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The magic of translation: Ryan Hintzman’s award-winning work Feb 27, 2026 Ryan Hintzman, third from right, at the award ceremony in Japan Early language roots... "one challenge in translation is balancing accurate rendering of the original with crafting an English version that captures the writer’s voice. In the 2025-2026 cycle, the Japan International Translation Competition, hosted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, marked its 10th iteration and second time offering a Classical Literature category. Hintzman said he saw participating in the competition as a complement to his research and teaching. “While I was working on my translation, I was preparing to teach a classical Japanese language course at IU,” he said. “Taking on an unfamiliar, challenging text was a good opportunity to further sharpen my skills in reading and translating the language.” Discovering the Diary of Iseki Takako The competition introduced Hintzman to the Diary of Iseki Takako, a nineteenth-century text rediscovered in Japan in the 1970s and basically unknown in English. Chosen by the judges for its difficulty, literary quality and historical significance, the text offered what Hintzman describes as “a window into the mind and the life of a remarkable woman living in Edo Japan.” He was particularly struck by Takako’s subtle use of allusions to Heian-period poetry and narrative to quietly critique Edo-period political figures. He was also drawn to the challenge of crafting an English voice for a writer who, until now, had been unknown to English-speaking readers. Challenges He explained that one challenge in translation is balancing accurate rendering of the original with crafting an English version that captures the writer’s voice. He added, “Sometimes I had to move away from a perfectly literal translation to better convey what the text is doing overall.” Hintzman describes translation as a kind of magic. A successful translation, he says, is one that makes you feel like you’re in the presence of the writer—not just the translator. “When the magic trick works, you’re reading my English, but you also feel you’re encountering the voice of a woman who lived in another language, in another place, nearly two centuries ago.” This approach stood out to the judges, who offered glowing feedback on his work. They praised his creative translation choices, including his handling of subtle wordplay in one of Iseki Takako’s poems involving the word tatsu, which means both “to rise up” and “dragon” in Japanese. Hintzman crafted an English-language poem that plays on “dragon” and “drag on,” a clever way to reproduce some of the characteristic effects of Japanese poetry in English. Recognition and looking ahead Hintzman received the award in Tokyo, Japan on February 12, as part of the Japan International Literary Forum, where he met the judges, Japanese government officials and fellow translators. Before joining the Hamilton Lugar School, Hintzman spent a year in Tokyo as a visiting research fellow at Waseda University. At the Hamilton Lugar School, he is currently teaching courses in Japanese literature, where he has used Iseki Takako’s diary to show students how early modern writers reimagined and reused classical poetry and narratives. He encourages students to dive deeper into distant cultures, immersing themselves in specific traditions while also drawing connections to their own experiences—in other words, working to translate across time and space. About the author: Prakriti Khurana is a senior majoring in Finance and Business Analytics at the Kelley School of Business. https://news.iu.edu/hamiltonlugar/live/news/49163-the-magic-of-translation-ryan-hintzmans #Metaglossia #metaglossia_mundus #métaglossie
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
"Pour ceux qui ont regardé le célèbre film ''Black Panther'', une scène avait marqué certains esprits. Dans cette production cinématographique, on voit que le Wakanda, cette puissance imaginaire utilise une forme d'écriture jusque-là inconnue du grand public.
Depuis, beaucoup ont cherché à en savoir davantage sur le nsibidi, ce système graphique africain qui apparaît dans le film du réalisateur américain.
Originaire du Nigeria, le nsibidi fait partie des écritures anciennes du continent, dont l'existence remonte à bien avant les premiers contacts avec les Européens.
Dans cet article, nous vous proposons de redécouvrir cinq anciennes écritures africaines, des alphabets et systèmes symboliques endogènes. Nous explorerons leur rôle social et spirituel, ainsi que la manière dont ces formes d'écriture inspirent aujourd'hui artistes, linguistes et créateurs du continent.
Une plongée dans un patrimoine graphique qui bouscule les idées reçues sur l'histoire de l'écriture, et sur une Afrique trop souvent décrite comme un continent exclusivement tourné vers l'oralité.
Pendant longtemps, on a appris à l'école que la civilisation orale africaine constituait le seul système ancestral de transmission des savoirs, de l'histoire et des valeurs morales. Selon cette idée reçue, les peuples africains n'auraient découvert l'écriture qu'à partir de leur contact avec les Européens et l'alphabet latin.
En réalité, de l'Éthiopie à l'est jusqu'au Liberia à l'ouest, des recherches menées depuis plusieurs décennies ont mis au jour des systèmes d'écriture endogènes, développés par des peuples autochtones sans influence extérieure.
Si le cas des hiéroglyphes de l'Égypte ancienne ne fait plus débat, cet article s'intéresse à d'autres formes d'écriture — graphiques, symboliques ou phonétiques — telles que le tifinagh des Touaregs, le nsibidi du Nigeria et du Cameroun, le Vai du Liberia et de la Sierra Leone, ou encore les Adinkra du Ghana.
Ces différents systèmes constituent des preuves matérielles d'une longue tradition de communication écrite chez plusieurs peuples du continent.
Augustin Ndione, Directeur de recherches assimilé en linguistique au Centre de linguistique de Dakar (CLAD) à l'Université Cheikh Anta Diop — et chercheur associé au Laboratoire ligérien de linguistique (UMR 7270, CNRS, Université de Tours) — tient à rétablir les faits :
« C'est une idée reçue, totalement fausse, de croire que les Africains ont découvert l'écriture avec l'arrivée des Européens. »
Selon le linguiste, les premiers écrits produits en Afrique sur des langues africaines et par des Africains n'étaient pas rédigés en caractères latins, mais dans d'autres systèmes graphiques.
Dans plusieurs régions du continent, les recherches ont révélé une diversité de systèmes d'écriture, adaptés aux cultures et aux environnements des peuples qui les ont créés.
Qu'elles soient idéographiques (représentant des idées), syllabiques (représentant des syllabes) ou alphabétiques, ces formes d'écriture témoignent de l'existence, dans de nombreuses sociétés africaines, d'une longue et riche tradition de communication écrite, bien antérieure à la colonisation européenne.
Rôle social, culturel et spirituel de ces écritures africaines
Les différentes écritures anciennes africaines présentaient une grande diversité dans leurs usages, estime le linguiste sénégalais.
« Quand on regarde le contenu de ces textes-là, on se rend compte qu'il existait, par exemple, une transmission historique, avec des généalogies et des éloges funèbres », explique Augustin Ndione.
« On y retrouvait également des poèmes, des polémiques, des contestations, des biographies, des éloges funèbres, des généalogies ou encore des textes à vocation talismanique », poursuit-il.
Selon lui, ces textes ont joué pendant longtemps un rôle social important, car ils ont permis des formes d'échanges culturels au sein des sociétés concernées. Le chercheur en linguistique précise qu'il existait également des manuels médicaux, des journaux familiaux et des documents de transactions commerciales.
Au Nigeria, par exemple, le nsibidi est utilisé dans la décoration murale et sur certains objets de la vie quotidienne tels que les calebasses, les épées ou les ustensiles métalliques. Il existerait même une version sacrée de cette écriture, employée par la société secrète appelée Ngbe ou Egbo, présente dans la région de Cross River où ce système graphique a été identifié.
Les motifs Adinkra, un système d'écriture symbolique originaire du Ghana, sont souvent utilisés sur les textiles. On les retrouve désormais de plus en plus dans l'architecture moderne : bâtiments publics, monuments, façades décorées. Il n'est pas rare, dans ce pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest, de voir des édifices contemporains arborer ces symboles ancestraux.
Quant au tifinagh berbère, ses caractères servent à décorer les bijoux des femmes et les armes des hommes, ainsi qu'à écrire de courts textes ou des poèmes d'amour. Dans la culture touareg, le tifinagh fonctionne également comme un code dans différentes situations : jeux d'enfants, messages entre amoureux, pratiques pédagogiques, etc.
Sources inspirantes pour les acteurs culturels et les chercheurs
Que ce soient des vêtements, des objets d'arts, des décorations murales, ces formes d'écriture reviennent en force auprès des créateurs africains.
L'utilisation de ces écritures dans les créations artistiques que ce soit à travers les objets d'art, les productions cinématographique, le textile tout cela constitue un retour vers l'authenticité selon Augustin NDIONE.
''Aujourd'hui, c'est une forme de dynamique de ressources, de retour vers les sources, vers l'authenticité, vers quelque chose qui semble être propre à une communauté'' dit-il.
''C'est quelque chose qui semble être une logique de réappropriation de son histoire'', estime-t-il.
''C'est une réappropriation de l'histoire dans le sens où on montre quelque part quelque chose qui est une richesse aujourd'hui perdue et qu'il faut la retrouver, que les Africains ont su écrire il y a deux, trois siècles en utilisant les caractères qui leurs sont propres''.
Le fait que ces designers, architectes, artisans utilisent ces symboles contribue à promouvoir non seulement l'identité culturelle et une fierté africaine mais cela participe à la construction d'une identité nationale a t-il poursuivi.
Voici cinq systèmes d'écritures anciens africains parmi tant d'autres qui ont existé bien avant le contact avec les européens.
Nsibidi du Nigeria
Il a retrouvé un regain de popularité après son apparition dans le film Black Panther. Le Nsibidi est une écriture ancienne originaire du Nigeria. Il daterait des IVᵉ‑Vᵉ siècles, donc bien avant les premiers contacts avec les Européens. Il s'agit d'un système pictographique et idéographique, né dans la région du Cross River, où les plus anciennes traces ont été découvertes sur un site archéologique situé au centre de Calabar.
Les symboles Nsibidi représentent des concepts tels que l'amour, la guerre, le jugement, la fertilité, etc. Cette capacité à condenser des idées complexes en signes graphiques en fait un langage visuel d'une grande profondeur.
Historiquement, les symboles Nsibidi étaient principalement utilisés par les sociétés secrètes Ekpe, des confréries qui régulaient la vie sociale, politique et spirituelle des communautés Efik, Ibibio, Igbo et Ekoi.
La transmission du Nsibidi obéissait à un parcours initiatique rigoureux.
Les néophytes débutaient par les signes publics — ceux visibles sur les tissus, les poteries ou les murs. Puis, au fur et à mesure de leur ascension dans la hiérarchie, ils accédaient aux symboles ésotériques, réservés aux rituels, aux jugements secrets et aux délibérations des sociétés initiatiques.
L'existence de ce système d'écriture est mentionnée par des missionnaires britanniques au début du XXᵉ siècle. En 1904, Thomas Doveton Maxwell, commissaire de district à Calabar, en publie la première description. Le révérend J. K. MacGregor rapporte ensuite 24 signes traduits en 1909, suivi en 1911 par Elphinstone Dayrell (lui aussi commissaire de district), puis en 1912 par le botaniste et anthropologue Percy Amaury Talbot.
Vai du Liberia
C'est au Liberia, dans ce petit pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest — ou plus précisément dans une zone géographique et culturelle située entre le Liberia et la Sierra Leone — que le syllabaire Vai a vu le jour entre 1833 et 1836.
L'écriture Vai, l'une des plus anciennes et des plus pérennes du continent, s'est diffusée au Liberia et en Sierra Leone. Elle aurait été créée par Momolu Duwalu Bukele.
Le système Vai est un syllabaire, c'est‑à‑dire un ensemble de signes représentant les syllabes et morphèmes de la langue Vai, une langue mandée parlée par plusieurs centaines de milliers de personnes en Afrique de l'Ouest.
Dans sa forme standard actuelle, l'écriture Vai compte environ 212 caractères et s'écrit de gauche à droite.
Tifinagh berbère
Le tifinagh est un système d'écriture associé aux communautés berbères. Né en Afrique du Nord, cet ancien alphabet est utilisé jusqu'à nos jours.
Connu depuis l'Antiquité, son aire géographique s'est considérablement réduite au fil du temps. L'ancien tifinagh — parfois appelé libyque — s'étendait autrefois d'un territoire allant de la Méditerranée jusqu'au sud du Niger, et des îles Canaries jusqu'à l'oasis de Siwa, en Égypte.
Ce système d'écriture a été principalement préservé par les Touaregs, qui, pendant des siècles, en ont assuré la transmission et l'usage.
Après une longue histoire, cette écriture a fait l'objet d'une modernisation, notamment au Maroc, où une version adaptée a été adoptée pour un usage contemporain. Certains signes traditionnels — notamment les caractères composés de points — ont été remplacés ou simplifiés, donnant naissance à l'alphabet néo‑tifinagh.
Le Lybico-Berbère
Née il y a près de 2 000 ans en Afrique du Nord, et probablement développée par les Berbères, cette écriture plonge ses racines dans les traditions graphiques égyptiennes et phéniciennes.
Le libyco-berbère est un système d'écriture utilisé pour transcrire les langues indigènes de l'Afrique nord‑occidentale — des îles Canaries à la Libye actuelle — durant l'Antiquité. Il s'agit d'un alphabet consonantique (ou abjad), à l'exception d'un signe permettant de marquer certaines voyelles en fin de mot.
L'écriture libyco‑berbère est tombée en désuétude avant l'arrivée des Arabes dans la région. Cependant, une variante saharienne a survécu et a donné naissance à diverses formes de tifinagh, utilisées par les Berbères et, plus particulièrement, par certains groupes touaregs.
Adinkra-Ghana
C'est au Ghana, au sein des peuples Akan — présents principalement dans ce pays et en Côte d'Ivoire — que sont nés les symboles Adinkra. Les caractères de ce système graphique comptent parmi les trésors culturels les plus durables de l'Afrique de l'Ouest.
Les symboles Adinkra constituent un langage visuel porteur de philosophie, de spiritualité et de valeurs sociales.
Autrefois utilisés principalement sur les vêtements portés lors des funérailles, ils se retrouvent aujourd'hui dans l'architecture, la décoration, la mode et l'économie créative au Ghana et dans toute l'Afrique de l'Ouest.
De nombreux créateurs — designers, artistes et artisans — utilisent désormais ces symboles sur des vêtements, des bijoux, mais aussi sur des objets de poterie et d'artisanat."
Abdou Aziz Diédhiou
BBC News Afrique
27 février 2026 https://share.google/51552aLWUFPmemCOw
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
An international team proposes replacing Hockett’s feature checklist with a model of language as a dynamic, multimodal, and socially evolving system.
"The End of Language As We Know It? Scientists Challenge 60 Years of Linguistic Research
A new interdisciplinary study argues that one of linguistics’ most influential frameworks needs a major update. Drawing on research in sign languages, animal communication, cultural evolution, and artificial intelligence, the authors challenge the idea of language as a static set of uniquely human design features.
An international team proposes replacing Hockett’s feature checklist with a model of language as a dynamic, multimodal, and socially evolving system.
For more than sixty years, Charles Hockett’s ‘design features’ have been widely used as a framework for defining what distinguishes human language from other forms of communication. These features were long treated as a checklist of properties that set language apart.
However, a new study published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences argues that this traditional view is no longer sufficient. The researchers contend that language cannot be captured by a fixed inventory of traits, but is better understood as a flexible system shaped by social interaction, situational context, and human creativity.
Paradigm shift for language science
In a new reassessment of Hockett’s classic “design features” of language—ideas such as arbitrariness, duality of patterning, and displacement—an international team of linguists and cognitive scientists argues that current research requires a fundamental rethink of what language is and how it evolved.
Their central claim is clear: language is not merely a spoken code. Instead, it is a dynamic, multimodal, socially grounded system shaped through interaction, culture, and shared meaning.
Over the last several decades, scientific discoveries have dramatically expanded our understanding of communication. Language is no longer viewed as something confined to speech. Sign languages used by deaf communities are fully developed linguistic systems, and tactile systems such as Protactile—used by DeafBlind signers in the northwest USA—demonstrate that language can also be conveyed through touch.
Research has also reshaped views of animal communication. Dolphins use distinctive signature whistles, birds produce songs with syntax-like organization, and apes communicate intentionally through context-sensitive gestures. At the same time, the emergence of generative AI has raised new questions about whether language is limited to biological minds at all.
“This isn’t about discarding Hockett,” says Dr. Michael Pleyer, lead author and researcher at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. “It’s about updating him. His framework was revolutionary in 1960 – but science has moved on. Today, we see that features once thought uniquely human—like productivity (the ability to create an infinite number of sentences), displacement (the ability to talk about things not in the here and now), and even recursive structure (the ability to embed sentences within sentences)—are also found to some extent in animal communication. The real story isn’t about what separates us from other species. It’s about how language, in all its complexity, connects us.”
The interdisciplinary team Pleyer, Perlman, Lupyan, de Reus, and Raviv (2025) proposes a new direction for language science. Rather than treating language as a checklist of defining traits, they describe it as a living, adaptive system shaped by multimodality, social interaction, and cultural evolution.
Credit: Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
Beyond the List: A New Vision of Language
The researchers highlight three major developments that are reshaping linguistic theory and moving it beyond a static feature list.
1. Multimodality and semiotic diversity
Language is not restricted to spoken words. Signed languages function on equal footing with spoken languages, and gestures and facial expressions are integral to everyday communication rather than secondary additions. Furthermore, language is not purely arbitrary.
Iconicity—where form resembles meaning—plays an essential role. Examples include imitative gestures, sound-symbolic words such as ‘buzz’ and ‘crash’, a stretched pronunciation like ‘slooooow’, and even emoji in digital text. This flexibility allows humans to transform almost any behavior into a communicative signal.
2. Language as social and functional
Communication is not simply the transfer of coded information. It involves people building shared meaning within specific contexts. A phrase such as ‘Isn’t that Tom’s bike?’ might signal ‘Let’s meet here’ or ‘Let’s avoid this place,’ depending on shared history and relationships.
Language also conveys identity, sometimes unintentionally, through features such as accent or dialect. It can foster solidarity or create distance. At the same time, language influences cognition; for instance, acquiring a new color term can sharpen a person’s ability to distinguish shades.
3. Language as an adaptive, evolving system
Key properties of language, including productivity and compositional structure, do not simply exist in isolation. They emerge through repeated social interaction and cultural transmission across different timescales, from moment-to-moment exchanges to changes unfolding across generations.
Languages adapt to their social environments, and variations in community structure contribute to the remarkable diversity seen across the world’s languages.
Societal relevance
These insights arrive at a time of major change. Sign languages are increasingly recognized as fully complex languages equal to spoken ones. Animal communication research continues to reveal structured signaling systems involving context, intention, and innovation across birds, dolphins, primates, and even insects. Meanwhile, generative AI systems challenge assumptions about who or what can produce language.
Co-author Dr. Marcus Perlman from the University of Birmingham explains, “The last few decades have been an exciting time for linguistics, especially for those of us interested in the origins of human language. Language scientists today know about lots of stuff that was mostly obscure to scientists back then – for example, huge advances in our understanding of sign languages and now tactile signing systems, and recently, the advent of large language models like ChatGPT. It makes sense that linguistic theory would require a major update.”
The study also carries clear implications for society and education. In particular, it:
Questions traditional textbook accounts that reduce language to spoken words.
Recognizes sign languages and non-speech forms of communication as fully legitimate linguistic systems, supporting greater inclusion and equity.
Provides teachers and educators with an updated framework for discussing language evolution, communication, and cognition in the classroom.
“Language is not a static thing,” adds senior author Dr. Limor Raviv from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. “It’s a dynamic, embodied, and deeply social act, which is flexible in form, function, and evolution. When we accept that, we see not just what makes us human—but how we are in fact connected to the wider story of animal communication.”
About the study
The research draws together decades of work from linguistics, cognitive science, animal behavior, and neuroscience. It builds on prior analyses, including a 2022 study showing that Hockett’s design features continue to dominate introductory textbooks, even though growing empirical evidence suggests they no longer provide a complete account of language."
By Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsFebruary 26, 2026
https://scitechdaily.com/the-end-of-language-as-we-know-it-scientists-challenge-60-years-of-linguistic-research/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
"Marshall University will present a discussion with Megan McDowell, “At the Limits of Language: Creativity in Translational Problems,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5, in the Drinko Library Atrium, which is located on the library’s third floor. It is free and open to all.
McDowell has translated works of many important Latin American writers working today, including Samanta Schweblin, Mariana Enriquez, and Alejandro Zambra.
Her translations have won the National Book Award for Translated Literature, the English PEN award, the Premio Valle-Inclán, and two O. Henry Prizes, and have been nominated for the International Booker Prize (four times) and the Kirkus Prize. Her short story translations have been featured in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The New York Times Magazine, Tin House, McSweeney’s, and Granta, among others. In 2020 she won an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
She is from Richmond, Kentucky, and lives in Santiago, Chile.
“Megan is one of the most highly regarded translators of Latin American literature working today,” said Daniel O’Malley, associate professor of English and co-director of the Herd Humanities program. “She’s responsible for making so many acclaimed, innovative, exciting contemporary voices available in English. For me personally, seeing her name on a book works like an endorsement or a seal of approval — if Megan finds this writer compelling, then absolutely they are worth your time.
“It can feel daunting sometimes to navigate the world of literature beyond your own native language, so having Megan talk about that experience is sure to be insightful.”
All are welcome to her presentation, which is sponsored by Herd Humanities, The John Deaver Drinko Academy, Marshall Libraries, and The Honors College at Marshall University.
“For our students, this is a wonderful opportunity to hear from someone who is not only an internationally acclaimed translator but also a native of Appalachia,” O’Malley said. “She has the experience to help students — or anyone — see ways to build a life around their passions for language and literature.”"
https://www.marshall.edu/news/2026/02/marshall-to-host-literary-translator-megan-mcdowell/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
"The planned transition to full Latvian-language education in all Latvian schools is being hindered by a shortage of suitably qualified specialist teachers, reports Latvian Radio.
Both the state and local governments have allocated additional funding for the transition to Latvian-only instruction, for example, for individual work with students whose Latvian needs to be improved. Data shows that schools have not been able to spend the allocated money because there is a lack of specialists to hire.
From the autumn of 2023, classes 1, 4, and 7 switched to teaching only in Latvian, which is the only official state language in Latvia. A year later, classes 2, 5, and 8 followed, and a year later, classes 3, 6, and 9 followed. Obviously, subjects such as modern languages can still be taught in the relevant languages, but in other subjects the switch to Latvian-only was a large undertaking for so-called 'minority' schools which previously taught core curriculum subjects in other languages – most commonly Russian.
Since the transition to a unified system began, the state has allocated an additional three to four million euros to schools every year. In the last school year, the state transferred more than 3.3 million euros to local governments so that they could pay teachers and support specialists additionally for their work in classes where students have different levels of knowledge of the state language. However, around a quarter of that amount – almost 800 thousand euros – remain unused.
Rolands Ozols, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Science, said: "[Schools] were able to attract speech therapists, they were able to attract teaching assistants to work, they were able to attract and use funding for extended day groups. What we see in practice is that the percentage of funding attracted is on average between 60% and 70%. We have to take into account that there are very large vacancies for support staff even now."
Ozols admitted that the money is not being spent because there is a lack of suitable specialists.
School principals confirm Ozols' statement. Principal of Riga Secondary School No. 40, Jelena Vediščeva, said:
"In the first year, we only managed to spend 30% of it. It really was because the first year was the hardest to attract support staff. And this year, we have spent practically all of the allocated funding."
So this school has gradually managed to find the necessary specialists. However, the situation overall has not improved.
Nataļja Rogaļeva, principal of Riga Secondary School No. 34, said:
"There is money to pay them, but we don't see these people. These people are not there, there are no Latvian language teachers, and that is a bigger problem. Now, I think this is problem number one: human resources."
She pointed out that money alone cannot solve human resource problems in schools.
How to solve the staff shortage? Ozols replied that the problem is systemic, and competition in the labour market is to blame. Both he and Rogaļeva argue: the prestige of teachers must be raised, then there will no longer be such a shortage of educators.
Most schools have been able to pay for the work of teaching assistants, as this role is taken on by teachers who have part-time jobs or who have left a full-time teaching position. However, there is a particular shortage of speech therapists and special educators.
Olga Grigorjeva, a first-grade teacher at Riga's Daugavgrīva Primary School, believes that there should also be more teaching assistants, because it is difficult for one person to help two or three children with different problems at the same time.
Currently, there is one teaching assistant in Grigorjeva's class, but there should be at least two.
Riga City Council has allocated approximately four million euros from this year's budget to schools and pre-schools in the capital to support their transition to teaching only in Latvian. Anita Pēterkopa, Head of the Riga City Council's General Education Schools Department, spoke about the use and distribution of this funding:
"The funding, of course, was also distributed among educational institutions based on the number of students. So the formula was: the more children there are, the total number of children in the school, the more money. Then the school itself thought about what they could use this money for, but the use of this money was, of course, coordinated at the department level."
The Riga Municipality has also allocated funding to train new teaching assistants.
Latvian language courses are in demand among teachers
Another form of state and local government support for schools and teachers is a course in which teachers learn the methodology of working in Latvian in classrooms where children have different native languages. Many such courses have been organized by the Latvian Language Agency. Both the agency and the ministry indicate that thousands of teachers have attended the courses and they are still being held.
Last year alone, 2,506 school employees received certificates for completing various courses for work in a linguistically heterogeneous environment. Ērika Pičukāne of the Education Department of the Latvian Language Agency said that teachers are very interested in the courses. For example, as the role of teacher assistants is increasing, courses on cooperation between teachers and their assistants are expected soon. 57 interested parties applied for them in one day and registration is closed. It has become clear that more such courses will have to be held.
Agency representatives also regularly visit schools to provide consultations on problems specific to each educational institution and how to work with new teaching materials.
"A new book, for example, "First Step," which is intended for children who don't speak Latvian. There are still [those] in schools. Maybe they have extra lessons. [We tell teachers] how to work with this tool or how to use this teaching tool if [the teacher] has different children in the classroom," said Pičukāne.
Ozols provided an insight into some of the course content: "We have also had webinars for pre-school teachers, where specialists have explained how language acquisition occurs, what steps it takes, and what are the stages of difficulty that need to be overcome in language acquisition."
School director Rogaļeva commented on the courses: "It is quite a big ask for teachers to learn in various methodological courses how to teach in a linguistically heterogeneous environment. Of course, the only way to learn how to work better is to practice different methods, try something new, and constantly look for new approaches. However, in such a big, global change, we are still rather groping a little for how to act better."
Various teaching materials available for schools
The ministry and the Latvian Language Agency deny that there is a shortage of teaching materials for the transition to teaching in Latvian, though the institutions admit that teachers sometimes lack information about everything available.
Olga Grigorjeva, the teacher at Riga Daugavgrīva Primary School, said: "I think I would like printed support material specifically for children, because they perceive visually very well, and then there would be more that could be shown to children visually."
Pičukāne from the agency pointed out that former minority schools can also use teaching materials that are intended, for example, for re-emigrants [Latvians returning home after spending years abroad], because these children also need to improve their Latvian language skills.
At the request of teachers, dictionaries of terms in different subjects have been created, as well as teaching materials for teachers to improve their Latvian language.
Schools are also starting to implement the European Union-co-financed project "School in the Community", which also includes various activities that can be used to improve students' Latvian language skills. For example, there are almost nine million euros that can be used for both subject consultations and other types of consultative support. Almost 3.5 million euros are intended to promote reading literacy for students in grades one to three. The ministry has also concluded that students in grades seven to nine should be offered non-formal education in Latvian, especially in order to encourage them to speak Latvian outside of the school environment. Funding from this project is also provided for this.
However, it should be noted that the primary goal of this project is to provide support to children and young people at risk of social exclusion and early school leaving. Moreover, the funding mentioned is not for one year, but for several, as the project lasts until 2029.
Case study: Riga Secondary School No. 34
Riga Secondary School No. 34 shared data on how additional funding for the implementation of the "Unified School" from the Riga City Council is being spent.
A total of 85,000 euros have been allocated for the 2025/2026 academic year. It will be spent on:
reading lessons for students in grades 1 to 4 – 32 lessons per month in small groups so that children can read Latvian, understand the text and answer questions;
increased funding for a speech therapist.
two five-day camps for elementary school students during the March break, where each day they will learn a specific topic in Latvian. A psychologist will also work at the camps to encourage speaking Latvian;
Future first-graders will have a three-week camp in August, where they will learn Latvian language concepts necessary for school. 30 children will participate in each camp;
individual consultations for students in grades 5 to 8 whose Latvian language level is very low;
developing methodological materials that can be used by all teachers working in a linguistically heterogeneous environment;
purchases of children's and teenage magazines in Latvian;
hiring four more teaching assistants.
In total, support will be provided to around 500 students. The school has more than 1,200 students in total."
Authors: Ilze Kuzmina (Latvijas Radio Ziņu dienesta korespondente)
https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/education/27.02.2026-lack-of-suitable-specialists-hampers-transition-to-latvian-language-education.a636656/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
"Get more context and understand translations more deeply with new AI-powered updates in Translate.
Finding the right words just got easier. Today, we’re introducing new AI-powered features in Google Translate designed to help you nail the tone of any conversation — from informal hangouts to professional meetings — when it matters most.
Thanks to Gemini’s rich multilingual capabilities, Translate now offers helpful alternatives, which is especially useful for translating idioms and more colloquial phrases. So if you’re looking for more options to convey a phrase like “It’s raining cats and dogs,” you’ll see clear tips on when and why to use different expressions so you pinpoint the right phrasing for your conversation.
To explore the nuances behind each option, tap “understand” for a helpful overview, or “ask” to follow up with questions about your specific scenario — like ways of saying something in a particular country or dialect. Try out this new experience today in the U.S. and India on the Translate app (Android and iOS) and coming soon to the web."
By Matt Sheets | Product Manager
Feb 26, 2026
https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/translate/translation-context-ai-update/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
Dutch writers, journalists, and translators have issued an injunction to Meta on Friday, demanding that the company behind Facebook and Instagram stop using their work to train its AI models
"The associations representing Dutch writers, journalists, and translators have issued an injunction to Meta on Friday, demanding that the company behind Facebook and Instagram stop using their work to train its AI models. If Meta doesn’t respond, the Dutch Association of Journalists (NVJ), the Authors’ Union, and copyright organization Lira will consider a lawsuit, they told the Financieele Dagblad.
A case against Meta in the United States established that Meta uses shadow libraries - illegal online collections of millions of books, like LibGen and Anna’s Archive - to train its AI language model, Lama. These are also known to contain Dutch-language material, prompting the injunction by the writers’ representatives.
They ultimately hope to agree on a collective compensation scheme with Meta and other tech companies.
“Without our work, there would be no AI,” Thomas Bruning of the NVJ told FD. “Fair compensation is desperately needed to allow journalists, writers, and translators to continue doing their work.
“We’re not against AI models,” Hanneke Verschuur of Lira told the newspaper. “But it can’t be right for companies that are expected to earn billions to do so while simultaneously undermining the economic and creative position of their creators.”
Writers must be compensated if you use their work. “For that, we first need transparency. We want to know exactly what has been used and what the underlying revenue models are.” Once they have that data, they can figure out fair compensation.
There have been many copyright lawsuits against AI companies since ChatGPT launched at the end of 2022. Their outcomes have been inconclusive. Last year, Meta won a U.S. lawsuit when a court ruled that its use of copyrighted work for AI training was justified in the specific case treated. In the Meta case, the judge explicitly said that in most cases, authors with a more substantiated claim for market damage would win. "
https://nltimes.nl/2026/02/27/dutch-writers-journalists-demand-meta-stop-using-work-train-its-ai
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
"The Process Is the Art: Ellie Alexander on Drafting and Creativity in the AI Era
Why the uncertain, human journey of crafting matters in a sea of artificial slop
February 25, 2026 By Ellie Alexander
via Minotaur
If you’re like me, I’m sure there’s no way you’re avoiding seeing the AI slop that seems to have seeped into every nook and cranny of the internet these days. Whether it’s scrolling through social media, searching for a reference online, or God-forbid the algorithm suggesting a new read that is clearly one-hundred percent AI-generated, it’s everywhere. It’s inescapable and insidious.
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But look, this piece isn’t going to be a deep dive into the pros (are there any?) and cons (so, so many) of large language models serving up “creativity.” What it is going to be is a reminder that the process of creating and writing is the art. Repeat that with me: the process is the art.
There is a certain kind of magic and discovery that happens when you’re slogging through the hard parts, tearing out your hair strand by strand, begging imaginary characters taking up space in your head to say anything, fighting with yourself over plots, deleting a beloved scene that took you hours to write, or working your way through tedious copyedits.
My process has been the same for every book I’ve written in the last fifteen years of my professional career. Sure, some things have gotten easier with time and practice, but mainly, the gift of writing over forty-five mysteries is that now I trust the process.
I know, without a shred of doubt, that there will be rough patches and stumbling blocks. I’m acutely aware that at some point the suspect that I’ve been convinced must be the killer will do something surprising. They’ll go off script and serve up a plot twist that I didn’t even see coming. That’s the magic! That’s the art.
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In this age of AI, I think we’re going to see a return to the process. I’m obsessed with watching baking videos of pastry chefs walking me through a new recipe, from softening butter to pulling a glorious batch of golden snickerdoodles out of the oven. I love seeing bakers coated in flour and their hands sticky from rolling the dough. I appreciate it when they share the flops—the cookies that didn’t rise or the ones that were left in the oven a few minutes too long and burned to a crisp.
There is nothing that brings me more joy than a soothing painting video, seeing a blank canvas fill up with soft patterns and pretty pastel watercolors. I mean, there’s a reason Bob Ross still has a cult following all these years later, right? I always do a little happy dance when my editor sends me the early sketches of a cover design, pencil drawings that eventually become the coziest, most colorful books and spines.
When it comes to writing, though, it’s so much harder to show the process. For me, every book begins with a ten-to-twelve-page outline that I handwrite in pencil because inevitably things change as the plot starts to take shape.
I start with the body and the crime scene. Who is our poor, unsuspecting victim, and what did they do to put themselves in harm’s way? Then I craft my list of suspects (usually about five—too many and it’s confusing to track who’s who, too few and it’s too easy to guess whodunit). I give every suspect a viable motive for wanting the victim dead, plenty of secrets and lies, shady behavior, and unreliable alibis.
Next, I map out the suspects’ connection to my sleuth. Have they met for the first time? Or are they a beloved member of the community who has obviously been wrongly accused? Once that’s complete, I put together a blueprint for murder that serves as my writing guide as I go. This stage is fun and highly visual. My blueprint is like my own Sherlock murder board, complete with coffee stains and so many different threads to track.
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But then it’s on to word count—the daily grind of starting with a blank page and eventually ending up with a rough draft. It’s me, in my office, pounding away on the keyboard day after day. Two thousand, three thousand, four thousand words a day for a month, six weeks, or sometimes even a bit longer until I have the bones of the mystery on the page.
It’s not sexy. It’s not glamorous. It’s a lot of me talking to myself and scribbling notes for things I want to fix in the next pass in a journal.
But mixed in with the routine and finding my way through a story are those incredible twists and turns. A new character appears on the scene. Someone discovers their voice for the first time. Or a piece of the puzzle that just wasn’t fitting finally slips into place. It’s some kind of strange alchemy that I can never explain and yet always happens.
After I’ve fumbled my way through a messy first draft, I walk away from the book for a while. I let it sit and marinate like fine wine, then come back to it with fresh eyes. This phase of editing comes with its own set of challenges.
Now word choice matters. I agonize over descriptions. Is buttery sunlight spilling into the kitchen? Or is it tangerine with a soft golden glow? This is where surgery happens, deep cuts, tiny incisions, sutures. Every layer, every pass brings the story to life. Nothing is left dangling. There’s completion and closure.
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And then it’s off to my editor. So many people touch the book and make it better during this phase. Developmental edits, copy edits, page proofs, and advanced reader copies, bit by bit, the book gets closer to being done, or at least as done as it can or ever will be.
Here’s the thing I’ve learned about human creativity. Writing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. A fully fleshed-out story and a prompt fed into a large language model will never read the same. Creation is its own unique, messy, mystical process. And that, in my humble opinion, is art in its purest form."
https://crimereads.com/drafting-creativity-ai-ellie-alexander/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
"Google Translate is getting an update that offers helpful alternatives to phrases, idioms, and colloquialisms.
Tapping on “Understand” provides a detailed overview, and the “Ask” button lets you ask follow-up questions.
The update is rolling out today for users in the US and India.
Every language has common sayings, like break a leg, bite the bullet, and beat around the bush. While these idioms may make sense to you, they may not make sense to someone else who speaks a different language. To solve this problem, Google is rolling out an update to the Translate app that will help you find the right idioms and colloquialisms.
Google Translate will now be able to help you find the right tone for your conversation. Through an update that’s rolling out today, the app will start offering a list of alternatives for phrases with the help of Gemini. When you tap on the arrow to the right, you’ll see tips on when and why to use a different expression. This can be particularly helpful for idioms and colloquialisms.
You’ll also be able to take that help further by using the “Understand” and “Ask” buttons. Tapping on Understand will provide a detailed overview to answer questions you may have. Meanwhile, the Ask option will allow you to ask follow-up questions if you want to know more.
This update is available for Google Translate users in the US and India on Android and iOS. Google says that the experience will also arrive on the web soon. The company did not say if or when it plans to expand this experience to other countries."
By Ryan McNeal
February 26, 2026
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-translate-alternative-phrases-3644783/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
"40,000-Year-Old Stone Age Symbols May Be a Precursor to Written Language
Learn how researchers analyzed 3,000 Paleolithic symbols to uncover structured information comparable to early writing systems.
Geometric marks carved into Paleolithic tools and figurines were not random decoration. A new computational analysis shows that Ice Age humans used these repeated sequences of dots, lines, and notches to encode information.
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers examined more than 3,000 signs found on 260 objects dating between 34,000 and 45,000 years ago and found that the sequences follow consistent statistical patterns. Their informational structure is comparable to early proto-cuneiform tablets (some of the earliest known writing records from ancient Mesopotamia) — not because they represent spoken language, but because they share similar levels of repetition and predictability.
"Our research is helping us uncover the unique statistical properties — or statistical fingerprint — of these sign systems, which are an early predecessor to writing," Professor Christian Bentz of Saarland University said in a press release.
Measuring the Structure of Stone Age Symbols
Many of the marked objects come from caves in Germany’s Swabian Jura, though similar carvings appear on Paleolithic artefacts across Europe. The items, ivory figurines, tools, and carved objects, often display repeated rows of dots, crosses, and notches arranged at regular intervals.
Rather than trying to interpret the symbols' meanings, the researchers focused on how they were organized. Bentz and archaeologist Ewa Dutkiewicz assembled a digital database of more than 3,000 signs drawn from museum collections across Europe.
They then analyzed how frequently individual symbols appeared, how signs were grouped together, and how predictable each sequence was. The goal was not to decipher the carvings, but to understand the statistical structure underlying them.
Comparable to Early Writing Systems
To assess structure, the team measured entropy, a statistical estimate of how much information a sequence can carry. Highly unpredictable systems have high entropy; highly repetitive ones have lower entropy.
The Paleolithic signs sit somewhere in between. They repeat frequently — cross, cross, cross; line, line, line — but not randomly. That kind of repetition is not typical of modern writing systems, which represent spoken language and tend to show greater variation between symbols.
When compared to proto-cuneiform, however, the resemblance becomes clear. Proto-cuneiform, which emerged roughly 40,000 years later, also relied heavily on repeated symbols and did not yet encode spoken language directly. Its statistical structure closely mirrors the much older Paleolithic sequences.
The major structural shift came only about 5,000 years ago, when writing systems began representing speech. That transition introduced a very different pattern — one with less repetition and higher informational density.
The analysis also revealed variation within the Paleolithic material itself. Figurines tend to show higher informational density than tools, suggesting that some objects carried more complex sequences than others.
A Long History of Encoding
The artefacts date to a period when Homo sapiens had recently spread into Europe and were encountering Neanderthals. Anatomically and cognitively, these early humans were much like us.
“They were highly skilled craftspeople. You are able to see that they carried the objects with them. A lot of the objects fit right in the palm of your hand. That is another way in which the objects are similar to proto-cuneiform tablets,” archaeologist Ewa Dutkiewiczsaid said in the press release.
The analysis does not tell us precisely what these sequences recorded, but it makes clear that they were intentional and systematically arranged. The repeated marks were not a casual embellishment. They were placed in patterns that could be reproduced, recognized, and, presumably, understood within a community.
Seen this way, the carvings are part of a much longer story about how humans began organizing information visually, a process that unfolded gradually and took many forms before writing ever came to represent spoken language."
Written byAnastasia Scott
Feb 23, 2026, 10:30 PM
https://www.discovermagazine.com/40-000-year-old-stone-age-symbols-may-be-a-precursor-to-written-language-48726
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
"Translators USA
February 25, 2026
In our increasingly connected world, a language barrier can halt progress, complicate critical legal or medical discussions, and limit the reach of your virtual events. When on-site interpreters are too costly or simply unavailable, securing clear and accurate communication seems like a significant challenge. Fortunately, the solution is more accessible and efficient than ever: professional remote interpreting. This powerful service bridges geographical and linguistic divides, connecting you with expert, certified linguists instantly, regardless of location.
But with various platforms and service types available, choosing the right one is crucial. This complete guide is designed to provide that clarity. We will explore the what, why, and how of virtual language services, helping you understand the key differences between technologies like Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) and Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI). You will learn how to find a cost-effective solution, seamlessly integrate interpretation into any meeting, and ensure every participant can communicate with confidence and precision.
Key Takeaways
Understand the key differences between VRI, OPI, and RSI to select the most effective and cost-efficient solution for any business scenario.
Discover how using remote interpreters can significantly reduce costs, expand global reach, and provide instant access to specialized linguists.
Identify the simple technology and setup requirements needed to ensure a professional and seamless remote interpreting experience for all participants.
Gain a practical checklist of essential criteria to confidently vet and select a high-quality, reliable interpreting partner for your critical business needs.
Table of Contents
What is Remote Interpreting? A Modern Solution for Global Communication
Types of Remote Interpreting: VRI, OPI, and RSI Explained
The Business Advantage: Key Benefits of Using Remote Interpreters
Technology & Setup: What You Need for a Seamless Experience
How to Choose the Right Remote Interpreting Provider: A Checklist
What is Remote Interpreting? A Modern Solution for Global Communication
In today’s interconnected business landscape, clear communication across language barriers is non-negotiable. Remote interpreting is the professional service that bridges this gap, delivering expert language interpretation through secure technology platforms. Unlike traditional on-site interpreting, where an interpreter is physically present, this modern approach connects you with a certified linguist from anywhere in the world. This shift has become essential in a post-pandemic era dominated by virtual meetings, global teams, and the need for immediate, reliable communication.
To see how this technology works in a real-world setting, consider this overview:
Remote interpreting services are typically delivered through three primary methods. The most common are Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) and Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI). VRI allows for visual cues and face-to-face interaction via video, and you can learn more about what Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) is from foundational resources. The third method, Remote Simultaneous Interpreting (RSI), is a specialized solution for conferences and large-scale events, delivering real-time translation to multiple listeners.
Remote vs. On-Site Interpreting: Key Differences
Choosing between remote and on-site solutions depends on your specific needs. Remote services offer distinct advantages in flexibility and efficiency. Key differences include:
Location: The interpreter connects to your event virtually rather than being physically present, eliminating geographical barriers.
Cost: By removing travel, accommodation, and logistical expenses, remote options provide a highly cost-effective solution.
Accessibility: Gain immediate access to a global network of specialized and certified interpreters, even for rare languages.
Technology: Success relies on a stable internet connection and quality audio-visual equipment from all participants.
When is Remote Interpreting the Best Choice?
This flexible service is the ideal solution for numerous modern communication challenges. We recommend remote interpreting for:
Virtual Events: Perfect for corporate webinars, online training sessions, and international video conferences.
On-Demand Needs: Critical for situations requiring immediate language access, such as telehealth appointments or urgent legal consultations.
Specialized Languages: Connect with an expert interpreter for a rare dialect without the logistical burden of finding a local specialist.
Budget-Conscious Projects: An excellent choice when on-site interpreting is cost-prohibitive due to travel requirements.
Types of Remote Interpreting: VRI, OPI, and RSI Explained
Choosing the right remote interpreting service is critical for clear and effective communication. The technology and format must match the complexity and context of your event, as each modality serves a distinct purpose. Understanding the differences between Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI), and Remote Simultaneous Interpreting (RSI) ensures your message is delivered with absolute accuracy. At Translators USA, we provide expert guidance and a full suite of options available in our interpretation services to meet any need.
Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)
VRI connects you to a certified interpreter via a live, secure video stream. This modality is essential when visual cues are a vital part of the conversation. It allows for the interpretation of body language and facial expressions, and it is the only remote option for American Sign Language (ASL) users. VRI bridges the gap between in-person and over-the-phone services, offering a powerful tool for nuanced discussions.
Best For: Medical consultations, legal depositions, sensitive HR meetings, and any one-on-one interaction where visual context is key.
Requires: A stable internet connection, a device with a camera, a microphone, and a screen.
Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI)
OPI provides immediate, audio-only language support through a standard phone call. As the fastest and most accessible form of interpretation, it is the ideal solution for on-demand needs where conversations are straightforward and visual context is not required. It eliminates technological barriers, connecting you to an expert linguist in seconds for fast, efficient communication.
Best For: Customer service centers, simple appointment scheduling, emergency services, and brief financial inquiries.
Requires: Any telephone, whether a landline or a mobile device.
Remote Simultaneous Interpreting (RSI)
RSI is the professional standard for large-scale, multilingual virtual events. Interpreters work from remote booths, delivering real-time interpretation to your audience, who can select their preferred language channel. This complex setup ensures seamless communication without interrupting the speaker’s flow, demanding adherence to professional remote interpreting best practices for audio quality and technical execution.
Best For: International conferences, corporate board meetings, global town halls, and live-streamed webinars.
Requires: A specialized RSI platform, high-quality audio feeds for all speakers, and professional technical support"
https://translators-usa.com/remote-interpreting-the-complete-guide-to-virtual-language-services/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
"The latest purchase orders published by the Department of Justice show that the cost of providing translators and interpreters to persons from overseas amounted to €6.7 million for 2025.
That represents an increase of €1.9 million since 2024 – a jump in costs for those within the Justice system who require translators of 41%. Which would suggest that there continues to be a significant increase in the number of persons who have dealings with the system."
February 25, 2026
Dr Matt Treacy
Comment Ireland
https://gript.ie/cost-of-translation-in-justice-jumps-41-in-2025/
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
"More universities are implementing AI translation tools to better support international students who aren't comfortable in Korean, as well as helping Korean students and staff learn and communicate better in other languages.
Pusan National University recently introduced an AI lecture translation tool that recognizes the lecturer’s speech and translates it into languages such as Korean and English. To use the service, the professor or event host shares a link with participants, who can then access real-time translation of the lecture via their devices.
The university trialed the AI translation tool during its 80th Anniversary Special Lecture on Feb. 4, translating English lectures into Korean. Going forward, it plans to expand the AI tool's application across classes, events, overseas business trips and consultations for its international students.
The university has also started translating Korean course syllabuses into English using Sanjinee AI, a multimodal large language model, starting with classes for the upcoming spring 2026 semester. The AI tool has been offered to students, faculty, and general users starting in December 2025, with students and faculty able to ask questions about university administrative matters after logging in with their university ID.
"The expansion of AI-based multi-language services will transform how languages are translated and interpreted on campus, changing how members of our university communicate in the educational, administrative and research environments," said Choi Yoon-ho, head of the university's Office of AX & Information Innovation.
"Through Sanjinee AI, we plan to create more services that we can implement on campus and have all members of our university use AI and benefit from its effectiveness."
Kyungpook National University has introduced a similar lecture translation tool, TransLive, starting the fall 2025 semester, becoming the first national university to implement a translation system for all its courses.
Using TransLive, students can translate lectures into 80 different languages and create lecture summary notes. The tool is also available for university events featuring international speakers.
Daegu University introduced an AI chatbot, accessible on the university website starting the fall 2025 semester, that students can use in seven languages, including English, Chinese and Vietnamese. Students can ask questions about the university and receive admissions consultations.
BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]"
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2026-02-24/national/kcampus/Korean-universities-turn-to-AI-translation-tools-to-support-international-Korean-students/2530486
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
The Vatican website offers content in more than 60 languages today, reflecting a commitment to reach people by speaking to them in their mother tongues.
"Until about six decades ago, the Catholic Church relied heavily on Latin in its official and liturgical communication. But as a universal Church embracing many peoples, it recognized the importance of languages and their role in carrying the Gospel message to everyone.
Today, the Vatican website offers content in more than 60 languages, reflecting a clear commitment to reach people: The Church must understand them and speak to them in their mother tongues.
With International Mother Language Day observed a few days ago, it is an opportunity to look at the languages spoken by recent popes, an ability that has often helped them connect more directly with Catholics around the world.
Pope John XXIII
He spoke six languages fluently: Latin, Italian, French, Greek, Turkish, and Bulgarian.
Pope Paul VI
He mastered Italian, Latin, French, English, Spanish, and German.
Pope John Paul II
He spoke more than 10 languages: Polish, Italian, Latin, French, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, and Russian.
Pope Benedict XVI
He spoke German, Italian, Latin, French, English, Spanish, ancient Greek, and Hebrew.
Pope Francis
He spoke Spanish, Italian, German, English, French, Portuguese, and Latin.
Pope Leo XIV
He speaks English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and French fluently. He also reads and understands Latin and German well, although he is still developing his conversational ability in both.
Building bridges of trust
These popes strengthened the Vatican’s ability to communicate with the world, not only through translation or official statements but also by addressing people directly in their mother tongues.
Words spoken in a people’s own language are often closer to the heart, more sincere in expression, and more powerful in building understanding and trust. Although Pope Leo XIV does not speak Arabic, the brief Arabic greeting he offered in Lebanon, “Peace be with you,” was enough to bring joy to an entire people.
Sometimes what matters is not perfect fluency but a sincere word spoken at the right moment, one that leaves a lasting impact."
By Romy Haber
February 26, 2026 at 6:00 AM ET
https://www.ewtnnews.com/vatican/the-polyglot-popes-how-language-builds-bridges-in-the-church
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
Repenser la traduction contre l’atavisme défensif
Repenser la traduction, c’est dépasser le rôle de garde-fou pour en faire un moteur d’innovation culturelle.
Le réflexe défensif façonne toujours la traduction, la formation des traducteurs et la perception sociale de la langue.
René Lemieux
L’auteur est professeur agrégé à l’Université Concordia.
Nous avons appris à traduire pour nous protéger. Peut-être est-il temps d’apprendre à traduire pour créer.
En 1988, dans un article intitulé « Disymmetries in Canadian Translation », Sherry Simon observait que la traduction vers le français a historiquement été associée à la dépendance : l’influence étrangère est vécue comme une « adultération » du français, et l’idéal d’équivalence parfaite fonctionnait comme un impératif quasi moral. Depuis la Conquête, la traduction ne pouvait pas être envisagée comme un outil de création : elle était d’abord et avant tout un instrument de contrôle. Cet instrument s’est progressivement transformé en outil de protection de la langue qui a eu son utilité. Mais ce réflexe défensif s’est aussi inscrit profondément dans les pratiques administratives, médiatiques et institutionnelles, en faisant primer la conformité sur l’expérimentation, la rectification sur la créativité.
Près de 40 ans après la publication de cet article, un regard rétrospectif révèle que peu de choses ont changé. Le français au Québec n’est plus menacé de manière existentielle comme cela a pu être le cas auparavant et, pourtant, la traduction continue d’être pensée dans sa fonction corrective. Cette persistance révèle une stagnation de l’imaginaire : au lieu d’être un espace de négociation et d’innovation, la traduction demeure cantonnée à un rôle que je qualifierais d’« atavisme défensif ».
Dix ans avant Simon, Pierre Cardinal (Meta, 1978) décrivait la traduction comme « une institution-tampon » entre les deux communautés canadiennes. Selon lui, elle « vise à donner à la société traduisante, la francophone, l’illusion d’une participation officielle à la vie du pays tout entier alors que ce sont les membres de la société traduite, l’anglophone, qui y occupent effectivement une place disproportionnée ». Cardinal concluait sur un espoir : seules des réformes en profondeur pourraient renverser la situation.
La Charte de la langue française avait concrètement renversé le rapport hiérarchique entre les langues et réduit le besoin d’un réflexe défensif constant. Pourtant, ce changement institutionnel n’a jamais été pleinement intégré dans les pratiques culturelles et administratives : l’altérité linguistique reste perçue comme une menace. Si la traduction se faisait auparavant surtout de l’anglais vers le français, le français commençait alors à s’affirmer comme langue créatrice, les autres langues, dont l’anglais, devenant progressivement les langues traduites. Les mentalités, cependant, n’ont jamais suivi ce renversement du rapport de force.
Le réflexe défensif façonne toujours la traduction, la formation des traducteurs et la perception sociale de la langue. La correction l’emporte sur l’expérimentation, l’équivalence sur l’inventivité, la conformité sur l’audace. Ce conservatisme freine la vitalité culturelle et linguistique du Québec, notamment dans un contexte plurilingue où les langues autochtones et immigrantes pourraient enrichir la culture québécoise.
La traduction littéraire illustre bien cette dynamique : les projets vers des langues autres que le français restent rares et peu valorisés. Pourquoi ces initiatives sont-elles si peu soutenues et médiatisées ? Notre culture demeure-t-elle réticente à se projeter dans la langue de l’autre, à imaginer le français comme langue créatrice ? Limiter ces expérimentations revient à laisser, par défaut, d’autres langues dicter leurs cadres conceptuels et réduire le renouvellement culturel. Avant d’être un droit, la traduction est un moyen de penser autrement, de négocier des écarts et de participer à une coexistence plus consciente des différences en société.
Repenser la traduction au Québec, c’est dépasser le rôle de garde-fou pour en faire un moteur d’innovation culturelle. Traduire ne consiste pas à reproduire mécaniquement le sens d’un texte : c’est assumer l’asymétrie des langues, explorer des effets multiples et révéler des nuances insoupçonnées. Former des traducteurs et traductrices capables de dépasser l’équivalence formelle et de cultiver l’inventivité permet de faire de la traduction un espace où le français se déploie avec assurance tout en dialoguant avec les autres langues présentes au Québec, y compris les langues autochtones.
En rejetant son « atavisme défensif », la traduction accomplit pleinement sa vocation : faire circuler le sens, créer des espaces de rencontre entre communautés linguistiques et participer à la vitalité d’une société plurilingue et ouverte.
https://share.google/43aXy7A6kVeCh9dr7
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
"'L'Afrique perd chaque année des voix et leurs savoirs ancestraux. Sur les 2.000 langues recensées, près d'un quart sont menacées de disparition silencieuse. Aucun continent ne peut se targuer d'un tel héritage. L'Afrique compte des milliers langues et dialectes autochtones, soit près d'un tiers de toutes les langues parlées sur la planète. Une richesse inestimable que la Journée internationale de la langue maternelle, célébrée chaque 21 février, invite à contempler. Mais derrière la fierté légitime, une ombre s'étend sur ce patrimoine immatériel. Combien de ces voix traverseront le siècle ?
Les chiffres donnent le vertige. Selon Ethnologue, la base de données de référence sur les langues vivantes, environ 44 % des idiomes africains sont aujourd'hui en situation de fragilité. Pas moins de 428 langues sont menacées de tomber dans le silence à jamais. À l'échelle mondiale, neuf langues disparaissent chaque année, soit une tous les 40 jours. « Si ces langues meurent, les connaissances qu'elles recèlent meurent avec elles », alerte Leonard Muaka, directeur du département des langues et cultures du monde à l'université Howard, aux États-Unis, lors d'une conférence organisée pour la commémoration.
Le Nigeria, géant aux 520 voix
En tête du classement des réservoirs linguistiques, un pays se distingue nettement. Avec plus de 520 langues réparties dans une population de 223 millions d'habitants, le Nigeria est la capitale incontestée de la diversité linguistique africaine. L'anglais reste la langue officielle, héritage colonial oblige, mais les ondes et les marchés vibrent au rythme du haoussa dans le nord, du yoruba dans le sud-ouest, de l'igbo dans le sud-est. Le fulfulde, l'ibibio, le kanuri et le tiv complètent ce tableau déjà foisonnant. Être Nigérian, c'est souvent naviguer entre plusieurs mondes linguistiques : sa langue maternelle, celle du voisin, et l'anglais appris à l'école. Une agilité quotidienne qui pourrait faire des émules sur le continent.
Cameroun, RDC, Tchad : Des mosaïques
Juste derrière, le Cameroun déploie ses 227 langues dans un territoire souvent qualifié d'« Afrique en miniature » tant sa diversité géologique et culturelle est concentrée. Le français et l'anglais s'y côtoient dans un équilibre parfois instable, tandis que le fulfulde, l'ewondo et le douala structurent les échanges dans de vastes régions. Mais le pays abrite aussi des langues bien plus discrètes. Le gyele, parlé par quelques centaines de chasseurs-cueilleurs dans les forêts côtières. Le bung, en voie d'extinction avec moins de 30 locuteurs connus, réfugiés dans un unique village. Plus à l'est, la République démocratique du Congo offre une toile immense pour ses 214 langues. Le lingala, le swahili, le kikongo et le tshiluba structurent la vie quotidienne de millions de Congolais, tandis que des idiomes plus rares résistent dans les zones reculées. Le Tchad, lui, affiche le français et l'arabe comme langues officielles, mais la réalité du terrain est autrement plus nuancée. Plus d'une centaine de langues indigènes y sont pratiquées. L'arabe tchadien fait office de lingua franca pour le commerce, le sara domine dans le sud. En périphérie subsistent des langues comme le kujarge, parlé par quelques milliers de personnes près de la frontière soudanaise, ou le bedjond, qui perd du terrain face à des idiomes plus dominants.
Tanzanie, Éthiopie : L'unité dans la diversité
La Tanzanie a choisi le swahili comme ciment national. Cette langue unificatrice est utilisée en politique et dans l'enseignement primaire, tandis que l'anglais conserve sa place dans le secondaire et les juridictions supérieures. Le sukuma et le chagga sont parlés par des millions de personnes. Mais le pays veille aussi sur des langues en danger critique comme l'akie, porté par un groupe décroissant de chasseurs-cueilleurs, ou le dahalo, qui ne compte plus que 500 locuteurs et préserve de rares consonnes « clic », ces sons produits sans l'aide des poumons. L'Éthiopie puise sa force linguistique dans la famille afro-asiatique. L'oromo et l'amharique servent de langues de travail au gouvernement fédéral. Le somali et le tigrigna rayonnent dans leurs régions respectives. Mais dans le sud-ouest du pays, l'ongota se meurt doucement avec ses derniers locuteurs âgés. Le long de la frontière soudanaise, le komo résiste dans quelques communautés.
Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana : Le tempo ouest-africain
En Côte d'Ivoire, le français demeure la langue officielle, mais le dioula joue les prolongations comme langue commerciale par excellence, transcendant les clivages ethniques. Le baoulé reste l'une des langues indigènes les plus parlées dans les régions centrales. Les 88 langues du pays comptent aussi des idiomes en sursis comme l'eotile sur la bande côtière, ou le mbre, un isolat linguistique parlé par une petite communauté du centre, sans parenté connue avec d'autres langues. Le Ghana voisin vit une situation similaire avec ses 83 langues. L'anglais domine, le twi et le fante (langues akan) structurent le sud, le dagbani et l'ewe s'imposent respectivement au nord et à l'est. Mais le dompo, parlé par moins d'un millier de personnes dans la région de Brong Ahafo, et l'animere, avec ses 700 locuteurs près de la frontière togolaise, avancent en terrain miné.
Soudan, Soudan du Sud : Le poids de l'histoire
Au Soudan, l'arabe standard et ses dialectes locaux façonnent l'identité linguistique, aux côtés de l'anglais qui conserve une place dans l'éducation et l'administration. Les 75 langues du pays incluent des idiomes majeurs comme le beja à l'est et les langues nubiennes le long du Nil, mais aussi des langues plus isolées comme le midob au Darfour, ou le tima, classé en danger dans les monts Nuba. Son jeune voisin du Sud a choisi l'anglais comme langue officielle après l'indépendance, pour marquer sa rupture avec l'influence arabe du nord. Mais les 73 langues du Soudan du Sud racontent une autre histoire. Le dinka et le nuer dominent, parlés par des millions de personnes. Des dizaines de langues communautaires plus petites, comme le shilluk et le bari, coexistent avec des idiomes vulnérables :
le tennet, parlé par quelques milliers de personnes dans le sud, ou l'indri, porté par seulement quelques centaines de locuteurs près de la frontière ougandaise.
Dans tous ces pays, l'équation est la même. Elle se lit dans l'écart qui se creuse entre les langues dominantes, portées par des millions de locuteurs et les médias, et cette poignée d'hommes et de femmes âgés qui préservent encore un vocabulaire ancien, des tournures oubliées, une manière unique de nommer le monde. La Journée internationale de la langue maternelle offre une date pour célébrer cette existence. Mais elle ne peut arrêter le temps. La question posée par Leonard Muaka reste entière : quand une langue meurt, ce ne sont pas seulement des mots qui disparaissent, ce sont des siècles de savoirs, de traditions, de manières d'être au monde."
https://www.linfodrome.com/international/118762-patrimoine-linguistique-africain-le-nigeria-en-tete-avec-520-langues-mais-428-idiomes-en-disparition
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
"SIL-Cameroun en 2025, c'est 544 personnes touchées par l'Initiative de guérison des traumatismes, 163 classes d'alphabétisation ouvertes, sept grappes linguistiques actives, 25 projets linguistiques actifs, 142 personnels SIL, 47 traducteurs impliqués, 2 735 hommes et 3 541 femmes apprenants dans les classes d'alphabétisation, 212 enseignants en alphabétisation et 88 ateliers organisés.
Le thème retenu cette année est : « Soutenir les langues autochtones par le biais de la digitalisation ». Dans sa présentation, Apolinaire Ambassa met l'accent sur la survie et la pérennisation des langues nationales. « Notre désir, à travers ce thème, est de continuer à tirer la sonnette d'alarme sur le besoin et la nécessité de mobiliser les communautés linguistiques, universitaires et les décideurs sur la question des langues nationales en général et des langues autochtones en particulier », indique-t-il.
D'après lui, celles-ci constituent des éléments incontournables dans le processus de transmission des savoirs et de l'identité. Pour resserrer l'angle d'action sur l'année 2025, SIL-Cameroun met un point d'honneur sur la digitalisation des langues autochtones, dans un contexte mondial marqué par la vision des Nations unies, qui ont déclaré la période 2022-2032 « Décennie internationale des langues autochtones ».
Sur le plan national, le directeur général de SIL-Cameroun met en perspective la poursuite des engagements de l'organisation envers les langues camerounaises. Il précise qu'il s'agit notamment « d'accompagner les communautés linguistiques dans la valorisation, la préservation et le développement durable de leurs langues, la langue étant le socle de l'identité, de la transmission des savoirs et du bien-être des communautés ».
Dans ce rapport, le recteur de ICT University, Pr Jean-Emmanuel Pondi, analyse la question de la digitalisation des langues autochtones. D'après lui, « la digitalisation offre de nouvelles possibilités pour la documentation des langues, la création de contenus et la transmission intergénérationnelle ». À ce sujet, SIL partage son expérience avec la communauté Bororo de l'Adamaoua, « où le numérique a fortement contribué à l'alphabétisation et à l'éducation de cette communauté nomade ».
Évoquant les activités qui ont rythmé la vie de SIL au cours de l'année 2025, le directeur général déclare que l'organisation redoublera d'efforts pour consolider les acquis, renforcer ses partenariats et explorer de nouvelles opportunités de croissance durable. Ainsi, souligne-t-il, la digitalisation restera au coeur de la stratégie de sauvegarde et de rayonnement des langues camerounaises."
https://fr.allafrica.com/stories/202602250506.html
#Metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
#métaglossie
Thirteen books make this year’s longlist for translated fiction, which awards a first prize of £50,000
Thirteen books make this year’s longlist for translated fiction, which awards a first prize of £50,000
Ella Creamer
Tue 24 Feb 2026 14.12 GMT
Olga Ravn, Daniel Kehlmann, Ia Genberg, Mathias Énard and Gabriela Cabezón Cámara are among those longlisted for the International Booker prize, which recognises the best translated fiction and turns 10 this year.
A “Booker dozen” of 13 books were longlisted for this year’s prize. One author-translator pair will win £50,000, to be split equally.
Ravn, Kehlmann, Genberg, Énard and Cabezón Cámara have all previously been shortlisted for the prize. This year, German author Kehlmann was chosen for The Director, translated by Ross Benjamin, which is inspired by the life of the film-maker GW Pabst, who collaborated with the Third Reich.
“The Director has all the darkness, shapeshifting ambiguity and glittering unease of a modern Grimms’ fairytale,” wrote Nina Allan in a Guardian review. “It is Kehlmann’s best work yet.”
Danish writer Ravn was selected for her fourth novel, The Wax Child, translated by Martin Aitken, which is about real-life 17th-century Danish witch trials.
Witchcraft appears elsewhere on the longlist, in French writer Marie NDiaye’s The Witch, translated by Jordan Stump, published in its original French in 1996. NDiaye was previously longlisted for the prize in 2016, and was shortlisted in the prize’s earlier incarnation in 2013, when it recognised writers for their entire body of work.
Another longlisted title published in its original language several decades ago is Women Without Men by Iranian writer Shahrnush Parsipur, translated by Faridoun Farrokh, which was published in Persian in 1989. In the 80s, Parsipur was imprisoned in Iran for five years. Soon after her release, she published Women Without Men and was jailed again. The book, in which five women from different life paths end up living together in a garden on the outskirts of Tehran, has been banned in Iran since 1989.
Swedish author Genberg made this year’s longlist for Small Comfort, translated by Kira Josefsson, a set of five interconnected stories. Meanwhile, Énard was longlisted for The Deserters, translated by Charlotte Mandell, which marks the 17th International Booker nomination for Fitzcarraldo, the most-nominated imprint in the prize’s history.
Another independent publisher recognised this year is Peirene Press with She Who Remains the debut novel of Bulgarian writer Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel, about a woman who avoids an arranged marriage by becoming a sworn virgin.
Another debut novel is The Duke by the Italian author Matteo Melchiorre, translated by Antonella Lettieri. The Argentinian writer Cabezón Cámara was nominated for We Are Green and Trembling, translated by Robin Myers, which won the US National Book Award for translated literature last year.
The German author Shida Bazyar is longlisted for The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran, translated by Ruth Martin.
Completing this year’s longlist is The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje, translated by David McKay; On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan; and Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King.
“Many of the submitted books examined the devastating consequences of war, which is reflected in our longlist,” said judging chair and novelist Natasha Brown. “The list also features petty squabbles between neighbours, mysterious mountain villages, big pharma conspiracies, witchy women, ill-fated lovers, a haunted prison, and obscure film references. The page counts range from ‘pocket-friendly’ to ‘doorstopper’. And while the books’ original publication dates span four decades, each story feels fresh and innovative.”
This year’s shortlist of six books will be announced on 31 March, with each shortlisted title receiving £5,000, to be split equally between author and translator. The winner will be announced on 19 May at a ceremony at Tate Modern in London.
Joining Brown on this year’s judging panel are mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, translator Sophie Hughes, and the writers Troy Onyango and Nilanjana S Roy.
The longlist was selected from 128 titles published in the UK or Ireland between 1 May 2025 and 30 April 2026. Booker prize foundation chief executive Gaby Wood said that this year’s submissions of books were originally written in a record total of 34 languages – “a sign, perhaps, that translated works from an ever-broader range of original languages are increasingly available to anglophone readers”.
Last year, Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi, became the first collection of short stories to take home the award. Other previous winners include Han Kang, Olga Tokarczuk and Georgi Gospodinov.
Wood noted that four authors recognised by the prize for a single book have gone on to win the Nobel for their body of work: Han, Tokarczuk, Jon Fosse – who was longlisted for the International Booker in 2020 and shortlisted in 2022 – and László Krasznahorkai, who was shortlisted in 2018.
To browse all longlisted titles for the International Booker prize 2026, visit guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/24/ravn-kehlmann-genberg-enard-and-cabezon-camara-longlist-international-booker-prize
"Informations clés de l'article
Le plus attendu : Pokémon Pokopia fait partie des grandes nouveautés sur Switch 2, le titre arrivera à la vente le 5 mars
Post-apocalyptique : cette fois, plus aucun dresseur ne viendra se confronter aux autres, le joueur incarne un Métamorph qui doit reconstruire le monde à l’aide de ses amis Pokémon
Traduction compliquée : pour réussir à faire discuter des Pokémon et à leur donner une personnalité voire de l’humour, les traducteurs de Nintendo ont dû travailler d’arrache pied
Un jeu aussi attendu, ça demande du travail… et parfois plus qu’on ne peut l’imaginer ! Alors que la Switch 2 s’apprête à accueillir Pokémon Pokopia comme énorme nouveauté, les traducteurs de chez Nintendo ont eu des sueurs froides lors du développement. MCE vous en dit plus !
Des Pokémon à traduire
Car tous les jeux ont besoin de traducteurs. Le nom des personnages, des villes et même les jeux de mots demandent un très long exercice aux traducteurs. Ce qui explique d’ailleurs en partie les très longs génériques qu’on peut trouver à la fin des jeux Nintendo.
Et le jeu le plus attendu sur Switch 2 ne risque pas d’échapper à la règle. Alors que le monde Pokémon va avoir droit à un jeu qui laisse penser à Animal Crossing, Pokopia a posé plus de problèmes aux traducteurs qu’aux développeurs. Et pour cause, il n’y a pas d’humains.
En effet, les premiers testeurs ont pu découvrir un monde post-apocalyptique, où cohabitent les Pokémon de la première génération. Le joueur principal ? Un Métamorph qui découvre le monde, apprend des Pokémon qu’il croise et de leurs capacités.
Cette fois, pas de combats, pas d’évolution ou de ligue Pokémon : l’objectif est de créer un monde en harmonie, de tout reconstruire le mieux possible. Un monde ouvert où tout le monde va pouvoir se sentir bien. Le monde heureux de Pokopia.
Sauf que pour réussir à recréer ce monde heureux, il a fallu cravacher… du côté de la traduction. Chaque Pokémon a une manière bien propre de parler, de se faire comprendre, de faire des références à ses capacités et à sa classe. Et ça, dans toutes les langues.
Pokopia : les aventures de Métamorph
Des fans se demandent toujours comment Dracaufeu a pu donner « Chorizard » en anglais. Mais des traducteurs œuvrent depuis 30 ans à créer une personnalité, une particularité aux Pokémon. De là à les faire interagir, il y avait encore un fossé à combler.
D’abord, il a fallu imaginer un comportement, une humeur, une manière de vivre et de parler pour chacun. Puis il a fallu l’exprimer en japonais… avant que les traducteurs ne s’affairent à tout préparer pour l’international. Pokopia se transforme alors en vrai chantier.
« Si j’ai choisi Métamorph comme personnage principal, c’est notamment parce que je souhaitais cette fois-ci mettre en scène une conversation entre Pokémon« , explique ainsi Shigeru Omori, senior director chez Game Freak. Passer de la théorie à la pratique a pris du temps.
« Je ne voulais pas montrer une relation entre un dresseur et son Pokémon, poursuit le développeur. Mais plutôt celle d’amis si proches qui se taquinent. » Traduire les taquineries, la proximité, le tout dans un langage qui puisse ancrer un Pokémon dans un monde était un vrai défi...
Mais les premiers testeurs semblent ravis : Pokopia tient ses promesses, et ne se limite pas à une imitation d’Animal Crossing version Pokémon. Présenté depuis quelques semaines, le futur jeu phare de la Switch 2 a conquis les testeurs.
Le concepteur du jeu, lui, semble content de ses choix. « La localisation a sans doute été particulièrement difficile comparée aux autres œuvres Pokémon. » Et pour cause, il fallait trouver l’endroit capable de passer de l’apocalypse au bonheur… Les fans verront bientôt si ça fonctionne !"
https://mcetv.ouest-france.fr/2026/pokemon-pokopia-la-traduction-du-jeu-video-a-vire-au-defi-titanesque-2026/#google_vignette
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ByLance Eliot,Contributor. Dr. Lance B. Eliot is a world-renowned AI scientist and consultant.
Feb 22, 2026, 03:15am EST
Consider using AI to act as a logic-to-emotion translator when a touchy moment requires some help.
getty
In today’s column, I examine the use of generative AI and large language models (LLMs) to aid in communicating with people who are predominantly emotionally based and not conventionally amenable to logic.
Here’s the deal. It seems that there are increasingly large swaths of society that are primarily operating on an unbridled emotional basis. Attempts to use logic with them as a means of communication are fraught with great difficulty, tremendous frustration, and outright hardship. The more you try using logic, the worse things seem to become. They are only attuned to emotions and emotional language. Period, end of story.
What you need is a helpful real-time translator. The aim is to translate from logical ideas and statements into emotional forms of conveyance. Generative AI can do this. You can then use the generated emotional language as a means of engaging in a dialogue with the emotionally based person. It’s fine to convey the generated verbiage in your own words. You don’t need to strictly abide by the AI-produced wording. The heralded proposition is to get you in the ballpark of what will resonate with the emotionally charged receiver.
This use of AI can be extremely handy, though it isn’t a cure-all and won’t magically bring you eye-to-eye or mind-to-mind with someone who appears to be absent from logical reasoning and fortitude. As they say, sometimes something is better than nothing. Give it a whirl.
Let’s talk about it.
This analysis of AI breakthroughs is part of my ongoing Forbes column coverage on the latest in AI, including identifying and explaining various impactful AI complexities
AI And Mental Health
As a quick background, I’ve been extensively covering and analyzing a myriad of facets regarding the advent of modern-era AI that produces mental health advice and performs AI-driven therapy. This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI. For an extensive listing of my well over one hundred analyses and postings, see the link here and the link here.
There is little doubt that this is a rapidly developing field and that there are tremendous upsides to be had, but at the same time, regrettably, hidden risks and outright gotchas come into these endeavors, too. I frequently speak up about these pressing matters, including in an appearance on an episode of CBS’s 60 Minutes, see the link here.
Background On AI For Mental Health
I’d like to set the stage on how generative AI and large language models (LLMs) are typically used in an ad hoc way for mental health guidance. Millions upon millions of people are using generative AI as their ongoing advisor on mental health considerations (note that ChatGPT alone has over 900 million weekly active users, a notable proportion of which dip into mental health aspects, see my analysis at the link here). The top-ranked use of contemporary generative AI and LLMs is to consult with the AI on mental health facets; see my coverage at the link here.
This popular usage makes abundant sense. You can access most of the major generative AI systems for nearly free or at a super low cost, doing so anywhere and at any time. Thus, if you have any mental health qualms that you want to chat about, all you need to do is log in to AI and proceed forthwith on a 24/7 basis.
There are significant worries that AI can readily go off the rails or otherwise dispense unsuitable or even egregiously inappropriate mental health advice. Banner headlines in August of this year accompanied the lawsuit filed against OpenAI for their lack of AI safeguards when it came to providing cognitive advisement."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/2026/02/22/talking-sensibly-with-highly-emotional-people-by-using-ai-such-as-chatgpt-to-translate-logic-into-emotional-language-they-will-understand/
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"A translation into Maltese of Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco’s (1932-2016) novel Il Nome della Rosa was recently published by Klabb Kotba Maltin.
The Maltese version of this masterpiece has been given the title Isem il-Warda and has been carried out by Adrian Stivala, a university academic and translator, who took nearly 10 years to complete it.
Stivala admits the novel proved to be a challenge to translate on many levels.
Read more on Times2..."
https://timesofmalta.com/article/maltese-translation-il-nome-della-rosa-published.1124468
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"Language Support for New and Existing Projects and Languages
translatewiki.net is a platform for gathering translations of interface messages for Wikimedia and other open-source projects. This quarter, 17 new projects, including Lingua Libre, Broomstick and Lexica, and 2 languages, Shughni [1] and Hyam [2], were added.
In addition, 3 new languages from the African continent, Bole [3], Jju [4] and Bono [5], primarily spoken in Ghana and Nigeria and totaling over 2 million native speakers, were added to MediaWiki. This lays the groundwork for communities to contribute to future Wikimedia projects in their native languages.
Volunteers also made important contributions, including adding Hokkien Hàn-lô writing script [6] and changing numeral symbols in Levantine Arabic’s interface from Eastern Arabic to Western Arabic numerals.[7]
Update on the CapX Translat-a-thon
The Capacity Exchange (CapX) platform hosted a Wikimedia Translat-a-thon in partnership with the Language Diversity Hub, bringing together volunteers from around the world to collaboratively translate and localize the CapX tool, documentation, and capacity directory. A key highlight was the Capacity Exchange translation tool, built specifically for this event to make it easier to translate capacities into many languages. Over the course of two weeks, 43 contributors worked together to produce 5,559 translations across 48 languages.[8]
12 languages selected for the Language Diversity Hub mentoring program
The Language Diversity Hub has selected 12 languages (4 with an existing Wikipedia and 8 currently in Incubator) for its 2025-2026 mentorship program, aimed at helping advance their Wikimedia projects. The program will offer personalized mentorship tailored to each community’s needs, technical support around project infrastructure, workflows, and content development, and peer-learning opportunities to connect communities across regions, languages, and stages of growth.[9]
Universal Language Selector rewrite plans
Universal Language Selector (ULS) is a MediaWiki extension. Its main features include language selection, input methods, web fonts, language search, and other language-related settings. The current codebase is quite old and suffers from performance issues.
The goal of the rewrite is to include ULS in MediaWiki core, so it can become the default language selector across MediaWiki, including mobile skins, and provide a more consistent user experience. The rewrite will use the modern Codex design system and extend ULS to offer clearer entry points for other tools or for modifying its behavior. Overall, these changes aim to address existing performance and accessibility issues.[10][11]
Community meetings and events
Sign up to attend the upcoming Language Community Meeting in February 2026.
In case you missed the language community meeting in November 2025, you can catch up by watching the video recording and reading the notes. This meeting was co-organized by the Language and Product Localization team and the Language Diversity Hub and featured over 20 attendees, including contributors from the Wikitongues project and Fante Wikimedia Community, who joined as session presenters.
The ESEAP conference (for the East, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific region) will take place in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on 15–17 May 2026. The focus of this conference will be on language diversity, Indigenous knowledge, minority languages, and technical support.
Get involved
If you are looking for technical tasks, take a look at the easy tasks related to internationalization, localization and translation of MediaWiki on Wikimedia Phabricator.
If you are looking for tools to edit and translate articles and interface messages, you can use Content translation and Special:Translate on Translatewiki.net. These tools make it easier to work with content in different languages. Please share any feedback on the talk pages of these language tools.
Stay tuned for the next release! You can subscribe to this newsletter.
References
phab:T409846
phab:T405473
phab:T409708
phab:T408150
phab:T406198
phab:T392749
phab:T382781
https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/01/12/many-tongues-one-movement-the-capx-translat-a-thon-2025/
https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/12/17/announcing-selected-communities-for-the-2025-2026-ldh-mentorship-program/
phab:T395997
https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/02/17/language-and-internationalization-newsletters-10/
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"The Africa Institute invites applications for the Global Africa Translation Fellowship to support the translation of African and African Diaspora works into English, Arabic, and other languages. Grants of $1,000–$5,000 enable scholars and translators from the Global South to make significant texts accessible to a global audience while working remotely.
About the Fellowship
The Global Africa Translation Fellowship is part of the African Languages and Translation Program and aims to:
Promote accessibility of African and African Diaspora literature, poetry, and critical theory to global audiences.
Support retranslations of classics, previously untranslated works, or newly conceived translation projects.
Encourage scholarly and high-quality translation practices, ensuring fidelity and contextual understanding.
Key Features
Non-Residential Fellowship: Fellows work remotely and do not need to relocate to the Africa Institute or Global Studies University in Sharjah, UAE.
Funding: Grants range from $1,000 to $5,000 depending on project scope and quality, disbursed in two installments.
Project Scope: Supports poetry, prose, critical theory, retranslations, and previously untranslated texts. Projects must be feasible for completion within the fellowship period.
Archival Requirement: Fellows submit a copy of the completed translation for archival purposes; translations will not be published or used without consent.
Who is Eligible?
Applicants from across the Global South.
Scholars, translators, or researchers with experience in African and African Diaspora studies.
Projects may be works-in-progress or newly proposed translations, provided they can be completed during the fellowship.
How to Apply
Prepare CV/Resume: Two-page document including institutional affiliation, highest degree, and key publications or works.
Project Summary: Two-page single-spaced summary outlining project significance, justification, and proposed completion dates.
Sample Translation: Four- to five-page double-spaced sample showing the original text alongside the proposed translation.
Copyright Documentation: Clarify copyright status. If the work is not public domain, provide the copyright notice and letter confirming English-language rights.
Submit Application: Follow the Africa Institute’s submission guidelines before the deadline.
Why It Matters
The fellowship fosters the global visibility of African and African Diaspora texts, contributing to:
Preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage.
Expansion of academic and literary resources in English, Arabic, and other languages.
Support for translators and scholars from underrepresented regions in the Global South.
Funding Details
Grant Amount: $1,000–$5,000 depending on project scale.
Disbursement: Two installments—first at project start, second upon completion.
Support Provided: Financial assistance to complete translations remotely.
FAQs
Who can apply? Scholars, translators, and researchers from the Global South with experience in African and African Diaspora studies.
What types of works are eligible? Poetry, prose, critical theory, previously untranslated works, and retranslations of classics.
Is relocation required? No, the fellowship is non-residential.
What is the grant amount? $1,000–$5,000, depending on project scope.
Are there submission requirements? Yes, including CV, project summary, sample translation, and copyright documentation.
Is prior experience required? Applicants should demonstrate ability to complete high-quality translations.
What happens after the translation is completed? A copy is submitted for archival purposes; no publication occurs without fellow consent.
Conclusion
The Global Africa Translation Fellowship 2026 provides crucial support to translators and scholars, enabling them to make African and African Diaspora texts accessible to a wider audience. By funding high-quality translations and promoting cultural exchange, the fellowship strengthens global understanding of African literature and scholarly works.
For more information, visit The Africa Institute."
https://www2.fundsforngos.org/arts-culture/entries-open-global-africa-translation-fellowship-2026/amp/
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"The bidirectional system recognises 250 ASL signs, translating signed input via webcam into spoken or written language, and converting spoken or typed words into sign language video.
Talksign, a Nigeria- and UK-based AI company, has launched Talksign-1, a sign language translation model that converts American Sign Language (ASL) into speech and text in under 100 milliseconds. The bidirectional system recognises 250 ASL signs, translating signed input via webcam into spoken or written language, and converting spoken or typed words into sign language video.
The model was trained on the WLASL2000 dataset and achieves 84.7% accuracy on single-sign recognition. It analyses about one second of signing to balance speed and accuracy but does not yet support continuous sentence-level translation or fingerspelling, limiting use to isolated signs.
Founded in November 2025 by Edidiong Ekong and Kazi Mahathir Rahman, Talksign aims to address accessibility gaps faced by the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, particularly as many digital tools still assume users can hear and speak. The technology is designed to enable more direct communication between deaf and hearing individuals without always relying on human interpreters.
Potential applications include education, healthcare, workplaces, and public spaces such as transport systems, emergency alerts, and live broadcasts. The company worked with deaf educators, native ASL users, and accessibility advocates during development.
For privacy, gesture analysis is performed in the user’s browser, with only processed data sent to servers. Talksign notes the tool should not be used as the sole authority in medical, legal, or safety-critical situations.
Currently limited to ASL, Talksign plans to expand support to other sign languages, increase vocabulary size, and add continuous signing and fingerspelling in future versions.
The TechAfrica News Podcast"
https://techafricanews.com/2026/02/17/talksign-launches-ai-model-translating-asl-to-speech-in-under-100ms/
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"Language barriers slow down the international diffusion of knowledge, study finds
by Ingrid Fadelli, Phys.org
edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan
Rapid technological and scientific advances have fueled a huge wave of innovation over the past decades. The speed of global innovation is known to be dependent on the exchange of knowledge and skills between different nations worldwide.
Throughout history, discoveries made in some parts of the world have sparked development in other geographical regions. Therefore, if technical documents, patents and research papers are only available in one language and are not promptly and accurately translated into other languages, this can slow down the diffusion of knowledge and consequently international innovation.
Researchers at Motu Economic and Public Policy Research in New Zealand and the Research Institute of Economy in Japan recently carried out a study exploring the extent to which delays in the translation of patents and associated language barriers influence the speed and reach of technological progress. Patents are exclusive time-restricted legal rights for the fabrication and sale of new inventions or technological solutions that governments can grant investors.
The team's paper, published in Nature Human Behavior, specifically focuses on the translation of patents issued in Japan into English. The results reported in the paper suggest that language barriers accounted for approximately half of the delay in the diffusion of knowledge from Japan to the United States within the years considered in the study.
"Language barriers and translation costs are persistent obstacles to communication and have particularly pronounced economic impacts in technical domains," wrote Kyle Higham and Sadao Nagaoka in their paper. "We provide causal evidence on the effects of language barriers on the speed and extent of knowledge diffusion by exploiting a change in US patent policy that resulted in earlier disclosure of English-language technical knowledge from Japan."
Graph summarizing the average time to first citation to the US–JP twin cohort. The points indicate the (log-transformed) lag to first citation, by source, averaged by week. The dashed lines indicate the same, averaged over the 26-week periods before and after the AIPA came into effect. Credit: Higham & Nagaoka. (Nature Human Behaviour, 2026).
Tracking patent citations in the U.S. and Japan
As part of their study, the researchers collected and analyzed a sample of 2,770 citations of Japanese inventions by US-based inventors. First, they identified a reform in U.S. patent policy that had sped up the time it took to translate and disclose technical knowledge originating from Japan.
In their analyses, they looked at how long it took for U.S. inventors to cite patents and inventions originating from Japan both before and after the policy change. In addition, they tried to determine what types of firms most benefited from an earlier diffusion of Japanese inventions in English documents. Finally, they explored the possibility that the quality of inventions influenced the speed with which they became accessible to English-speaking inventors.
"We find that language barriers accounted for almost half the diffusion lag of Japan-originating knowledge to US-based inventors, relative to Japan-based inventors," wrote Higham and Nagaoka.
"This acceleration is significant only for firms with limited ability to translate (small research and development scale, or little involvement in the Japanese market) and is more pronounced for the diffusion of high-quality inventions, suggesting difficulties in quality-targeted translation. Thus, early publication of patent applications provides a substantial public good for cumulative innovation through accelerated access to translated foreign patents."
Implications for future technological and scientific progress
The results of the team's analyses suggest that language barriers significantly slow down the pace of global innovation, while the prompt translation of patents and technical documents speeds up international advancement. This effect appeared to be most pronounced for smaller U.S. firms who had fewer resources (e.g., had no in-house translators) and thus heavily relied on the public dissemination of documents translated in English.
The researchers found that Japanese inventions that were more impactful and of a higher quality were typically cited earlier in English documents than inventions of a lower quality. Overall, their analyses confirmed that the early disclosure and translation of patents speed up global innovation.
In the future, this study could encourage governments to update patent diffusion policies or introduce new measures aimed at accelerating cumulative innovation and supporting the global exchange of knowledge. In addition, it could inspire other teams to carry out more research focusing on the translation of patents in a broader range of languages.
Written for you by our author Ingrid Fadelli, edited by Gaby Clark, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.
Publication details
Kyle Higham et al, Language barriers and the speed of international knowledge diffusion, Nature Human Behaviour (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-025-02367-3.
Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour "
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-language-barriers-international-diffusion-knowledge.html
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"one challenge in translation is balancing accurate rendering of the original with crafting an English version that captures the writer’s voice.
In the 2025-2026 cycle, the Japan International Translation Competition, hosted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, marked its 10th iteration and second time offering a Classical Literature category. Hintzman said he saw participating in the competition as a complement to his research and teaching.
“While I was working on my translation, I was preparing to teach a classical Japanese language course at IU,” he said. “Taking on an unfamiliar, challenging text was a good opportunity to further sharpen my skills in reading and translating the language.”
Discovering the Diary of Iseki Takako
The competition introduced Hintzman to the Diary of Iseki Takako, a nineteenth-century text rediscovered in Japan in the 1970s and basically unknown in English. Chosen by the judges for its difficulty, literary quality and historical significance, the text offered what Hintzman describes as “a window into the mind and the life of a remarkable woman living in Edo Japan.”
He was particularly struck by Takako’s subtle use of allusions to Heian-period poetry and narrative to quietly critique Edo-period political figures. He was also drawn to the challenge of crafting an English voice for a writer who, until now, had been unknown to English-speaking readers.
Challenges
He explained that one challenge in translation is balancing accurate rendering of the original with crafting an English version that captures the writer’s voice. He added, “Sometimes I had to move away from a perfectly literal translation to better convey what the text is doing overall.”
Hintzman describes translation as a kind of magic. A successful translation, he says, is one that makes you feel like you’re in the presence of the writer—not just the translator. “When the magic trick works, you’re reading my English, but you also feel you’re encountering the voice of a woman who lived in another language, in another place, nearly two centuries ago.”
This approach stood out to the judges, who offered glowing feedback on his work. They praised his creative translation choices, including his handling of subtle wordplay in one of Iseki Takako’s poems involving the word tatsu, which means both “to rise up” and “dragon” in Japanese. Hintzman crafted an English-language poem that plays on “dragon” and “drag on,” a clever way to reproduce some of the characteristic effects of Japanese poetry in English.
Recognition and looking ahead
Hintzman received the award in Tokyo, Japan on February 12, as part of the Japan International Literary Forum, where he met the judges, Japanese government officials and fellow translators. Before joining the Hamilton Lugar School, Hintzman spent a year in Tokyo as a visiting research fellow at Waseda University.
At the Hamilton Lugar School, he is currently teaching courses in Japanese literature, where he has used Iseki Takako’s diary to show students how early modern writers reimagined and reused classical poetry and narratives. He encourages students to dive deeper into distant cultures, immersing themselves in specific traditions while also drawing connections to their own experiences—in other words, working to translate across time and space.
About the author: Prakriti Khurana is a senior majoring in Finance and Business Analytics at the Kelley School of Business.
https://news.iu.edu/hamiltonlugar/live/news/49163-the-magic-of-translation-ryan-hintzmans
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