, pour mieux intégrer cette langue dans la littérature, il faudrait l’enseigner aux enfants à travers des méthodologies didactiques basées sur l’éveil de la curiosité, l’utilisation quotidienne des savoirs nouvellement acquis, ainsi que la pratique de la langue au sein de la famille.
Notons que le kiswahili est l'une des langues les plus utilisées de la famille bantoue et la plus parlée en Afrique subsaharienne. Il fait partie des dix langues les plus parlées au monde, avec plus de 200 millions de locuteurs. Cette langue est l’une des principales langues véhiculaires de nombreux pays d’L'Afrique to orientale, centrale et australe, ainsi que du Moyen-Orient. Elle est également enseignée dans les principales universités et écoles supérieures à travers le monde.
Consciente de sa portée mondiale croissante, l'Assemblée générale des Nations unies a adopté la résolution A/RES/78/312, qui affirme l'importance du kiswahili dans la promotion de la solidarité, de la paix et de l’unité panafricaine.
Au-delà des frontières de la RDC, des communautés swahiliphones existent au nord du Mozambique, aux Comores et dans certaines régions de la Somalie. Son rôle est multiple et vital : il facilite la communication interethnique, est crucial pour le commerce, agit comme un puissant vecteur de culture et d’identité est-africaine, et se distingue comme la seule langue africaine reconnue langue de travail par l’Union africaine, soulignant ainsi sa portée panafricaine."
Gloria Kisenda
9 juillet 2025 - 09:42
https://actualite.cd/2025/07/09/rdc-des-ecrivains-congolais-plaident-pour-lintegration-du-kiswahili-dans-lenseignement
#metaglossia_mundus
Master the art of interpreting in a special education setting with UGA’s online Professional Interpreter in Special Education certificate course.
"This certificate course is designed for language interpreters who participate in special education meetings in K-12 settings. In such meetings, the interpreter plays a key role for officials, teachers, and parents. The interpreter’s ability to convey information accurately and completely can influence a child’s placement, support, and eligibility for special education services.
The Professional Interpreter in Special Education certificate course prepares interpreters to navigate complex regulatory, ethical, and cultural issues involved in how school systems deliver special education services.
CREDITS
3.00
DURATION
30.00
hours
NEXT OFFERING
October 20, 2025
FORMAT i
Online
COST
$
849.00
Available offerings
Professional Interpreter in Special Education [Fall 2025]
DATES
10/20/2025
–12/8/2025
FORMAT i
Online
CODE
0614-016
COST
$849.00
About this course
What you’ll learn
You will learn the educational interpreter’s roles in discussions of psychological evaluations, eligibility, Individualized Education Plans, reevaluations, and post-high school transition plans.
Through interactive discussions, practice and vocabulary-building exercises, you will also learn:
Concepts, components, and terminology of special education
The importance of special education legislation
How to apply the Interpreter’s Standards of Practice to promote trust and communication among parents and schools
How to explain special education processes—such as eligibility, Parent Rights, and Individualized Education Plans—to parents
How to remain impartial and accurate when interpreting difficult concepts
Modes of interpretation in special education settings
How to deal with the stresses and emotions of being an interpreter
Learning objectives
Module 1: Introduction to Special Education Interpretation
Understand the special skills needed to effectively and accurately interpret for special education meetings
Describe legislation pertaining to special education
Recognize the roles of special education professionals and support personnel, including interpreters
Module 2: Standards of Practice in Special Education Interpretation
Demonstrate knowledge of the interpreter’s Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics as they apply to special education interpretation
Discuss and define the appropriate application of the Standards of Practice to case scenarios
Module 3: Overview of the Special Education Process
Define the identification, referral and eligibility processes involved in special education
Describe procedural safeguards offered through the special education parental rights
Enhance knowledge of special education terminology in the areas of special education identification, referral and eligibility
Module 4: The Individualized Education Plan
Identify the main sections of an Individualized Education Plan and the role of the interpreter in the process
Describe different types of IEPs and possible support services that a student can receive
Enhance knowledge of special education terminology in the area of Individualized Education Plans
Module 5: Common Disabilities and Chronic Conditions
Identify common disabilities and chronic conditions that the interpreter may encounter in the school system
Describe assistive technology and supportive services available to help students with disabilities and chronic conditions
Evaluate appropriate ways to handle interpreter stress and emotions when dealing with families and students with disabilities and chronic conditions
Enhance knowledge of special education terminology in relation to common disabilities and chronic conditions
Module 6: Additional Terms to Know
Describe additional terms used in the explanation of IEP services
Understand the purpose of transition plans and terminology related to them
Identify aids and related services that students may be eligible for in special education
Module 7: Discipline and the Special Education Student
Identify behavior intervention plan components and the role of the interpreter in behavior intervention meetings
Examine disciplinary consequences and accommodations provided to special education students involved in disciplinary incidents
Describe Manifestation Determination meetings and possible outcomes
Enhance knowledge of special education terminology in relation to disciplinary and behavior interventions
Module 8: Course Wrap-Up, Post-Test and Final Exam
Expand your resources and continue exploring ways to build your skills as a professional interpreter in special education
Create a professional development action plan
Review your knowledge of interpretation in special education and assess your learning throughout the course
Who should attend?
K-12 educational interpreters, bilingual school staff, and contract/independent interpreters who already have a strong foundation in the basics of interpretation and seek to master the art of interpreting in a special education setting.
Continuing Education Information
Successful graduates will earn a Digital Certificate of Program Completion and 3.0 CEUs from the University of Georgia.
Requirements & policies
Schedule
Live online classroom sessions with the instructor will be held from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. EST on the following Tuesdays:
October 21
November 4
November 18
December 2
The instructor will be available for office hours on October 28, November 11, and November 25.
Prerequisites
You must be fluent in both English and a second language to complete the certificate requirements. Since this is an advanced interpretation course, it is recommended that you take the Professional Interpreter in Education Certificate Program or that you have knowledge of the foundations of interpreting in a school setting.
This course requires the equivalent of Advanced Mid or higher on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Assessment (OPI). Please see the ACTFL website(Opens in a new window) for more information regarding proficiency guidelines. For prospective students who are unsure of their proficiency level, we highly recommend taking the Oral Proficiency Assessment (OPI) before registering for the course.
People
Instructor
Ana Soler, the course author and instructor, is the Chairperson of the National Association of Educational Translators and Interpreters of Spoken Languages (NAETISL) and Founder of SeSo, Inc., a source of qualified and trained interpreters and multicultural family engagement workshops. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Georgia State University, her master’s degree in Public Health at Emory University, and is a Ph.D. in Special Education student at the University of Georgia. For over a decade, Ana worked with the largest school district in Georgia as the Language Services and Parent Outreach Coordinator, developing, implementing, and evaluating professional development opportunities for multilingual personnel and supporting schools with interpreter/translator quality assurance.
While working as a Multicultural Program Coordinator for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Ana assisted with the creation of the hospital’s interpretation and translation department. She also coordinated interpreter training for bilingual staff, oversaw cultural competency training for physicians and staff, and provided medical translation quality assurance and guidelines. Ana has authored interpreter training curricula nationally, including the Intercultural Parent and Youth Leadership Program, the Interpretation Academy for Bilingual High School Students, the Arkansas Interpreter in Education Credential Training, a 40-hour course for medical interpreters, and other online courses for the University of Georgia, including the Professional Interpreter in Education Certificate course and the Professional Interpreter in Special Education Certificate course. She remains an active medical and educational interpreter and translator..."
https://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/professional-programs/professional-interpreter-in-special-education-certificate-program/
#metaglossia_mundus
" Kamanthi Wickramasinghe
The OED is a historical dictionary - its job isn’t only to define a word as we use it today, but to trace its full life story
OED has always relied on people to show how language lives in the world
Be it asweddumized fields or mallung in a rice and curry meal, kiribath for a special occasion, sizzling kottu, scrumptious watalappam or a happening baila song – each one of these examples provides a glimpse of Sri Lanka in a nutshell. The aforementioned words have been used in our vocabulary for decades, highlighting the unique cultural, social and culinary diversity of Sri Lanka. This is why these words and a few others made their mark in the Oxford English Dictionary’s (OED) latest update, in appreciation of the origins and evolution of Sri Lankan English. To find out more about how these words made their entry into a world-acclaimed dictionary, the Daily Mirror spoke to Rochana Jayasinghe, the consultant for Sri Lankan English for the OED’s World Englishes update.
A journey shaped by a fascination for language
Jayasinghe’s journey into language study had begun with a deep love of reading from a young age. “I was always fascinated by words—their histories, meanings, and the patterns that connected languages across cultures. As a child, I enjoyed learning new languages and instinctively noticed similarities among them, which I later came to understand as an early curiosity in etymology and historical linguistics,” she said.
Her academic path was shaped significantly during her time at the Department of English at the University of Peradeniya, “where conversations around language use, and in particular, World Englishes, were particularly vibrant and intellectually stimulating,” as described in her own words. Jayasinghe said that the Department has long been at the forefront of interrogating language, identity, and post-colonialist. “Their scholarship has contributed much to thinking critically about the politics of English, the localisation of the language, and its ideological implications,” she added.
Though her formal training is in literature with a Master’s in World Literatures in English - it was through literary study that her interest in language itself deepened. “During my Master’s at the University of Oxford, I researched Sri Lankan-origin words in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), published by Oxford University Press. My focus was on the correspondence between Robert Burchfield, then-editor of the OED, and Pearl Cooray, who was affiliated with the Dictionary Department of the University of Ceylon, later absorbed by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Their exchange, spanning from 1971 to 1981, offered a window into the collaborative history of lexicography between Sri Lanka and the OED. This research led to my selection - through a vetting process, lexicographical aptitude test, and working visit - as the consultant for Sri Lankan English for the OED’s World Englishes update,” she explained.
Understanding the context of a dictionary
Words such as asweddumize, which is to do with preparing the earth for harvesting, have made its entry into OED
kiribath and kottu (shown bottom left) were included in the Oxford English Dictionary because food is generally visible and a shared part of any culture
Apart from simplifying complex words for users, Jayasinghe opined that different dictionaries have different aims and philosophies. “So when we ask, ‘what is a dictionary, the answer depends on which one we’re talking about. I can only speak with confidence about the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), which is the one I’ve studied in depth and worked with,” she said in response to a query on what exactly is a dictionary.
“To begin with, it’s worth noting that Oxford University Press publishes two major dictionaries: the Oxford Dictionary of English, which is a current-use dictionary aimed at offering concise definitions for everyday reference; and the Oxford English Dictionary, or OED, which is quite different. The OED is a historical dictionary - its job isn’t only to define a word as we use it today, but to trace its full life story: where it came from, how its meaning has shifted over time, and how it’s been used in context, across literature, newspapers, legal documents, and more,” she explained.
“So, when people ask, ‘Why is a word in the OED’, it’s important to understand that the OED isn’t giving us permission to use these words—and never claimed to. That’s not its function. The OED’s role is to record how people are already using language, not to decide what is or isn’t “correct.” Sri Lankan English didn’t suddenly become “real” the moment it appeared in the dictionary. It’s been real for decades. We’ve spoken it, sung baila in it, written school essays in it, argued in it, and cracked jokes in it,” she added.
Latest additions to the OED include kiribath and mallung. According to Jayasinghe, these words don’t need any dictionary to validate them. “Everyday speakers of Sri Lankan English have stood by these words for generations, choosing not to translate them into “milk rice” or “sautéed greens,” but instead insisting on their continued use in English-language contexts—because those words carry more than just meaning; they carry an entire cultural world,” she opined.
Jayasinghe said that the OED has always relied on people to show how language lives in the world. “When James Murray became its first Chief Editor in 1879, he quickly realised that no one person—or even one team—could capture the entirety of the English language. So, he put out a public appeal: asking volunteers to send in examples of words they encountered in books, newspapers, speeches, or journals. These handwritten slips—often including the sentence, source, and date—poured in from around the world. Teachers, clergy, civil servants, and avid readers contributed,” she added.
“In many ways, the OED was one of the earliest examples of crowdsourced knowledge. It wasn’t simply created by scholars in Oxford, but by readers around the globe; people noticing how words were used and caring enough to document them,” she explained further.
“So, when words from Sri Lanka appear in the OED, it isn’t about the dictionary ‘granting’ recognition, but about acknowledging what speakers of Sri Lankan English have already long been doing - using these words as part of the language’s living, evolving story,” said Jayasinghe further underscorings the uniqueness of Sri Lankan English.
Process of adding words to OED
Responding to a query on the process of adding words to OED, Jayasinghe said that James Murray’s philosophy and practice still live on. “Anyone can suggest words. There is an entire process that involves carefully tracking how a word is used over time—across books, newspapers, academic texts, social media, and even spoken language—and assessing whether it is used widely and consistently enough in a way that fits the OED’s particular inclusion policy.
A dedicated team of editors, etymologists, and library researchers work together to trace the word’s history, examine spelling and pronunciation variations, and compile illustrative quotations that show how the word functions in real-world contexts,” she explained.
Speaking about her contribution to the groundwork, she said that as the consultant for Sri Lankan English she collected linguistic evidence, suggesting possible definitions, and providing sociolinguistic and cultural context for how certain Sri Lankan English words are used.
An ‘incredibly meaningful’ experience
“Incredibly meaningful,” is how she describes her overall experience as a consultant for Sri Lankan English for OED. “I have had the chance to engage with the work of Sri Lankans who have contributed to the Oxford English Dictionary over the years. In addition to Pearl Cooray whom I have mentioned, Richard Boyle, a former consultant himself, did much to raise awareness about Sri Lankan contributions to the OED, and his book Knox’s Words remains a landmark study of Sri Lankan-origin words in the OED. I also came across figures like Donald Ferguson, who wrote extensively on language in Sri Lanka, and even Dr. William Chester Minor—one of the OED’s most prolific early contributors—who, as it turns out, was born in Ceylon and lived here until his teenage years. These kinds of unexpected connections really brought home the long, complex relationship between Sri Lanka and the English language,” she further said.
For Jayasinghe, working in the OED archives has been the favorite part of this journey. “There was something quietly thrilling about holding handwritten slips, some over a hundred years old. The archivist, Beverley McCulloch, could even recognise particular people’s handwriting, just by sight; it was a level of familiarity I found so moving. It made me realise that dictionary-making was not just an intellectual process, but a profoundly intimate, human one,” she added.
She said that she has been lucky to have the support of such generous people. “Dr. Danica Salazar, Executive Editor for World Englishes, has been a kind, thoughtful, and encouraging guide throughout the process. And meeting Dr. Peter Gilliver, Associate Editor of the OED and one of its most experienced lexicographers, was a highlight. His research on the history and making of the OED had already helped me feel connected to the work I was doing, but speaking to him in person gave me a deeper sense of the continuity and dedication that underpin this massive project,” Jayasinghe said.
Sri Lankan English – a living, evolving variety
When asked about Sri Lankan English and its uniqueness, Jayasinghe began by stressing that she doesn’t consider herself capable of speaking for Sri Lankan English – nor can any one person do so. “There are many academics, writers, teachers, and everyday speakers who have shaped, studied, and reflected on Sri Lankan English for decades. My role was simply to support the OED’s broader mission of documenting language usage,” she said.
“What I can say as someone who studies language use is that Sri Lankan English is what happens when it grows roots in our soil. It is a living evolving variety that blends Sinhala, Tamil, Malay, English, and more – just like our cuisine, our music, and our everyday life. Its uniqueness lies in how it reflects Sri Lankan identities, humour, politics, and belonging. That said, it is unique in the same way all varieties of World Englishes are unique—each one grows out of its own specific context. The value of Sri Lankan English isn’t in how different it is from British or American English, but in how it may reflect our local realities while still participating in a global language,” Jayasinghe explained.
From Asweddumize to Papare
When asked how certain words such as asweddumize made its entry into OED, Jayasinghe said that interestingly, asweddumize was one of the words everyone thought was already in the dictionary. “It has certainly been part of OED discourse for nearly a century, but it missed inclusion at the time due to insufficient evidence. It resurfaced in 1971 with the intervention of Pearl Cooray, and again in the 1980s, but was set aside once more. Now, with broader access to historical and contemporary Sri Lankan sources, the editors were finally able to gather enough evidence - including a first recorded use from as early as 1857 - to support its inclusion,” she explained.
Jayasinghe further said that words like kottu roti, watalappam, mallung and kiribath were included because food is generally a visible and shared part of any culture, and that makes food-related terms especially likely to appear in English usage across communities. “These words frequently turn up in writing - menus, travel writing, cookbooks, media - and are often left untranslated because there aren’t equivalent “English” words that can be used. Other terms like baila and papare were added for similar reasons,” she added.
She further said that a ‘few words didn’t make the cut this time’, but that it doesn’t mean it won’t be added in future. “The OED is a living dictionary, so words are always being revisited as new material becomes available,” she explained further.
Bringing about social harmony through sociolinguistics
The new set of words added to the OED represent diverse cultures. Speaking about the role of sociolinguistics in bringing about social harmony Jayasinghe explained that sociolinguistics shows us how people relate to each other through language. “In a multi-ethnic, multi-diverse country like Sri Lanka, where identities, histories, and cultures intertwine, language is a living expression of who we are,” she added.
But she said that with regard to the new set of words, some media outlets and social media pages have run with the headline “Sinhala words added to the dictionary!”, which is both inaccurate and unhelpful. “Many of the words we’re talking about are nourished by a rich mix of Sinhala, Tamil, Malay, Portuguese, English, and other influences, showing us that language is not fixed or owned by any single group; it’s a living, breathing entity shaped by everyone who uses it. Recognising this alone, helps us move beyond simplistic labels and appreciate language as a shared resource that reflects the complexity of our society. When we embrace language as fluid and collective, it can become a powerful tool for connection, understanding, and social harmony in a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual country like Sri Lanka.
“Use language freely, but listen carefully”
When asked to give a message on the use of language, Jayasinghe said that for her, the key idea once again, is that language is both fluid and collective. “It shifts, blends, borrows, and adapts. In Sri Lanka, many of us may naturally move between Sinhala and Tamil, or Tamil and English - sometimes all three languages (and at times even more) - in our everyday lives. Often, it’s hard to pinpoint where one language ends and another begins. But that’s not a weakness—it’s a strength. It reflects how cultures live alongside each other, influence one another, and evolve together. And the more we accept that language doesn’t have to stay within rigid boundaries, the more space we create for creativity, mutual respect, and genuine understanding,” she added.
“One principle I’ve tried to hold on to is this, which is my message - use language freely, but listen carefully. Pay attention to how it shifts, how others use it, and what it carries for them. That kind of attentiveness opens the door to empathy. In a country as richly diverse as Sri Lanka, that’s one of the most powerful steps toward meaningful connection,” she underscored."
https://www.dailymirror.lk/news-features/How-Sri-Lankan-English-adapted-borrowed-and-blended-into-the-Oxford-English-Dictionary/131-314277
#metaglossia_mundus
Mistral's open-source speech model Voxtral can recognize multiple languages, understand spoken instructions and also offer enterprise security.
"Emilia David
@miyadavid
July 15, 2025 4:34 PM
Mistral released an open-sourced voice model today that could rival paid voice AI, such as those from ElevenLabs and Hume AI, which the company said bridges the gap between proprietary speech recognition models and the more open, yet error-prone versions.
Voxtral, which Mistral will release under an Apache 2.0 license, is available in a 24B parameter version and a 3B variant. The larger model is intended for applications at scale, while the smaller version would work for local and edge use cases.
“Voice was humanity’s first interface—long before writing or typing, it let us share ideas, coordinate work, and build relationships. As digital systems become more capable, voice is returning as our most natural form of human-computer interaction,” Mistral said in a blog post. “Yet today’s systems remain limited—unreliable, proprietary, and too brittle for real-world use. Closing this gap demands tools with exceptional transcription, deep understanding, multilingual fluency, and open, flexible deployment.”
Voxtral is available on Mistral’s API and a transcription-only endpoint on its website. The models are also accessible through Le Chat, Mistral’s chat platform.
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Mistral said that speech AI “meant choosing between two trade-offs,” pointing out that some open-source automated speech recognition models often had limited semantic understanding. Still, closed models with strong language understanding come at a high cost.
Bridging the gap
The company said Voxtral “offers state-of-the-art accuracy and native semantic understanding in the open, at less than half the price of comparable APIs.”
Voxtral, at a 32K token context, can listen to and transcribe up to 30 minutes of audio or 40 minutes of audio understanding. It offers summarization, meaning the model can answer questions based on the audio content and generate summaries without switching to a separate mode. Users can trigger functions and API calls based on spoken instructions.
The model is based on Mistral’s Mistral Small 3.1. It supports multiple languages and can automatically detect languages such as English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Hindi, German, Italian, and Dutch.
Mistral added enterprise features to Voxtral, including private deployment, so that organizations can integrate the model into their own ecosystems. These features also include domain-specific fine-tuning and advanced context and priority access to engineering resources for customers who need help integrating Voxtral into their workflows.
Performance
Speech recognition AI is now available on many platforms today. Users can speak to ChatGPT, and the platform will process spoken instructions similarly to written prompts. Fast food chains like White Castle have deployed SoundHound to their drive-thru services, and ElevenLabs has steadily been improving its multimodal platform. The open-source space also offers powerful options. Nari Labs, a startup, released the open-source speech model Dia in April. However, some of these services can be quite expensive.
Transcription services like Otter and Read.ai can now embed themselves into Zoom meetings, recording, summarizing and even alerting users to actionable items. Many online video meeting platforms offer not just transcription, but also speech AI and agentic AI, with Google Meetings providing the option to take notes for users using Gemini. As a regular user of voice transcription services, I can say firsthand that speech recognition AI is not perfect, but it is improving.
Mistral stated that Voxtral outperformed existing voice models, including OpenAI’s Whisper, Gemini 2.5 Flash and Scribe from ElevenLabs. Voxtral presented fewer word errors compared to Whisper, which is currently considered the best automatic speech recognition model available.
In terms of audio understanding, Voxtral Small is “competitive with GPT-4o-mini and Gemini 2.5 Flash across all tasks, achieving state-of-the-art performance in Speech Translation.”
Since announcing Voxtral, social media users said they have been waiting for an open-source speech model that can match the performance of Whisper.
Mistral said Voxtral will be available through its API at $0.001 per minute. "
https://venturebeat.com/ai/mistrals-voxtral-goes-beyond-transcription-with-summarization-speech-triggered-functions/
#metaglossia_mundus
"The Indian state where people are being beaten up for speaking the wrong language
New rules for schools have ignited street protests and unrest, exposing a nationwide conflict over language and regional identity. Shahana Yasmin reports
Tuesday 15 July 2025 08:29 EDT
Maharashtra, long regarded as one of India’s most cosmopolitan states, has found itself reliving an old tension: a renewed battle over language.
In the last few months, a state government order mandating Hindi as the third language in primary schools has sparked not just political protests but also public violence. A rickshaw driver was assaulted after refusing to speak in the state language Marathi, a shopkeeper was slapped by political activists for using Hindi, and a bank employee was threatened for defending his use of Hindi and English.
At the heart of the unrest lies a 16 April education department resolution making Hindi compulsory as the third language from classes I to V in schools giving instruction in English and Marathi languages.
While state officials framed the policy as a routine implementation of the federal government’s National Education Policy 2020, which encourages education in the regional language, Hindi, and English under the “three-language formula”, critics saw it as part of a broader push by prime minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to elevate Hindi at the expense of regional languages.
Although the federal push to promote Hindi beyond the “Hindi belt” has faced opposition in many states, the backlash has been especially charged in Maharashtra.
The western state was born out of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement of the 1950s, a mass mobilisation demanding a separate province for Marathi speakers with Mumbai as its capital. The agitation, marked by mass street protests, hunger strikes and violent police crackdowns, led to the deaths of over 100 demonstrators before Maharashtra was finally carved out of the bilingual Bombay State in 1960.
Not surprisingly then, the new policy has struck a discordant note in a state where linguistic identity has long been deeply embedded in the social fabric. Many people view the introduction of compulsory Hindi not as a benign educational reform but as a renewed threat to that hard-won identity.
While the state’s BJP-led government initially downplayed the controversy, the backlash quickly escalated. Opposition parties, including the Shiv Sena UBT, the Congress, and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party, accused the BJP of pushing a “Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan” agenda: shorthand for the Modi government’s concerted bid to promote Hindi and Hindu nationalism at the expense of India’s pluralistic character.
Varsha Gaikwad of the Congress party, a former state education minister, accused the BJP of “working systematically to weaken the Marathi language in its own homeland,” The New Indian Express reported.
Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray, longstanding political rivals, also voiced strong opposition to the Hindi mandate. The former referred to the new policy as a “language emergency” and said he “will not allow imposition of any language”. The latter, known for his party’s past campaigns against Hindi-speaking migrants, reiterated his stance that while Maharashtrians were Hindus, they did not accept Hindi imposition.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar initially defended the policy. Its critics had “nothing else to do”, he said while arguing that Hindi and English were useful across India. But Marathi, he emphasised, would remain Maharashtra’s primary language.
Federal home minister Amit Shah said last month that Indians should eventually “feel ashamed” to speak English, promoting native tongues instead.
The central government under Narendra Modi has consistently promoted Hindi as the national lingua franca, not only through educational reforms like the three-language policy but also symbolic changes.
Public schemes, for example, now bear Hindi titles like Mera Yuva Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. The colonial-era Indian Penal Code has been replaced with Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
But as the Maharashtra protests grew louder and violence more visible, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis reversed the mandate and announced it would be optional. He also formed a committee to review the policy’s implementation.
The resistance to “Hindi imposition” has echoed beyond Maharashtra. In Tamil Nadu, chief minister MK Stalin rejected the National Education Policy’s three-language formula and declared that the southern state was “ready for another language war” over what he called the central government’s attempt to impose Hindi.
Deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin warned the state would “never accept the New Education Policy or the imposition of Hindi in any form” and cast the opposition to it as an “ethnic struggle” to protect Tamil culture.
Fellow southern states Karnataka and Kerala have seen similar opposition. In Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, activists vandalised departure boards at the main airport over the omission of Kannada, the state language, while local governments mandated Kannada-first signage in public spaces.
India is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. According to the 2011 census, there are 121 languages in active use and over 1,300 distinct mother tongues, although only 22 enjoy official status under the constitution.
Hindi is the most widely spoken language, used by roughly 43.6 per cent of the population, or 528 million people. Marathi is third with about 83 million speakers and Tamil ranks fifth with about 69 million speakers.
As Maharashtra braces for municipal elections, the language row underscores how swiftly cultural identity can become a political fault line.
What began as an administrative directive on school curriculum has grown into a broader referendum on who defines the cultural contours of a diverse and multilingual India.
https://www.the-independent.com/asia/india/india-maharashtra-hindi-language-imposition-b2788722.html
#metaglossia_mundus
"AUDIO: Australian National Dictionary Centre could be shut down
NewsRadio
Pix: Dr Amanda Laugesen, the director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre at the Australian National University. (Supplied: ANU/Lannon Harley)
The Australian National Dictionary Centre conducts research into Australian English, and provides Oxford University Press with editorial expertise for their Australian dictionaries.
But now the centre could be shut down.
It's been earmarked as part of proposed cuts at the Australian National University."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-15/naus_aussiedictionarynr_1507/105532588
#metaglossia_mundus
"Yes, it can turn French words into English ones, but true translation is so much more than that
Last week’s news about the launch of GlobeScribe, a publishing service offering AI translations of novels for the bargain price of $100 (£74), confirms what we’ve long suspected – that AI is being discussed not merely as a tool that can be useful for professionals, but as something to replace us entirely. As a human literary translator, I’m among those facing down that challenge. But we’re not replaceable just yet.
One line of dialogue in the story I’m translating this weekend reads, in its entirety: “T'es fatigué, toi?” Not the most taxing piece of translation work I’ve ever undertaken. I f you don’t know French, it’s basically “Are you tired?” – that’s the gist. But to give you more colour: the French is very casual, and uses an informal/intimate mode of address (tu rather than vous). Also encoded within this short phrase is the fact that the addressee is male; we’re asking if he’s fatigué, not if she’s fatiguée.
I am also a ‘large language model’ (God help me) – but I am also more than that..
“Are you tired?” doesn’t automatically tell us which other character is being addressed and nor does that English “you” testify to anything about this relationship, which matters because only yesterday this couple were calling one another vous, so this tu indicates a relational shift. As the translator, I notice these things and decide whether or not they’re significant, and act on them if they are. I draw on my ability to read French and to write English, and an ear for real-life dialogue, but also on my understanding that these are the same people we met back on page 16 (though not named), why the casualness is worth conveying in this specific situation, and what it means to be in a human relationship experiencing this sort of shift.
“Are you tired?” is inoffensive. It’s also readable, natural and smooth (the usual tiresome measures of quality when talking about translation). “Are you tired?” is also less than its source. As a reader, you might care about the loss; you might not. I do – for one thing, I’m writing a book at the moment, so I’m rather hoping for more than “basically, yeah, that’s the gist” from my own translators.
I’ve looked at plenty of machine translations. At this moment, I’m not worried about what AI (including large-language models trained on my copyright work) can actually do. As a human, I too am a “large language model” (God help me) – but I am also more than that. No, what AI can do is not yet a threat to human translators and human readers of sophisticated, textured human writing. The threat is what some people think it can do."
Daniel Hahn
Saturday 12 July 2025
AI won’t replace us human literary translators just yet
https://observer.co.uk/news/opinion-and-ideas/article/ai-wont-replace-us-human-literary-translators-just-yet
#metaglossia_mundus
Taraba revenue chief moves to digitize endangered indigenous languages
July 15, 2025
In a bold step toward preserving Nigeria’s linguistic heritage, retired Brigadier General Jeremiah Faransa has partnered with Izesan Limited to digitise the endangered Wurkun and Jiba languages spoken in Taraba State.
General Faransa, who currently chairs the Taraba State Internal Revenue Service and leads the state’s Special Task Force on Illegal Mining and Deforestation, pledged his full support for the initiative during a meeting with the leadership of Izesan on Thursday, July 11.
The project, which aligns with Nigeria’s commitment to UNESCO’s International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL), aims to preserve native languages by integrating them into digital education platforms, governance, and cultural discourse.
Founder and CEO of Izesan Limited, Anthony Osekhuemen Otaigbe, emphasized the urgency of the collaboration, describing it as a “necessary response to cultural endangerment.”
“Language is not merely a tool for communication; it is a living archive of our identity, values, and ecological wisdom,” Otaigbe said.
Under the agreement, Izesan will develop curriculum-based educational content, as well as mobile and web applications, to support the learning and usage of Wurkun and Jiba languages across Taraba communities and beyond.
The CEO praised General Faransa’s commitment to cultural and environmental protection, noting that his endorsement provides strategic credibility to the project.
“Having General Faransa’s backing is a huge boost to our efforts. His involvement underscores the fact that heritage preservation is not just emotional—it’s essential to development,” Otaigbe added.
With over 400 Nigerian languages considered endangered, according to the National Institute for Nigerian Languages, experts warn that urgent action is needed to prevent cultural extinction. Language preservation is increasingly viewed as critical to advancing policy inclusion, economic development, and environmental sustainability—areas where indigenous knowledge plays a vital role.
Izesan Limited, Nigeria’s leading edtech company focused on indigenous language learning, has built a reputation for reconnecting African youth with their roots through innovative digital tools. Its products are used both locally and across the diaspora.
The digitisation of Wurkun and Jiba marks a significant milestone in harnessing technology for cultural sustainability and inclusive development in Nigeria."
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/07/taraba-revenue-chief-moves-to-digitize-endangered-indigenous-languages/
#metaglossia_mundus
"Ces villages de Loire-Atlantique inaugurent leurs panneaux en breton
Pour valoriser leur patrimoine linguistique, leurs origines et faire partie de l’association Breizh 5/5, les villagesde Saillé et Careil (Loire-Atlantique) ont installé des panneaux de leur nom bretons à leurs entrées.
Ouest-France
Publié le 14/07/2025 à 10h00
Pour développer les actions en faveur de la langue bretonne, et conforter l’adhésion de deux villages guérandais à l’association Breizh 5/5, deux panneaux bilingues ont été inaugurés, mercredi.
Il s’agit de ceux de Careil et de Saillé, installés aux entrées des deux communes. Comme le souligne le maire de Guérande, Nicolas Criaud, cela marque une étape symbolique et forte de valoriser notre patrimoine linguistique. Cette initiative s’inscrit dans une démarche cohérente et progressive de mise en valeur des villages et lieux-dits de la commune en breton »..."
#metaglossia_mundus
https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/loire-atlantique/ces-villages-de-loire-atlantique-inaugurent-leurs-panneaux-en-breton-becfaa72-5fee-11f0-b649-a8b202832ea5
Today’s AI models struggle to operate in smaller languages like Cantonese and Vietnamese, which are still spoken by tens of millions of people.
"The world’s best AI models operate in English. Other languages—even major ones like Cantonese—risk falling further behind
BY CECILIA HULT
July 15, 2025 at 8:20 AM EDT
How do you translate “dim sum”? Many English speakers would find the question strange, knowing the term refers to the large array of small dishes that accompanies a Cantonese-style brunch—and so doesn’t need translation.
But words like “dim sum” are a challenge for developers like Jacky Chan, who launched a Cantonese large language model last year through his startup Votee. It might be obvious to a human translator what words are loanwords and which need direct translation. Yet it’s less intuitive for machines.
“It’s not natural enough,” Chan says. “When you see it, you know it’s not something a human writes.”
Translation troubles are part of a growing list of issues when today’s AI models, strongest in English and other major languages, try to work in an array of smaller tongues still spoken by tens of millions of people.
When AI “models encounter a word they don’t know or that doesn’t exist in another culture, they will simply make up a translation,” explains Aliya Bhatia, a senior policy analyst at the Center of Democracy & Technology, where she researches issues related to multilingual AI. “As a result, many machine-created datasets could feature mistranslations, words that no native speaker actually uses in a specific language.”
LLMs need data, and lots of it. Text from books, articles and websites is broken down into smaller word sequences to form a model’s training dataset. From this, LLMs learn how to predict the next word in a sequence, eventually generating text.
AI can now generate text remarkably well—at least, it can in English. In other languages, performance lags significantly. Roughly half of all web content is in English, meaning there’s no shortage of digital resources for LLMs to learn from. Many other languages do not enjoy this same abundance.
Low-resource languages
So-called low resource languages are those with limited online data. Endangered languages, no longer being passed down to younger generations, clearly fall into this category. But widely spoken languages like Cantonese, Vietnamese and Bahasa Indonesia are also considered low-resource.
One reason could be limited internet access, which would prevent the creation of digital content. Another could be government regulation, which might limit what’s available online. Indonesia, for example, can remove online content without offering a way to appeal decisions. The resulting self-censorship may mean that available data in some regional languages might not represent authentic local culture.
This resource gap leads to a performance gap: Non-English LLMs are more likely to produce gibberish or inaccurate answers. LLMs also struggle with languages that don’t use Latin script, the set of letters used in English, as well as those with tonal features that are hard to represent in writing or code.
Currently, the best-performing models work in English and, to a lesser extent, Mandarin Chinese. That reflects where the world’s biggest tech companies are based. But outside of San Francisco and Hangzhou, a legion of developers, large and small, are trying to make AI work for everyone.
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South Korean internet firm Naver has built an LLM, HyperCLOVA X, which it claims is trained on 6,500 times more Korean data than GPT-4. Naver is also working in markets like Saudi Arabia and Thailand in a bid to expand its business creating “sovereign AI,” or AI tailored to a specific country’s needs. “We focus on what companies and governments that want to use AI would want, and what needs Big Tech can’t fulfill,” CEO Choi Soo-Yeon told Fortune last year.
In Indonesia, telecom operator Indosat and tech startup Goto are collaborating to launch a 70 billion parameter LLM that operates in Bahasa Indonesia as well as five other local languages, including Javanese, Balinese, and Bataknese.
One hurdle is scale. The most powerful LLMs are massive, made up of billions of word sequences converted into variables known as parameters. OpenAI’s GPT-4 is estimated to have around 1.8 trillion parameters. DeepSeek’s R1 has 671 billion.
Non-English LLMs seriously struggle to achieve this kind of scale. The Southeast Asian Languages in One Model (SEA-LION) project has trained two models from scratch: One with 3 billion parameters and one with 7 billion, much smaller than leading English and Chinese models.
Chan, from Votee, faces these struggles when dealing with Cantonese, spoken by 85 million people across southern China and Hong Kong. Cantonese uses different grammar for formal writing compared to informal writing and speech. Available digital data is scarce and often low-quality.
Training on digitalized Cantonese texts is like “learning from a library with many books, but they have lots of typos, they are poorly translated, or they’re just plain wrong,” says Chan.
Without a comprehensive dataset, an LLM can’t produce complete results. Data for low-resource language often skews towards formal texts—legal documents, religious texts, or Wikipedia entries—since these are more likely to be digitized. This bias can distort an LLM’s tone, vocabulary and style, and limit its knowledge.
LLMs have no inherent sense of what is true, and so false or incomplete information will be reproduced as fact. A model trained solely on Vietnamese pop music might struggle to accurately answer questions on historical events, particularly those not related to Vietnam.
Translating English content
Turning English content into the target language is one way to supplement the otherwise-limited training data. As Chan explains, “we synthesize the data using AI so that we can have more data to do the training.”
But machine translation carries risk. It can miss linguistic nuance or cultural context. A Georgia Tech study of cultural bias in Arabic LLMs found that AI models trained on Arabic datasets still exhibited Western bias, such as referencing alcoholic beverages in Islamic religious contexts. It turned out that much of the pre-training data for these models came from web-crawled Arabic content that was machine-translated from English, allowing cultural values to sneak through.
In the long-term, AI-generated content might end up polluting low-resource languages datasets. Chan likens it to “a photocopy of a photocopy,” with each iteration degrading the quality. In 2024, Nature warned of “model collapse,” where AI-generated text could contaminate the training data for future LLMs, leading to worse performance.
The threat is even greater for low-resource languages. With less genuine content out there, AI-generated content could quickly end up making up a larger share of what’s online in a given language.
Large businesses are starting to realize the opportunities in building a non-English AI. But while these companies are key players in their respective tech sectors, they’re still much smaller than giants like Alibaba, OpenAI, and Microsoft.
Bhatia says more organizations—both for-profit and not-for-profit—need to invest in multilingual AI if this new technology is to be truly global.
“If LLMs are going to be used to equip people with access to economic opportunities, educational resources, and more, they should work in the languages people use,” she says.
Fortune is bringing Brainstorm AI back to Asia on July 22-23 with the latest edition of our Brainstorm AI Singapore conference. Fortune will be convening the smartest people we know—technologists, entrepreneurs, Fortune Global 500 executives, investors, policymakers, and the brilliant minds in between—to explore and interrogate the most pressing questions about AI. Register here!
About the Author
CECILIA HULT
Cecilia Hult is an editorial intern based in Hong Kong.
https://fortune.com/asia/2025/07/15/ai-llm-language-english-cantonese-vietnamese-translation/
#metaglossia_mundus
"Pennsylvania's refugees speak well over 50 different languages. Those languages include:
Albanian
Amharic
Arabic
Armenian
Bassa
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Burmese
Cantonese
Chin
Creole
Croatian
Dinka
French
Gio
Hmong
Karen
Khmer
Kiswahili
Kpelle
Krahn
Krio
Kru
Kurdish
Lao
Latvian
Lithuanian
Mai Mai
Mano
Mende
Nuer
Oromo
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Rumanian
Russian
Serbian
Somali
Spanish
Temne
Teochew
Tigre
Tigrinya
Ukrainian
Vietnamese.
Access Translation & Interpretation Services
While most refugees learn English during their first few years in the United States, new arrivals and older refugees often need assistance in acquiring the knowledge and accessing the assistance needed for successful adjustment."
https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/refugees-in-pa/refugee-translation-interpretation
#metaglossia_mundus
"Mohamed Shueikh is an Egyptian translation supervisor and quality controller at the Cairo, Egypt-based Masreya Media.
In a WhatsApp interview on June 27, he shared his experience dubbing in Arabic the hit Netflix series "Squid Game."
The following are excerpts from the interview.
Briefly introduce yourself.
I am Mohamed Shueikh, an Egyptian translator with nine years of experience in translating and adapting dubbing scripts. I am the translation supervisor and quality controller at Masreya Media. For "Squid Game," my role was to direct and supervise translators and make strategic decisions on language type, character names and places.
How was working on the final season since "Squid Game" was Netflix's first K-drama to be dubbed in Arabic?
It was great news as l loved the series. I always wondered what it would look like if it were dubbed in Arabic.
Give a simplified explanation of the dubbing process.
It begins with receiving the Korean videos, script and their English-language translations. A detailed translation plan is developed, where we decide the style and tone of language. Then comes the translation of character names, places and games.
Afterward, the assigned translators begin their work and I later supervise them. After translation is complete, the text is sent to an Arabic linguist for review to ensure clarity and linguistic accuracy for the voice actors. The final stage is the quality control phase in which we check everything again.
What issues arose in translating the script from English instead of Korean?
The correct pronunciation of Korean names and terms requires thorough searching. Knowledge of the Korean language and culture was crucial for this process since translations in English are often written from a different perspective, frequently leading to misinterpretations.
It wasn't easy for us Arabic speakers to accurately express the sounds of Korean letters in writing so that our voice actors could deliver them correctly. But we did provide the cast with the correct pronunciations and contexts. I also remember the hard work needed to synchronize the dubbing voices and the actors' lips.
What did you discover about Korean culture after working on the series?
I find Korean culture rich and unique in language, tradition and arts. I'm fascinated by the invention of Hangeul (Korean alphabet), one of the world's simplest writing systems, and iconic dishes like kimchi and bibimbap (spicy rice mixed with vegetables and meat). What truly impressed me is the language's precise word usage and details like how the word for "sister" differs based on age and gender.
Jul 14, 2025
By Honorary Reporter Omnia Ameer from Egypt
msjeon22@korea.kr"
https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/HonoraryReporters/view?articleId=274585&pageIndex=1
#metaglossia_mundus
"Of the 7,159 living languages in the world that the Ethnologue website now lists, it considers 3,193 to be “endangered,” that is, “It is no longer the norm that children learn and use this language.” That’s 45%. The Catalogue of Endangered Languages has compiled data on the “current vitality” of 3,394 languages, a slightly higher number. Ethnologue makes a further distinction: where “the child-bearing generation is no longer able to transmit the language to the next generation,” the language is “dying”; there are 1,030 of these, or 14%. It also reports that 454 languages have become extinct during the recent centuries of European expansion.
Wikipedia has an impressive (and depressing) list of extinct languages, starting with the most recent extinctions and running back several thousand years. It names three languages as having gone extinct in 2024, but since it cites an article in the Jakarta Globe that names eleven recent extinctions in Indonesia alone, it is surely not up to date. It tells us, however, that the last speaker of Columbia-Wenatchi in Northern Idaho died in 2023 at age 96; her name was Pauline Stensgar. The last speaker of Quapaw in Oklahoma died in 2022 at age 91; her name was Ardina Moore. The last speaker of Bering Aleut died in 2021 at age 93; her name was Vera Timoshenko. Some 95 languages, according to this list, went extinct in our century. Over 250 died in the twentieth.
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Before long there will be many more on the list, including the last remaining fluent speaker of Njuu, a “click” language of South Africa; her name is Ouma Katrina Esau, and she is now 92. Of 2183 living African languages, the Catalogue of Endangered Languages reports, 604 are considered endangered. About an eighth of the endangered ones are “critically” or “severely” endangered.
When these languages die, sometimes a similar dialect may live on, and may even flourish, but usually nothing remains except, with any luck, some tapes and transcriptions and studies by linguists, not usually enough to revive them. They are gone, and gone with them are their cultures: their songs, dances, ceremonies, games, jokes, stories, ways of seeing the natural world, and works of skill and art.
People speak misleadingly of another kind of extinction or death that is quite a different thing. Is Latin a dead language? I think no one speaks it today as a native or first language, though there are some who are fluent in it as a second language; the late Justice David Souter is said to have been quite good at it. So Classical Latin may be dead, or artificially sustained as “undead,” but it also lives on as the most widely spoken first language in the world, in the many dialects that we call Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, Sardinian, and dozens more. Old English is extinct, of course, as a spoken language, but its direct descendant is the indisputable world language today.
Languages constantly change, year by year. I don’t fully understand the variant of English my daughter speaks with her friends, but she is bilingual and can speak my language—my version of English—fluently. By the same token, if I were to meet Charles Dickens on the street today, I would understand him fairly well (I’ve read a lot of his books), but he would have great difficulty understanding me, unless I switched codes to nineteenth-century British. And so it goes, generation after generation, a perfectly normal evolution found in every tongue, though it goes faster in some languages than others. There’s no point in regretting it.
But it is a mournful fact that every month or so the world loses a language completely, a language with no offspring.
It is heartening to learn, however, that in many countries there are programs dedicated to teaching children to speak their elders’ dying language. To mention a few efforts in the US: There are some eighty fluent Chippewa Cree speakers in Montana, and some of them are active in classes and activities for children. The University of New Mexico has a project where linguists and other scholars are working with native speakers of Jicarilla Apache. The Wampanoag Language Reclamation Project had to deal with fact that their were no elders who spoke Wampanoag (or Massachusett), so Jessie Little Doe Baird, who co-founded the Project in 1993, got a degree in linguistics from MIT in order to help her reconstruct it. There were opaque transcriptions by a white missionary, but not much else to go on, so she studied a few related Algonquian languages still surviving in New England and worked out what must have been the lost words and structures of Wampanoag. After thirty years the Project has born fruit, for there are now some fluent young native speakers.
Projects like these cost money, and local tribes seldom can afford them alone. The Chippewa Cree program costs about a million dollars a year, nearly all of it from Federal sources. In December 2024 the Biden administration announced a ten-year National Plan on Native Language Revitalization, calling for a $16.7 billion investment. Donald Trump, who wants to make English the only official language of the United States (though he can barely speak it himself), is not likely to support this plan, any more than he supports efforts to rescue endangered species. The Federal Government may well relapse to its vicious policy of “killing the Indian to save the man.” As for Trump, he would no doubt like to deport all the Native American tribes, with their languages, back to the countries he thinks they came from.
I am happy to hear from readers with questions or comments: mferber@unh.edu.
Michael Ferber moved to New Hampshire in 1987 to join the English Department at UNH, from which he is now retired. Before that he earned his BA in Ancient Greek at Swarthmore College and his doctorate in English at Harvard, taught at Yale, and served on the staff of the Coalition for a New Foreign Policy in Washington, DC. In 1968 he stood trial in Federal Court in Boston for conspiracy to violate the draft law, with the pediatrician Benjamin Spock and three other men. He has published many books and articles on literature, and has a deep interest in linguistics. He is married to Susan Arnold; they have a daughter in San Francisco."
Michael Ferber
July 12, 2025
https://indepthnh.org/2025/07/12/speaking-of-words-language-death/
#metaglossia_mundus
"Voice Coaching for Interpreters
Saturday, November 22, 2025
Organizer:
Location: Rue des Savoises 15 La Maison Internationale des Associations Geneva 1205 CH
Workshop Description
One of the most crucial tools for conference interpreters is their voice. As interpreters, our voices are the primary means of conveying messages and communicating effectively. A well-trained voice enhances clarity, projection, and endurance—essential qualities for simultaneous interpreting. The better our voices sound, the more pleasant and professional the experience will be for our clients.
However, the voice is a delicate instrument, requiring proper care and technique to withstand long working hours under extreme stress—especially in the current landscape where remote simultaneous interpreting is becoming increasingly prevalent. Despite its importance, voice training is often overlooked in interpreter education, leaving many professionals without the essential knowledge to maintain and optimize their vocal performance.
Workshop Structure
This workshop is designed in two parts:
1. Group Training:
Participants will receive an introductory session on fundamental vocal techniques, including:
Proper breathing methods, utilizing the diaphragm to create a well-supported airflow for effortless vocal production.
Breathing and articulation exercises to strengthen diaphragmatic support.
Posture alignment in the interpreting booth to open up resonators and enhance voice quality.
Correct placement of consonants and vowels across different languages.
Voice projection techniques to ensure interpreters can speak at an optimal pitch and volume without strain—helping to prevent vocal fatigue during long workdays.
2. Individual Coaching:
Each participant will receive personalized guidance, including:
A voice diagnosis to identify any existing issues or inefficient habits.
Tailored corrections to improve voice placement, breathing, and projection.
Real-time demonstrations where fellow participants can observe and learn from individual coaching sessions.
Registration fee:
Registration fee for members of AIIC - CHF 100.00 (EURO 108.00)
Registration fee for non-members of AIIC - CHF 200.00 (EURO 216.00)
https://aiic.org/client/event/roster/eventRosterDetails.html?productId=756&eventRosterId=45
#metaglossia_mundus
Judge Dana Sabraw this week ordered officials at Otay Mesa Detention Center to provide him with a Mongolian Sign Language interpreter.
"by Wendy Fry • CalMatters
July 13, 2025, 1:38 p.m.
A deaf Mongolian man has spent more than four months in a Southern California immigrant detention center without the opportunity to communicate with anyone who understands Mongolian Sign Language, according to his civil rights attorney.
“He’s basically been in solitary confinement because he has not had one person actually speak to him in Mongolian Sign Language for the entirety of the time that he’s been in proceedings and detained,” said his attorney, Alegría De La Cruz, director of litigation for the Disability Rights Legal Center.
U.S. Southern District of California Judge Dana Sabraw this week ordered officials at the Otay Mesa Detention Center to provide him with a Mongolian Sign Language interpreter.
The judge also directed immigration authorities to redo two assessments that could affect his request for asylum. One would examine his mental health, and the other would evaluate whether he has a credible fear for his safety if he returns to his country.
“How can he meaningfully participate if he doesn’t know what’s being said and he cannot communicate?” Sabraw asked a federal attorney at the hearing on Wednesday.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Dimbleby said many people don’t fully understand the legal proceedings in immigration court.
The man’s family requested that CalMatters identify him by the name Avirmed because of their fear that he could be harmed by the Mongolian government if he is returned to his home country.
Avirmed’s detention after seeking asylum underscores the sharp shift in border policies from the Biden administration to Trump’s.
Under Biden, asylum seekers who were not threats to public safety were often released on bond rather than being detained while their cases moved through immigration court. The Trump administration has taken a much stricter approach with detention numbers reaching record highs – a tactic his supporters say is working. Since President Donald Trump took office, unauthorized border crossings have plummeted to historic lows.
But Avirmed’s representation by the Disability Rights Legal Center also shows how some immigrant advocates are changing tactics in response to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. In this case, they’re drawing on federal disability laws that prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities by any federal program, including the immigration court system.
The Trump administration recognizes its “own power, and it can be very dangerous unless someone checks it the way the judge did,” said Sylvia Torres-Guillen, the president and CEO of the organization
Key ICE interviews without interpreters
Avirmed left Mongolia early this year and entered the U.S.in February seeking asylum from persecution because of his disability. A 2020 assault in Mongolia left him with a traumatic brain injury that causes seizures and memory loss. He was attacked because of his disability, according to court records. His family declined to say how he reached the U.S.
A legal complaint filed on his behalf says Avirmed gave border officials a letter written in Mongolian and translated into English, notifying them of his disability and his intent to seek asylum. Customs and Border Protection agents refused to read or accept the letter, his attorneys allege in the complaint against the Department of Homeland Security.
Agents transferred him to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he was placed in detention at the for-profit Otay Mesa Detention Center, run by CoreCivic, where he is still being held.
Agents interviewed him without an attorney or sign language interpreter and tried using Google Translate to ask him if he feared returning to Mongolia, according to the complaint. They badly misunderstood him, identifying his sponsor as a daughter named Virginia Washington when he does not have a daughter, according to the lawsuit. His sponsor is his sister, who lives in Virginia.
Avirmed also underwent a mental health evaluation without any interpretation, which the judge ordered ICE to repeat, saying he “has a right to be involved where he understands and can respond and communicate, and be part of the process, not a bystander.”
California officials have been critical of mental health resources in ICE detention centers. By law, they have access to inspect federal immigration detention facilities. An April report from California’s Attorney General’s office documented what it described as severely inadequate mental health care services inside ICE facilities.
“No facilities consistently offered adequate psychotherapy services for the mental health conditions most commonly observed in detainee populations in California,” the report states, naming detention centers in Imperial and San Diego counties that California officials found to have behavioral health staffing vacancies.
The companies that operate the detention centers contested the attorney general’s findings, with one calling the report an example of a “politicized campaign” to interfere with deportation efforts.
‘Like Greek to me’
Avirmed has no criminal record. According to ICE’s data, which shows less than 10% or 125 out of 1,350 people currently detained at Otay Mesa have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor.
Sabraw, the judge, agreed with De La Cruz and Avirmed’s other attorneys that the 48-year-old man was likely unable to understand what was happening during earlier proceedings, so they should be repeated with an interpreter and in a language he understands.
“He has a right, doesn’t he? To be able to fully participate in any significant proceeding?” Sabraw asked Dimbleby.
“MSL (Mongolian Sign Language) is not a super common language,” Dimbleby argued at one point.
For future proceedings, the federal government had proposed providing Avirmed a “relay team” that would allow him to testify through a certified deaf interpreter. The interpreter would then translate the testimony into American Sign Language, and then the ASL would be translated into spoken English.
“Under this relay proposal, everyone would understand except for Mr. Avirmed,” Sabraw pointed out.
The judge said the government’s plan does not allow Avirmed to participate in court proceedings because he does not understand English or ASL.
“That’s like speaking Greek to me,” Sabraw said.
CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable."
crime/2025/07/13/deaf-mongolian-immigrant-held-by-ice-in-otay-mesa-for-months-without-access-to-interpreter/
#metaglossia_mundus
The 56th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards is now open for entries. Translators from around the world are invited to submit English editions of contemporary Korean literature before the end of August.
"...The 56th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards is now open for entries. Translators from around the world are invited to submit English editions of contemporary Korean literature before the end of August.
Since 1970, The Korea Times has promoted the global reach of Korean literature. It seeks not only to translate acclaimed literary works but also to nurture aspiring literary translators. The annual competition calls for submissions in two categories -- fiction/drama and poetry.
Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and KB Financial Group, the Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards categories are:
Grand Prize in Fiction/Drama: 7 million won (around 166,000 baht)
Grand Prize in Poetry: 4 million won
Commendation Awards: 2 million won for both categories
Kevin O'Rourke Award: 1 million won to an entry from either category
Applicants may send a translation of 1) a work of fiction (a novel, novella or short story) or a play, or 2) 10 poems by the same writer. Applicants should submit only one entry in either category. Translations should be sent before Aug 31.
Last year, Wingshun Pang won the Grand Prize in Fiction for translation of Kim Cho-yeop's short story Why Don't The Pilgrims Come Back, while Julie Sohn received the Grand Prize for the translation of Choi Seung-ho's poetry collection The Snowman Suicide Incident.
Korea is home to a plethora of literary works. The Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards reflects Korea's push for internationalisation across diverse fields. With Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature 2024, Korean literature has achieved the highest international acclaim. The Vegetarian was her first novel to be translated into English. It received the International Booker Prize in 2016, which helped expand Han's readership worldwide.
For more details, visit koreatimes.co.kr.:
THANA BOONLERT
Please credit and share this article with others using this link: https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/3067162/korean-literature-translation-awards-seeks-entries. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Bangkok Post PCL. All rights reserved.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/3067162/korean-literature-translation-awards-seeks-entries
#metaglossia_mundus
"“Barron’s China” has been relaunched this month, seeking to help global investors understand the complex Chinese wealth and investment ecosystem.
By PA/TPN, in Asia, World, Economy
This arrangement shifts a 2018 translation deal with the business outlet Caixin, which also ensures that Chinese-speaking investors can get the best and most reliable information in their native language.
In collaboration with TMTPost, Dow Jones will be producing the publication, promising to be a bridge connecting China and the world, a fulcrum for the globalisation of Chinese
https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2025-07-12/translation-deal/99215
#metaglossia_mundus
"In defence of translation
Given the obvious power difference between Welsh and English, and our long colonial relationship, is it right or wrong to translate English works into Welsh?
We’ve been extremely pleased with the overall reception we have had since setting up Melin Bapur at the end of 2023 and launching in February 2024.
Dozens of our customers have gone out of their way to give us great feedback and the support we’ve had from Welsh institutions like Radio Cymru and nation.cymru has been great; even better has been the way talented authors and translators like Anna Gruffydd, Mary Burdett-Jones, Ian Parri, Peredur Glyn, Sharon Morgan and Richard Crowe have approached us and paid us the enormous compliment of entrusting us with publishing their work.
Nevertheless I have been fascinated to note the occasional more negative comment we have received as well – nothing genuinely nasty or insulting, thankfully, but some comments specifically arising from our decision to publish Welsh translations of English books like The Hobbit, The Time Machine, The Call of Cthulthu, The Vagina Monologues and the like – these comments have questioned either the value or the appropriateness of such things, and particularly, accusing us of somehow undermining the publication of original literature in Welsh.
It’s a fair question to ask. Given the obvious power difference between Welsh and English, and our long colonial relationship, is it right or wrong to translate English works into Welsh?
Arguments against
Based on the comments we’ve received it seems that the arguments against translation from English, broadly speaking, are that:
1) people will buy and read translations instead of original books by Welsh writers, thereby harming Welsh authors;
2) there’s no point as Welsh speakers generally can read English anyway, so they won’t want to read translations.
Keen observers will note that these two arguments are contradictory: if nobody wants to read them then how can they harm Welsh writers?
Regardless, it’s pretty easy to disprove the second point with the fact that people do buy and read these books. This argument is based on a misunderstanding of why people buy and read books (in Welsh or otherwise), which probably arises from a prejudice against translation as a process and an assumption that reading a text that has been translated is an experience that is on some essential level inferior.
Holes
This is not, however, how most people actually think. Needless to say we don’t know everything about all our customers, but I would be willing to bet that the majority have already read these books in English, especially Yr Hobyd; they want them in Welsh not because they think that a Welsh version will be better (or worse), but because it will provide a different sort of experience. If anything the fact they already know the book is the whole point.
But we’ll come back to that, after addressing the idea that these books threaten or harm original writing in Welsh.
The idea seems to be that readers will choose to buy and read Tolkien or Lovecraft or Eve Ensler instead of Welsh authors; therefore we are hurting them by publishing these books.
The translated works and H. P. Lovecraft
This argument might make sense on first glance, but the more you think about it, the more holes appear.
The argument seems to take it for granted that the demand for books in Welsh is some kind of fixed quantity: that buying and reading any one book in Welsh means one doesn’t buy or read another book in Welsh. Publishing, under this assumption, is a zero-sum business.
This might be true of some products, like, say, washing powder: if I buy one brand I don’t need to buy another.
But reading isn’t like that. Even it were, this argument betrays a lack of confidence in the value and appeal of the same original Welsh books it purports to defend.
Do we really think that the only reason people read original Welsh books is that they can’t get translations of the books they really want to read? And that – in order to protect original writing in Welsh – we need to restrict readers’ access to other books in Welsh, in case they might prefer them?
I believe that there is more value to Welsh literature than that!
Opening doors
Of course in reality, Welsh books already have to compete with Tolkien, J. K. Rowling and the rest, regardless of whether or not they’re available in Welsh; just as they compete with the television and social media and Netflix and the gym and everything else people choose to do in their spare time.
In fact Welsh readers already read Tolkien, but before we brought out Yr Hobyd they were doing it in English.
Sure, bring out a new book in Welsh (whatever it is) and it might mean someone doesn’t read another book in Welsh. But it might also mean they read one fewer book in English, or that they spend less time doing something else, and more time reading in Cymraeg. The book Yr Hobyd is probably most likely to push off someone’s reading list is The Hobbit!
(I’ve been accused of Thatcherism for making this argument!)
And this brings us to the point of publishing these books, which is the very real possibility that they are actually bringing people into reading in Welsh who wouldn’t otherwise do it.
Many of our customers have contacted us to say exactly this; many of them are learning Welsh and want the book as an exercise to improve their Welsh (which of course is another great reason why it’s important we have these books).
Younger readers, too, or other fluent speakers who don’t currently read at all in Welsh, but want to, yet don’t feel the current offer in Cymraeg caters for them, or don’t know where to start, or worry that they’ll struggle to understand and want the crutch of a familiar book.
Gateway
Of course there’s no guarantee these people will go on to read another book in Welsh, but even if they don’t, we’ve helped them to read a book in Welsh they would not otherwise have read, which is surely valuable in itself.
If this is just the start, then better still. The other half of our mission with Melin Bapur is to republish the (original) Welsh literature of the past, and to use the translations as a ‘gateway’ into this exciting world.
Perhaps I haven’t convinced you, but that’s ok: you don’t have to buy our translations (no doubt that’s me being Thatcherite again?), but do check out the original Welsh books that represent about three quarters of Melin Bapur’s offer!
It’s possible to overstate the argument, and I don’t wish to be misunderstood: something extremely valuable would be lost if the only Welsh books available were translations.
I want to see original Welsh writers supported too, and this is one of the reasons we don’t compete with the traditional Welsh publishing industry for Books Council grants (which don’t seem to be offered for translations anyway).
But the current situation, where virtually nothing is published in translation for adults, is so far away from this nightmare scenario that it is if anything too far in the opposite direction.
Publishing popular stories are what normal, healthy, living languages do, and our reluctance to do so in Welsh seems to speak more of our own insecurities than anything else.
There is more than enough room in Wales for the occasional Hobyd – after all, they’re famously quite small!"
Adam Pearce, Editor, Melin Babur Books
12 Jul 2025
https://nation.cymru/feature/in-defence-of-translation/
#metaglossia_mundus
"China publishes Han-Tibetan version of major dictionary
XinhuaJuly 12, 2025
China attaches great importance to the use of the Tibetan language, as evidenced by the recent publication of a key bilingual dictionary.
On Friday, the Han-Tibetan version of the Modern Chinese Dictionary, compiled and translated over 13 years, was jointly published by China Tibetology Publishing House and The Commercial Press, according to the ethnic and religious affairs commission of Qinghai Province.
Against the backdrop of rapid social development, Tibetan people have shown a growing desire to learn the national standard Chinese (Han language) while also preserving their own. However, authoritative and user-friendly Han-Tibetan reference books have been scarce, prompting Qinghai -- a province with a large Tibetan population -- to launch the translation project.
The three-volume dictionary has over 70,000 Chinese entries and 200,000 Tibetan entries, totaling more than 10 million characters. While featuring vocabulary, explanations and example sentences with concise, accurate and practical translations, it also integrates word forms and meaning transformations in line with Tibetan grammatical rules.
This dictionary serves as an authoritative language tool in Tibetan-inhabited areas, providing valuable resources for education and cultural exchange and contributing to China's efforts in promoting ethnic exchanges and integration, according to the commission.
http://www.china.org.cn/2025-07/12/content_117975656.shtml
#metaglossia_mundus
"...Nashwa Nasreldin on why Arabic literature translators are needed now more than ever
Editor and author translated Sheikh Zayed Book Award winner Abdelrashid Mahmoudi's After Coffee, among other works
Nilosree B
July 11, 2025
Nashwa Nasreldin believes the work of translators in literature is now more urgent than ever.
"The opportunity now lies in uplifting the work and voices of translators based in the Middle East, who have less access to the support networks than we do living in the West," says the translator, editor and author with a mission.
Born in Kuwait to Egyptian parents, Nasreldin, who currently lives in Suffolk in the UK, continues: “Recently, we held our inaugural workshop for emerging translators in Gaza, run by the ArabLit platform, with each session led by experienced professional literary translators - some of the best in the field of Arabic/English literary translation.
"We need more translations to drown out the voices of those who try to rewrite our stories," she tells The National. "There has been an outpouring of literature from and about Gaza and Palestinians more broadly since October 7, 2023. This shows a recognition in the important role literature plays in recording, reporting, archiving and legacy-making."
Nasreldin's translated many works into English, including After Coffee by Egyptian author and academic Abdelrashid Mahmoudi, who won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2014.
Being tasked to translate Mahmoudi's book was a big moment for her as her first solo book project, she says.
“I really enjoyed Mahmoudi’s book when I read it in Arabic. For me, literary quality is an important factor when I come to choose a project given that you have to inhabit the book's world so intensely in the process of translating it."
Her work has since take her around the world, including to the Jaipur Literature Festival in February – where she spoke about her struggles and the importance of translators.
Nasreldin's career as a translator began when she studied Moroccan writer Mohammed Bennis’s work as a part of her master's course work at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in the US.
“I studied Bennis and produced an in-depth study of his writings on translation. At this time, I also met writer and translation-advocate Maureen Freely, who was a guest lecturer, and who introduced me to the British Centre for Literary Translation and their emerging translator mentorship. When I moved to the UK in 2013, I applied and was awarded the mentorship, which then propelled my career.”
Nasreldin is currently translating two short books that she says she's very passionate about.
A Brawl in Jahannam is a novella by award-winning Libyan author Mohammed Alnaas, whose debut novel, Bread on Uncle Milad's Table, won the 2022 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. It’s a satiric retelling of events that the narrator claims took place in the 1990s in a small Libyan village named Jahannam, which literally translates to hell.
The other book is Side Entrance to the House by Omani writer Amal Alsaeedi, in which the author’s ancestral house serves as a vehicle to unearth memories and images of childhood and youth, triggering philosophical reflections on her troubled relationships with her husband, parents and siblings.
"These books represent a new generation taking bold literary risks, reinterpreting classical Arabic styles," says Nasreldin.
But making a living as a translator is not easy, and many in the field are forced to find several sources of income, she adds.
"I split my time working as a writer, an editor and a translator," she says. "Like most emerging translators, initially the challenges lay in making a name for oneself in a very competitive industry – and this was back when there were fewer Arabic literary translators than there are now. At the time, it was also difficult to compete with translators who didn't have an Arab-sounding name, as publishers would often assume we were less proficient in English."
That became less of an issue in recent years, thanks to a demand for diversity that has helped tip the scales more towards equity, she adds.
"But the disparity still exists, especially amongst Arab publishers and authors who still believe that a so-called 'native English speaker' would have a stronger grasp in English than a translator who was raised bilingual, as I was.
"In the field of Arabic literature in translation, we only have a handful of prizes including the renowned Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation and the newer Bait AlGhasham DarArab Translation Prize. Also, the ArabLit Short Story Prize is particularly impactful as it supports writers who may not have had the opportunity to publish book-length work.”
But the publishing industry as a whole is changing, albeit slowly.
"The work of translators are increasingly recognised, thanks to social media campaigns like the #namethetranslator, which seeks to ensure that translators are named alongside their work," Nasreldin says.
"There are dozens of excellent Arabic translators working in the field today. A group of us communicate regularly on mailing lists, where we discuss translation quandaries, share opportunities, celebrate successes and band together when there is a need to address a threat to our rights as creators – especially with the unregulated rise of mechanical translation, having a supportive community matters.
"I think, we will see a rise in translations of Arabic literature from the Middle East and North Africa region as more translators are trained and gain confidence in an industry that had been relatively opaque previously," she adds."
https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/books/2025/07/11/nashwa-nasreldin-on-why-arabic-literature-translators-are-needed-now-more-than-ever/
#metaglossia_mundus
"EC suspected own translator to be alleged Russian spy, report states
Carl Deconinck
A translator who was present at closed-door top meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late 2024 was suspected by the European Commission of being an alleged Russian spy.
She was caught taking notes, French newspaper Le Monde reported on July 11, which was strictly forbidden in such confidential high-level meetings.
The incident reportedly took place on December 19, 2024, during a European Council meeting in Brussels, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in attendance.
It happened one month after the election of US President Donald Trump, who had campaigned on ending the Ukrainian war quickly. European leaders were looking for a shared stance on Ukraine to ensure any potential peace deal would not be detrimental to the country.
Belgian authorities were informed of the findings of the internal investigation the EC had and they would now have to decide what course of action to take, if any, regarding the case.
It was Czech interpreters who reportedly noted the allegedly suspect translator taking notes.
They reported it to security services, who caught her doing so. They seized all her materials and escorted her off the premises, Le Monde reported.
On the same day, an investigation was opened, while her accreditation was revoked and she was no longer allowed to enter EC buildings.
The translator, described as “Ms I” by the French newspaper, was reportedly born to Russian parents. She worked as interpreter, for 20 years as a freelancer for NATO, the EC and the French ministries of defence and foreign affairs.
“Ms I trained at the Institute of Translators, Interpreters and International Relations in Strasbourg after earning degrees in English, foreign literature and psychology in Kyiv in 2002,” Le Monde stated.
In a reaction to its report, the EC admitted: “An incident involving note-taking, which is prohibited by our code of conduct, did indeed occur during the December 19, 2024 meeting.
“Ukrainian interpretation was necessary for this meeting because of President Zelensky’s participation. The notes were confiscated. After a careful review of the facts, it was decided to no longer use the interpreter’s services,” Le Monde wrote.
While her work for the French Government was limited, when contacted by Le Monde, French authorities reportedly said they would “draw all the necessary consequences from this incident”.
The General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI), though, responsible in particular for counter-espionage, said it had not received any information about the case.
Despite the December incident, the woman in question remained listed as an accredited interpreter for NATO, the French Permanent Representation to the European Union and the French ministries, according to Le Monde.
Ukrainian embassies in France and Brussels reportedly did not allow her to be present during visits of Zelensky for some time, claiming she allegedly maintained professional relationships with Russian authorities.
In a reaction to Le Monde, the translator said she was “very surprised to be approached about a matter of no interest”. She argued that her continued work with NATO and French ministries proved this was simply a misunderstanding.
She refused to comment on the note-taking incident, stating: “Everything to do with my work as an interpreter is covered by confidentiality and my entire professional life has been marked by respect for professional ethics alone.”"
https://brusselssignal.eu/2025/07/ec-suspected-own-translator-to-be-alleged-russian-spy-report-states/
#metaglossia_mundus
"...Interpreters for Morgan County Fair concerts will be on a raised platform on the west side of the stage, to the right when viewing from the crowd.
Courtesy of the Morgan County Fair
The Morgan County Fair is introducing ASL interpreters at its concerts, with the goal of expanding access for deaf and hard-of-hearing concert-goers.
Study Suggests Lyrics Have Gotten Simpler Over Time
Two ASL licensed interpreters will alternate throughout the fair's concerts today and Saturday, providing interpreter services live during the concerts.
The goal is to provide better access to the fair and fair entertainment for everyone in the community.
Fair Board President Gary Hadden said this is something they have wanted to do but were not sure where to start with the process. This year, they were able to work with the artists' managers and booking agencies, as well as members of the Deaf community, to make a plan to provide interpreting services.
"We have had requests for an interpreter and so we asked our artist managers and booking agencies to see what we need to do and what the requirements were to meet their approval and provide the service," Hadden said.
The interpreters will be on a raised platform on the west side of the stage, to the right when viewing from the crowd. They will be visible from both the Big Ticket area and the general admission area, so those needing the service do not have to purchase one of the higher-cost tickets.
When the call was put out for interpreters, there are many who volunteered, Hadden said.
"As a not-for-profit organization, we received a lot of volunteers," Hadden said. "We sought out people willing to volunteer, some were licensed and some were not."
To meet requirements, the interpreters have to be licensed.
Kate Van Valey, an office assistant for the fair and a teacher at Illinois School for the Deaf, helped develop the plan and connect the fair to resources available in the community.
"We are on a journey to meet the needs of the community," Van Valey said. "It's a growth process."
Support for the process has been positive, Van Valey said.
"We had members of the Deaf community share their ideas and their response has been really positive and they have been encouraging people to come, knowing that they'll have access," she said.
The interpreters providing services have experience interpreting music, which is different from interpreting standard conversation, Van Valey said.
"There is a shortage of interpreters, especially ones who are comfortable performing in front of a large crowd with music," Van Valey said. Those interpreting music use their entire bodies and facial expressions to help translate the music and lyrics.
The fair board worked with the entertainment agencies to provide resources to the interpreters to help improve the experience for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Several measures are being put into place, including a set list and a direct feed into the concert to help avoid outside noise that could cause problems for the interpreters.
"If the performer is ad-libbing, the interpreter can hear that better and provide that," Van Valey said. "With the direct vocals in their ear, they have better access to that portion and not just the songs. Their engagement is better accessed."
The effort is something they hope to expand, improve and continue into future years, Hadden said.
"This is our first year, so we are asking people to be patient as we are learning as well," he said.
July 11, 2025
Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree
REPORTER
https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/morgan-county-fair-asl-interpreters-20764456.php
#metaglossia_mundus
Did you know? The Translating Division of the Office of Language Services provides translation services in some 140 language combinations
"The Translating Division of the Office of Language Services provides translation services to the Department of State, the White House, and other U.S. Government agencies. We assist in handling the foreign-language components of the written record of diplomacy: correspondence, treaties, reports, speeches, course materials, briefing slides, biographical sketches, conference agenda, media items, laws, and forms. The team of staff translators, assisted by a corps of vetted contractors, offer their services in some 140 language combinations. LS translators work closely with negotiators when certifying that foreign language versions of treaties and international agreements have the same meaning as the English—a painstaking process that requires attention to nuance and the ability to separate linguistic issues from policy differences. Typically, several rounds of certification are needed to achieve substantive conformity.
A translation project may also be a website, a set of subtitles, a desk-top published brochure, an embedded .pdf image, a handwritten sworn statement, or an audio transcript. Helping the Translating Division cope with the demands of these formats is a team of Translation Project Managers who coordinate each assignment, from initial intake to final delivery, and who will help with all your logistical concerns. U.S. Government agencies can request assistance with translating projects by emailing the Translating Division.
Are you interested in working for us? Please visit our Information for Freelance Linguists page. In the Translating section, you will find information about translating for the Office of Language Services, as well as translation test guidance. Permanent direct-hire interpreter and translator positions are very rare. When available, openings for staff positions will be published on the USAJobs website.
To request translation (written) assistance for documents and agreements, please e-mail the Translating Division."
https://www.state.gov/about-us-ols/translating
#metaglossia_mundus
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"Rwanda reaffirms commitment to promoting Kiswahili language
Source: XinhuaEditor: huaxia2025-07-08 20:13:16
KIGALI, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting Kiswahili language as part of the country's efforts to strengthen African solidarity and fraternity.
"Rwanda recognizes the importance of Kiswahili in achieving inclusive and equitable education. Our government made a decision in 2017 to designate Kiswahili as one of the official languages of the country, alongside Kinyarwanda, English, and French," Minister of State for Education Claudette Irere told the closing the 4th World Kiswahili Language Day celebrations in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, on Monday.
"This move was not just symbolic. It was a deliberate strategy to position Rwanda within the East African Community and the broader African linguistic landscape, while also strengthening African solidarity and fraternity," she said.
Caroline Asiimwe, executive secretary of the East African Kiswahili Commission, said Kiswahili language is fundamental to building society, nations, and the EAC region.
She emphasized the commission's commitment to youth empowerment and digital innovation, urging young people to take ownership of Kiswahili's digital future and use it as a tool for entrepreneurship and peace building.
"Let us build AI tools, dictionaries, and platforms in Kiswahili not only to preserve the language but to empower the next generation of African innovators," Asiimwe said.
Co-hosted by Rwanda and the East African Kiswahili Commission, the two-day celebrations were held under the theme of "Kiswahili, Inclusive Education and Sustainable Development" to examine relevant policies, best practices, and stakeholder engagement.
The event drew more than 300 participants, including senior government officials, delegates from EAC partner states, academics, Kiswahili experts, and university students.
The celebrations featured a regional symposium, youth engagement sessions, and an exhibition. Participants explored how Kiswahili, artificial intelligence, and inclusive education can advance a culture of peace and drive innovative initiatives"
https://english.news.cn/20250708/ceac3d1006f74b0a903d77769da5b682/c.html
#metaglossia_mundus