Stories about Language from June, 2012
The world viewed through 3054 languages in danger of extinction
Endangered Languages is a project started by Google which provides technology to individuals and organisations so that they can tackle the threat of certain languages becoming extinct. The page contains information, learning materials and text files, sound and video in languages including Aragonese, Ainu, Navajo and Catalan sign language gathered from...
Tajikistan: Blogger Translates Mobile Games into Tajik
Tajik blogger Khurrshed has translated a number of popular mobile games into Tajik. Khurrshed explains [tj] that he did the translation in order to make mobile gaming accessible to young people who have cell phones but do not speak English or Russian. Another Tajik blogger recently wrote about the importance of the...
Myanmar: Burmese Proverbs
Fifty Viss created a Tumblr account called Zagabon, to collect and publish Burmese proverbs and sayings, along with English translations and context if necessary
St. Lucia: Flower Festival
At “I and Iyanola”, Nkrumah Lucien completed a two-part blog post exploring the origins of Saint Lucia's flower festivals: “It is not that La Wòz and La Magwit cannot be made into an app…but that those practicing these traditions were not allowed the space and material conditions to allow them...
Costa Rica: The Need to Treat Computer and English “Illiteracy”
Costa Rica has a high literacy rate; but the blog Carepicha [es] argues that the country should also strive to increase computer and English-language “literacy”.
Bangladesh: Is a Cartoon Teaching Kids to Speak Foreign Language and Lie?
A popular cartoon show aired on the Disney Channel India dubbed in Hindi has stirred a debate in Bangladesh. It is claimed that long exposure to the Japanese anime show Doraemon is prompting children to learn to speak Hindi and also tell lies.
Uzbekistan: Silk and Spice Festival Lost in Translation
Uzbek blogger posts photos from the International Silk & Spice Festival in Bukhara (which the organizers have erroneously advertised [ru] as ‘Silk & Space Festival’).
Tajikistan: Language and Nation-Building
Blogger Adash Istad ponders [tj] the importance of a common vernacular language in the process of nation-building in Tajikistan. The author writes: “We have a national spoken language [which all groups in the country should be able to speak]. Those who do not want to understand this simple truth will...
Kyrgyzstan: The Peace Bell Tolls for Everyone but Uzbeks?
On the second anniversary of violent clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan, a ‘Peace Bell‘ [ru] has been unveiled in the city of Osh as a monument for those who died and as a symbol of reconciliation. The bell contains the inscription ‘Peace in the Whole World’ in...
Uzbekistan: Blogger Makes Skype Accessible to Uzbek Speakers
Uzbek blogger Gulasal Kamalova has translated [ru] Skype software application into Uzbek. Kamalova explains [ru] that she did the translation in order to make Skype – a service that connects millions of users around the world via Internet-based telephony and video – accessible to people who speak no other language but Uzbek.
Equatorial Guinea: Dictatorship Seeks Entry in Portuguese Language Community
In July 2012 the Maputo Summit will take place in which a decision will be taken on the possible entry of Equatorial Guinea into the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). On the one hand there are various initiatives which condemn Teodoro Obiang's 33 year regime, hostile to the orienting principles of the CPLP. However, there are also those who support the country's admission.
Global Voices Podcast: Storytime in Poetry and Literature
In this edition, we’re talking about literature and publishing. You’ll hear some good old fashioned interviews with well-read members of the Global Voices team as well as readings of original work by our authors and the wider community.
