Stories about Language from August, 2012
Portuguese, a Global Language?
A community page on Facebook, Língua Portuguesa: Uma Língua Global? (Portuguese Language: A Global Language?) [pt], provides a diversity of materials to promote the debate about the expansion of Portuguese language and its consequences. Several critical issues on the policies of this language of around 200 million speakers are addressed,...
Venezuela: Preserving the Oral Traditions of the Plains
The oral traditions of the plains are brilliant protagonists of the culture that has spread to other regions of Venezuela. Many natives of the Venezuelan plains use social networks and other Web 2.0 tools to spread, highlight, and preserve these traditions.
Argentina: Blogging in Welsh from Patagonia
The Argentine Patagonia was the first home of the Welsh migration that arrived in 1865 on the Mimosa steamboat. People from Wales and their descendants living in Argentina keep their culture and language alive through blogs and social networks.
Wales: From Prison, Activist Campaigns for Welsh Language Rights
Activist Jamie Bevan of Merthyr Tudful, Wales, is currently serving 35 days in prison after refusing to pay a fine for which the summons was issued in English only. He is a member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the protest movement which this month marks its 50th anniversary of campaigning to secure Welsh language rights.
Cambodia: Khmer Language Books Now Online
The Digital Library for International Research has made available more than 50 publications of Khmer books and educational materials from Cambodia.
Mexican Constitution Translated into Indigenous Languages
Ileana Fernández from Vivir México [es] reports that the Mexican Constitution was translated into Mayan and other indigenous languages.
Wales Celebrates its National Eisteddfod Festival, With a Digital Twist
Last week an event took places in Wales, which for many eclipsed even the Olympics. The National Eisteddfod of Wales is one of the only festivals in which the Welsh language is the primary language of every aspect of activity.
Italy, Macedonia: Funny (and Inappropriate) Country Name Translation
Macedonian portal Press24 published [mk] a photo posted by a Facebook user who discovered that instead of Macedonia, a display with telephone country codes at Milan airport featured the words “Fruit Salad” – which is synonymous with “Macedonia” in Italian, Spanish and some other languages. According to Google Translate, the...
The Welsh Language's Digital Toolbox
A key challenge for the United Kingdom's Welsh language has been to develop resources so that people can use it easily on the web and in digital media. Experienced terminologist Delyth Prys describes the current tools available for Welsh speakers online.