African translators should market their skills and showcase their work – Wandile Nkambule from South Africa
The language industry in Africa is full of untapped opportunities. Kabod has ventured on a journey of identifying, documenting and highlighting inspiring stories and innovative projects from entrepreneurs, researchers and freelancers in the translation, interpretation and natural language processing communities. The final goal is to celebrate African professionals in the language industry and facilitate knowledge and experience sharing. Today’s interviewee, Mr. Wandile Nkambule is an African languages freelance translator in South Africa. He translates from English into Zulu and English Siswati. Keep on reading to know more about him. Kabod: What attracts you to the role of translator? How did you start? My love and interest in languages and my desire to see people reading publications in their own languages attracted me to this role. I started as a volunteer translator in one non-profitable organization and received training through the Translation Techniques courses. Kabod: How does your native language influence your fluency with other languages? My native language touches the heart when spoken as naturally as possible, so as it is among the language group called the Nguni languages, it helps me to be able to make the difference between the grammar of my language and that of other languages which are closely related to it. What are some relevant initiatives or projects you are currently working on? Currently I am busy with translating books for children, evaluating and reviewing the Facebook community standard material and the User Interface which includes the display screen, appearance of a desktop. It is the way through which the user interacts with the application or the website. Companies need the website’s strings to be translated for their websites or their applications to be displayed on the computer. Kabod: How do you market yourself and your services as a translator? I market myself using social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook and registering on Translation websites such as translationdirectory.com, proz.com, translationcafe.com. How did you get your first contract? I got my first contact after applying for the position advertised by a translation company on Facebook. How can African translators position themselves to better tap opportunities in the global language industry? There is no other better way African translators could position themselves than marketing themselves and showcase their work and their skills. Kabod: What strategies do you use to increase your pool of clients while maintaining the existing ones? Producing quality services, delivering the tasks on time helps me a lot! The good reputation I have moves clients to recommend me to others. Kabod: Do you have any translation topics or areas that you specialize in? Why those topics? As a Freelance Translator, I don’t have a specific area or topic I specialize in. Companies assign me different topics to translate, and I do my best in all of them. Kabod: How do you leverage technology to facilitate your work as a translator? Are you using Computer Assisted Translation tools? Which one do you prefer and why? Technology is a helpful tool for translation. I use technology to research complex ideas. I use technology to get other useful tools which help me to do my job efficiently. Currently, I am using the OmegaT as my translation tool. But companies sometimes provide their tasks online and let me use their translation tools like word bee, Smartcat and Trados. The one that I am comfortable with is the Smartcat because it is very easy to use, not complicated, effective and fast. Kabod: Do you think there is a viable market for African languages translation/interpretation? Are there enough economic opportunities for translators/interpreters in African languages? Yes there is a viable market for African Language Translators because Africans nowadays enjoy reading materials in their own mother tongue. There are many economic opportunities. For example, people prefer to read lease agreements, sign contracts, and purchase things that they understand. So having things like that translated in their mother tongue would be great. So African Languages Translators may use opportunities like that to show that they have people’s interests at heart. Kabod: Are you aware of any network for translators in African languages? Are you a member of ALATT or any other strong network of translators? Kindly mention them. No, I am not aware of any network for translators in African Languages. I am not a member of any strong network of translators except being in the list of translators appearing in the websites mentioned above. Kabod: What are the three top pieces of advice that you will share to a budding African translator? My first advice is that translators must understand that translation is not simply to change source language words to vernacular, but to localize the ideas in a way that touches the heart of a reader. My second advice is that they must be free to negotiate with the clients about the deadlines of the projects because the lack of communication leads to rush translation jobs with many errors. And my last advice is that translators should if they can try to sharpen their skills through translation courses and learn how languages differ in grammar. Kabod: How do you envision the future of translation in African languages? I see it growing bigger and having a tremendous influence in all African languages, where people enjoy reading material translated naturally and in a way that touches their hearts. I also see myself being a full-time translator in African Languages as well. Thanks, Mr. Wandile, for your time and for sharing your experiences with us. Are you also in the language industry in Africa? Would you also like to be featured in our Knowledge Exchange Series, which highlight the journey and experiences of African language translators, interpreters, computational linguists etc.,? Then, reach out to languages@kabodgroup.com to express interest.
A Machine Translation Software For African Languages By An African
Machine Translation (MT) is a computational linguistics and language engineering technique that uses software to translate text/speech from one language to another. This occurs by feeding a text to a computer algorithm that translates it automatically into another language. There is no human intervention in the translation process. The machine does the translation by simply substituting words from one language into another. Examples of MT softwares are Google Translate, Microsoft Translate, DeepL, Reverso, Systran, Quillbot, etc. However, few of these MT software, focus on African languages. The low-resourcefulness[1] nature of African languages is purported to be a reason why just a small percentage of African languages are featured in existing machine translation softwares. This, however, does not mean there is no machine translation software dedicated to African languages. The purpose of this article is to share the functionalities and benefits of a mind-blowing MT Software developed by a Nigerian tech-savvy called Emmanuel Gabriel, founder of OBTranslate. OBTranslate, increasing the visibility of African languages while creating jobs. [1] Low-resource languages are languages that have relatively less data available for training conversational AI systems. OBTranslate is a deep learning company that develops online CAT (Computer Assisted Translation) tools, neural machine translation (NMT), and artificial intelligence platforms for African languages. OB Translate aims to translate over 2000 African languages. It has behind it a huge database, with more than 789 trillion dataset repositories, and uses neural networks to continue learning. According to Emmanuel Gabriel, “Our scientists are working hard to ensure that when people present training materials in African languages, they don’t necessarily tell the machines what to look for. The system should find patterns themselves, such as contextual clues around the source sentence”. Further, he added “Since its first inception during Spring of 2019, OBTranslate has evolved and been repurposed several times. This has led to the development of version 1.1.1 in the summer of 2020 and the growth of its functionality to the point where it is now in its latest version (1.9.6).” OBTranslate version 2.0 will come with big changes, starting with the architecture, components, and “neural models” we built, that understand many African and foreign languages on our “universal free text and speech translator”. Apart from the above functions, OBTranslate was created to provide jobs for African language professionals, who can work as freelance translators on the platform. Gabriel explains that “We created OBTranslate with an innovative business model to guarantee that the tool is sustainable to pay everyone whose translations are very accurate.” Affiliate marketers are also welcome on the platform, able to earn a 20% commission anytime a downline pays for any OBTranslate service. “We created OBTranslate with an innovative business model to guarantee that the tool is sustainable to pay everyone whose translations are very accurate. In the next five years, we hope to acquire thousands or millions of users to take up translation tasks on OBTranslate.” – Emmanuel Gabriel. You might also like to read on :● Developing and using African indigenous languages in the digital age● 5 Technological Solutions enhancing the access and use of African languages The need of adopting, using and promoting African Solutions OB Translate is an example of what we call “Afrolutions”, African innovative solutions to African problems. And I cannot agree more with Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who reiterated and demonstrated that African issues can be solved by Africans with African solutions. African linguistic challenges can better be solved with African solutions by Africans. Thus, the African Union should and must support such initiatives[1] engaged in the preservation and promotion of African languages. The more we adopt and use this MT software, the more we make it better as the machine learns from our inputs. As African language professionals, I believe it deserves our full adoption and support to become the most reliable MT software for African languages. The benefits of using a Computer Assisted Translation tools can not be overemphasized and having a software that focuses on African languages is a revolutionary attempt to promote and preserve African languages. I will undoubtedly use it to ease my work at Kabod Group as an African language translator as I provide language services into or from African languages (Ewe and Twi); and to numerous African language translators this software is worth using. It is about time we take the continent’s fate into our own hands to build the “Africa We Want”. If you know of other MT software that focuses on African languages, feel free to share it in the comment section or send resources you will like us to analyse at languages@kabodgroup.com [1] The efforts of Masakhane – a grassroot community that strengthens and spurs NLP initiatives and research by Africans and for Africans—must be supported in every possible way in order to preserve and protect our native languages.
Multilingualism Week Conference 2022
BACKGROUND Multilingualism Week Celebration began as the International Translation Day in Ghana in 2017 at the Ghana Institute of Languages. A students’ initiative that sought to bring together language enthusiasts—students, lecturers and professionals to discuss topics related to the language industry. This initiative was birthed with the aim of broadening the perspectives of students of the Ghana Institute of Languages and the Department of Modern languages – University of Ghana. Thereby, creating the platform for deliberations on their respective courses of study; career choices in the language industry; discussion of current issues in the industry; and networking with language professionals. Each year since 2017, participants gain exclusive insights as we discuss pertinent issues that add great value to their professional and career development. The 2020 edition was held online because of COVID-19, which increasingly recorded global participation: with over 120 participants on Zoom and over 1500 on Facebook. 2021 recorded similar participation. Our event has hosted very prominent language professionals such as Kevin Quirk – President of the International Federation of Translators, Dr Emmanuel Kuto – Translator at African Union Court, Valter Mavric – Director General for Translation, European Parliament, Elizabeth Kouaovi – Head of Translation Department, WHO – Africa, Joseph Sessou – Conference Interpreter, Laura Fevrier – European Parliament, just to mention a few. MULTILINGUALISM WEEK 2022 This year’s edition promises to be more educative as we move from a day’s event to a three-day virtual event, starting from 28th September to 30th September. The 28th and 29th are dedicated to roundtable discussions and workshops and the 30th is dedicated to the celebration of International Translation Day. As part of our program outline for this year, the following topics will be discussed: Subtitling Podcasting Post editing Transcription Machine Translation Specialising in Translation Natural Laanguage Processing Technologies for Translation The climax of the event, which is the 3rd day, will be the celebration of International Translation Day – a day slated to celebrate language professionals globally for their role in serving as mediators between cultures, languages, and people. 2022 THEME The theme for this year, which is that of the International Federation of Translators—FIT is, “A World without Barriers: The Role of Language Professionals in Building Culture, Understanding and lasting Peace”, recognising the vital role of professional translation in connecting the world despite barriers of all types and bringing people together. REGISTRATION Registration to attend all sessions from the 28th – 30th is absolutely free. To register click here For more information on the conference, click here or contact us via this email multilingualismweek@gmail.com WHY ATTEND? This is the biggest event on the continent that focuses on the language industry; discussing pertinent issues, sharing of ideas and experiences, high-level networking with industry players, partnering with professionals and many more. This and many opportunities you are privy to when you attend; all this for free! On this note, we cannot wait to host you online from the 28th to the 30th.
5 Reasons Why Budding Translators Must Volunteer
People volunteer everywhere, every single day, in all domains. It is estimated that over 1 billion people volunteer worldwide. People volunteer for several reasons, but there is one overarching element for everyone — service. The beauty of volunteering is that it is a selfless act that brings joy and fulfilment. As a budding language professional, it is expedient to volunteer, as this comes as an opportunity for many reasons. Below are some reasons why you should start NOW! 1. Gain hands-on experience Volunteering as a budding language professional helps you get hands-on training, thereby giving you the opportunity to practise the knowledge you acquire in the classroom. My first volunteering experience was with Global Citizen Ghana where I gained experience on how to recycle bottles and pen holders, transforming old car tires into beautifully crafted chairs, transforming used sachet water into art, and above all educating market woman at the Madina Market in Accra Ghana on how to keep the environment in which they sell clean. This is where my journey of speaking to large crowds began. 2. Acquire new skills Another major reason why you should volunteer is the opportunity to learn new skills or develop your existing skills. Volunteers gain skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, time management, leadership, communication, presentation, and public speaking, among many others. Kabod Group International runs a flagship programme that gives room for volunteering and internships under its 3 main services: Languages, eLearning & Knowledge Management. In August, Kabod received Grace Yoboue as a volunteer, and after one month, she rejoiced over the numerous new skills she has acquired, namely; writing skills, blogging skills, research skills, networking skills and many others. 3. Improve your C.V / resume Volunteering falls under your career history; it is, therefore, highly necessary to add to your C.V. Having more volunteer experience increases your employability rate. Personally, walking in the corridors of the United Nations Framework for Climate Change in Lomé (Togo) as a translator for the Regional Collaborating Centre was a dream far beyond imagining. However, I would not have had that opportunity without the numerous opportunities I had volunteering with Global Citizen, Ghana International Model United Nation, and the United Nations Development Programme during the Africa Climate Week (ACW) in 2019. Heaven smiled on me as I won the best volunteer award which came with working with the UNFCCC office in Togo for 3 months. All this, captured on my CV, helped me land several contracts especially in the field of climate change and international relations. It’s also a strategic way of getting the corporate and professional experiences needed by recruiters. In this regard, Christian Elongué, our managing director at Kabod Group International, revealed that over 70% of his experiences before becoming a consultant were gained through volunteering and internship. “A company may be reluctant to recruit and pay you for an executive or managerial position because of your insufficient years of professional experiences, but feel more safe and open to give you an opportunity and chance to work in a managerial role as a volunteer or intern, because the risk is lesser and the implied cost or salary paid is more affordable and beneficial for the company”, has he confided to us during a Kabod Spark Session, one of our internal talent development program. So don’t hesitate therefore to seize every volunteering opportunity aligned with your career goals in the language industry. 4. Professional exposure Unemployment is one of the continent’s plagues. Volunteering in communities or organisations that require your skillset, especially while in school, increases your chances of employment after your studies. Research shows that 80% of employers value voluntary work experience, with 58% valuing it more than paid work experience. It is highly advisable to gain experience volunteering before applying for a permanent job. Volunteering with an organisation that aligns with your field of study helps you to know what lies ahead of you after graduation. I was a student when I started volunteering for the Ghana International Model United Nations. A year later, I moved to assistant administrator and finally head communications. These volunteering experiences prepared my entrance into the corporate world and helped me to avoid mistakes that fresh graduates usually do in their first job. 5. Network Volunteering positions you to meet experts and people who have a wealth of expertise in your chosen field and the work others are doing, which might drastically change your career perspective. These contacts, as a result of networking, mostly become resorts in times of need and want. My international contract as a freelance was as a result of networking while volunteering at the ACW. I met Richard (a Nigerian climate action activist) who recommended me to several people who needed translation and interpretation. Since 2019, he still contacts and recommends me, but where did it start? He saw me volunteering. This helped me grow my network of diverse nationalities. Since you have been reading till here, let me give you a BIG bonus! Below are organisations where language professionals can volunteer, either in person or remotely. Organisations you can volunteer with as a language professional. 1. Kabod language Services Kabod is a great place you want to consider when volunteering as a budding language professional because of the tailor made structures developed to help its volunteers and interns grow beyond their field of study. 2. UN volunteer The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the volunteer arm of the United Nations. Due to the presence of the UN in many countries, the need for language professionals is incessant. 3. BabelCube It’s a platform that connects writers and publishers with translators. You may contact the author directly and provide your assistance. You will basically be a volunteer, but you may end up collecting a part of the revenue when the work you translated is sold. 4. TED Talks Translators TED is a non-profit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. You can join its team of volunteers to translate,
Africa will be the market for translation buyers globally – Alfred Mtawali
The language industry in Africa is full of untapped opportunities. Kabod has ventured on a journey of identifying, documenting and highlighting inspiring stories and innovative projects from entrepreneurs, researchers and freelancers in the translation, interpretation and natural language processing communities. The final goal is to celebrate African professionals in the language industry and facilitate knowledge and experience sharing. The first to open up this knowledge exchange series is Mr. Alfred Mtawali, founder of the Kenyan translation company : Can Translators, which provides translation, transcription and proofreading services. Below is the fruit of Ms. Grace Yoboué conversation with Mr. Alfred on his journey and lessons learned working in the African language industry. Kabod: What attracts you to the role of translator? How did you start your career in the translation/interpretation industry? I started out as a Bible translator in 1992. I was 23 then. I attended an interview that had been organised by Bible Translation and Literacy (EA) who were looking for a Giryama translator to translate the Bible into the Giryama language. I passed and joined the translation team as one of the translators. In 1994, my colleague left to take up the role of provost and therefore I remained the lead translator until 1996 when another translator, Edward Chome joined. What attracts me to the translation profession is my passion for languages and my quest to see lives impacted through the translations that I produce. Also being a translator opens me up to the world of knowledge, whereby every kind of text I translate becomes my source of knowledge and new information. Kabod: How does your native language influence your fluency with other languages? My native language which is Giryama influences me to be more fluent in Swahili which is a Bantu language like Giryama. For instance, there are some words in my language that are similar to Swahili words. Also, both languages are agglutinating languages and therefore easy to write and work in them. For example in Giryama the word NINDARYANI means “What am I going to eat?” Whereas in English there are 6 words, Giryama glosses it as one word. Swahili has the same patterns too, for example WENDAPI-means “Where are you going?” in English. In a nutshell, my proficiency in Giryama contributes to my fluency in Kiswahili. Kabod: What are some relevant initiatives or projects you are currently working on? For the last couple of months, I was involved in training in house translators at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). These are translators who translate consent forms into Giryama. My role was to introduce them to translation principles and theories, translation research and community testing of medical terminologies. I have also been translating Joyce Meyer sermons into Swahili, proofreading translations and organising a translation conference popularly known as Africa International Translation Conference (AITCO) to be held in Mombasa next year 10-11 February 2023. Kabod: What aspect or type of translation do you find most difficult? The most challenging discourse of translation is Christian translation where one has to also be well versed with various theologies and registers. The second is I would say is translating scientific discourse including but not limited to medical translation etc. Kabod: How do you market yourself and your services as a translator? My website is my arsenal when it comes to marketing my translation services. I also have a YouTube channel where I share translation tips and also place ads on Facebook for a couple of weeks and that attracts traffic to my website. Finally, I always make sure I write about translation in all my social media handles, as a result all my followers and friends become a point of reference when asked to recommend a translator. Kabod: How did you get your first contract? I first landed my first translation job when I was still an in-house translator with Bible Translation and Literacy (EA). An author by the name Rudi Lack (now deceased) went around Nairobi looking for a translator to translate his mission book Breakthrough. He knocked doors in several organisations and my name popped up in some of them and he ended up contacting me to translate his book. I completed the translation and over 30,000 copies of the book were printed and distributed in Tanzania and Kenya. Kabod: How can African translators position themselves to better tap opportunities in the global language industry? African translators need to position themselves by going with global trends in the profession. For instance, they need to learn how to use CAT tools, be members of both their local translation associations and international ones, they need to attend translation conferences for their professional development and networking and finally improve their language skills. The translation ‘cake’ is huge, but we need to sit on the right corner of the table to take a bite. Kabod: What strategies do you use to increase your pool of clients while maintaining the existing ones? One strategy I use is to increase my knowledge in the profession by attending translation conferences in Europe and America and grow my network. I attended one conference and one attendee recommended me to a client that I have been working for since 2015. Another strategy is gifting my existing clients with branded merchandise like mugs, hoodies and water bottles. This gesture of appreciation helps to keep the client-vendor relationship intact. I am also a member of the East Africa Interpreters and Translators Association (EAITA), International Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters (IAPTI) and the American Translators Association (ATA). Clients do contact me directly from the directories of these three associations. Kabod: Do you have any translation topics or areas that you specialise in? Why those topics? My area of specialisation is Christian translation and literary translation. Having translated the Bible in my language, I can comfortably handle translation of literary works and religious discourse. My second degree is on Children and Youth development and therefore, I can handle materials about youth and their development. Having translated for 30
Understanding artificial languages and how to create one?
Athchomar chomakea everyone! Do not be shocked, these two words are from the Dothraki artificial language used to say “hello” to non-Dothraki people. I know for sure that no one is a Dothraki here. Are you? “taH pagh taHbe’. DaH mu’tlheghvam vIqelnIS”. This beautiful sentence is in Klingon language for Hamlet’s famous line, “To be or not to be, that is the question.” (Translated by Nick Nicholas and Andrew Strader). You are certainly wondering what all this is about. Well, today we are going to discuss artificial languages. Language facilitates communication and helps us transmit vital information around the world. But have you ever wondered about the genesis of languages? Who creates languages? How do they come about? All languages start as artificial languages before being called natural languages and used by everyone. They remain artificial languages as long as they are not lingua francas, consistently being spoken by a group of people. What are artificial languages? Artificial languages are languages created by individuals for specific purposes. They are sometimes called planned languages. A study by Robert Isenberg defines artificial languages as “any language whose lexicon and grammar were developed by an individual source for the sake of itself. An individual source refers to either one creator or a select body of creators. A great deal of time might transpire over the course of its development, but when it is released to others, the language must be communicatively functional – i.e., the system can be used to convey many ideas”. Artificial languages are being created frequently, either for artistic purposes, study, or personal will. They reflect the beauty of language in the sense that they emanate from the creativity and imagination of humans and contribute to the multiplicity of languages in the world. One of the most popular artificial languages used in real life is Esperanto, invented by a Polish Jew in 1887. Esperanto, which literally means, “one who hopes” was created by Ludwig Zamenhof from a blend of English, German, Latin and Romance elements. Today, it is spoken worldwide by about two million people. Are you a fan of movies? Have you watched the popular series called “Game of Thrones?” or the movie Avatar? Did you know that the languages used in those movies and many others were created for the specific purposes of these movies? Let’s look at more examples of existing artificial languages! You would probably like to create your own artificial language as well. But do you know how to create them? Is there a process to follow? Are there rules? How do they go about it? Let’s look at that in the next point! The process of creating artificial languages Together, let’s explore how we can create our own artificial language. Conclusion To conclude, artificial languages are languages created by individuals for specific purposes. A lot of movies, books, etc., make use of artificial languages. The beauty of artificial language is seen in the way that it comes from creativity and imagination while contributing to the growth of the language industry. What a great deal it is to have such inventions in the world, with people ready to let their creativity speak. Fonas chek! After reading this, you might have decided to create your own artificial language. Do not hesitate! Do you know other artificial languages you would like to share with us? Feel free to do that in the comments and indicate in what way that language is special!
Le nouchi, future langue nationale de Côte d’Ivoire ?
« Qui fait ça ? Faut pas fasser hein, nous s’amuser », ça c’est une phrase en nouchi. Le nouchi est un argot populaire créé et parlé en Côte d’Ivoire, pays situé en Afrique de l’Ouest. C’est l’un des pays d’Afrique linguistiquement hétérogène où aucune de ses langues locales ne sert de moyen de communication interethnique. Dans ce contexte de plurilinguisme, le nouchi, désormais pratiqué par toutes les couches sociales et professionnelles, apparaît être sur le bon chemin d’avoir le statut de langue nationale un jour. Mais avant d’explorer cette possibilité, il est important d’analyser les facteurs ayant contribué à la popularité du nouchi et comment cette langue est parvenue à s’imposer dans un pays linguistiquement hétérogène ? Peut-il devenir une langue nationale ? Origine et étymologie du Nouchi Le nouchi a été créé vers la fin des années 70 et au début années 80 dans les rues d’Abidjan, capitale économique de Côte d’Ivoire, par des citadins mal scolarisés ou délinquants, ne maîtrisant pas bien le français.Le mot « nouchi » tirerait son origine du Dioula, langue locale utilisée majoritairement dans le commerce. Il est composé de « nou », qui veut dire “nez” et de « chi » qui signifie “poils“, et donc “poils de nez” ou « moustache » pour désigner le méchant, à qui tout le monde voulait ressembler dans les westerns de ces temps. Un « nouchi », c’est un homme fort, craint de tous et qui n’a peur de rien ni de personne. Le nouchi est apparu sous la forme d’une langue hybride, constituée d’un mélange de langues étrangères (français, anglais, espagnol) et de langues locales, notamment le dioula, le bété, le baoulé, etc., de langues africaines et surtout des mots inventés par les locuteurs eux-mêmes. Il était utilisé dans les marchés, gares et rues avant d’être transporté dans la plupart des couches sociales. De langue de rue, le nouchi est devenu le moyen de communication interethnique par excellence de Côte d’Ivoire. Le nouchi : langue véhiculaire de Côte d’Ivoire Selon Louis-Jean Calvet, une langue véhiculaire est « une langue utilisée pour la communication entre des groupes qui n’ont pas la même première langue » (Calvet, 1993, p. 40)[1]. Suivant cette définition, le nouchi peut être qualifié de langue véhiculaire. En effet, le nouchi est parlé en ville, dans les villages et dans la diaspora. Il est présent dans les lycées et universités, par tous les groupes ethniques et de toutes les classes sociales et professionnelles. C’est la langue d’unification des peuples de Côte d’Ivoire en raison de l’absence d’une langue locale imposante. C’est le point de rencontre de différentes langues locales ivoiriennes, notamment le dioula, le baoulé et le bété mais aussi africaines. Bien que n’étant pas une langue nationale, c’est celle qui identifie les Ivoiriens au niveau international. Le terme « nouchi » renvoie automatiquement à la Côte d’Ivoire et représente un emblème linguistique pour la Côte d’Ivoire. Vocabulaire en Nouchi Il existe un dictionnaire en ligne du nouchi dans lequel les mots s’actualisent quotidiennement. Ci-dessous, quelques exemples de mots et phrases en nouchi : *Mots en nouchi boucantier : personne frimant avec des marques de luxe couper : voler, escroquer faroter : frimer dêmin-dêmin : se débrouiller gbô : manger kpata, zooh: joli(e), élégant(e) kpé, lalé : téléphone portable. gbata, piol, piss: maison, habitat goumin-goumin : chagrin d’amour fraya: fuir, partir dédja: ouvrir dèbè: tomber je suis piqué : je n’ai plus d’argent Notion d’argent moro : 5 francs CFA gbèssè : 500 francs CFA grosse : 25 francs CFA bâr : 1 000 francs CFA sogban : 75 francs CFA gbonhon ou key : 5 000 FCFA togo: 100 francs CFA diez : 10 000 francs CFA mambi: 100 franc CFA une brique : un million de francs CFA 1. Phrases composées de mots d’origine française– On’ê calé issi. “On est installé ici” 2. Phrases marquées par un mot d’origine anglaise– Il’ê daï (die). “Il est tout ivre” 3. Phrases marquées par un mot d’origine espagnole1- Il’ê calé à la pisso(piso). “Il est à la maison.” 4. Les phrases marquées par un mot d’origine dioula 1- Ton môgôê là ! “Ton ami est là !” Niveau de pénétration du nouchi dans la communication en Côte d’Ivoire Le nouchi est présent dans les conversations domestiques, la comédie populaire, la musique, la presse, et même dans les débats et réunions politiques. Au niveau des médias, le nouchi est utilisé sur les chaînes de radios, notamment sur Radio nationale et Fréquence 2 ainsi qu’une centaine de chaînes privées réparties dans toutes les villes et communes aux émissions « After work » sur Radio Nostalgie, « Djassa FM » sur Fréquence. Il est aussi utilisé sur les chaînes de télévision nationales (RTI 1, RTI 2 et RTI Bouaké) qui, en dehors de RTI Bouaké, émettent sur toute l’étendue du territoire et certaines chaînes privées depuis Abidjan. Ainsi, des émissions comme « On se dit les gbê », « On se djô », « kpakpato, dernier cri », « les dabali de chez nous », « kpakpato pressé » etc. sont diffusées en nouchi. Concernant la presse écrite, les premiers articles sur le nouchi ont été publiés le 06 septembre 1986 dans le journal Fraternité Matin par les journalistes Alain Coulibaly et Bernard Ahua sous le titre « Le nouchi, un langage à la mode ». Dès lors, la presse écrite s’est engagée à promouvoir cette forme d’expression à la mode. Aujourd’hui, certains journaux, pour séduire, ont adopté le nouchi comme langue d’écriture. C’est le cas du quotidien L’Intelligent d’Abidjan dont les pages de couverture affichait ce titre : « NON à des élections koutcha et wouya-wouya » où « Koutcha » et « wouya-wouya », deux termes malinké, se traduisent respectivement par « truquées » et « chose sans importance » comme pour dire : « NON à des élections truquées et sans importance ». Plusieurs autres journaux et magazines l’utilisent aussi. Le nouchi est beaucoup utilisé dans la musique. Tous les musiciens ivoiriens et même ceux de l’extérieur créent des chansons en nouchi. Au cours des trois dernières décennies, des vecteurs musicaux tels que les chansons de zouglou, de rap, de reggae,
3 Moyens De Promouvoir Les Langues Africaines
L’Afrique est un cas particulièrement intéressant quant à ses dynamiques sociolinguistiques et linguistiques, car elle est le berceau d’un tiers des langues parlées sur notre planète, soit 2,158 langues indigènes. Selon Emmanuel Gabriel, fondateur d’OpenBinacle:« plus de 52 langues autochtones d’Afrique ont disparu et n’ont pas de locuteurs natifs ». Parmi les raisons de la disparition d’une langue, citons la migration des locuteurs de cette langue vers d’autres horizons, la limitation de son vocabulaire, l’absence de manuscrits ou encore les changements constants dans les sociétés et aussi la faible transmission aux générations futures. La grande majorité des langues officielles parlées en Afrique a été importée et imposée durant l’époque coloniale. Ainsi, on parle aujourd’hui de l’Afrique francophone, anglophone, lusophone et arabophone. Nous pouvons aussi exiger l’apprentissage de nos langues locales afin de les promouvoir. Découvrez trois moyens de promouvoir les langues autochtones africaines. 1) Les décideurs africains devraient adopter des langues de leur pays comme langues co-officielles La promotion de nos langues ne peut se faire que par nous, interlocuteurs de celles-ci. Les dirigeants devraient cesser de trouver des excuses quant au fait que les langues africaines sont inaptes à porter la science, la technologie, la politique, l’économie et prendre des mesures concrètes à cet effet. C’est-à-dire financer des recherches approfondies pour combler le fossé qui puisse exister dans les langues susceptibles d’avoir le statut de deuxième langue officielle afin que celles-ci puissent porter la science, la technologie, la politique… Il est clair que la tâche est loin d’être facile si l’on considère l’encodage des caractères des langues, sa normalisation, l’enseignement de leurs alphabets aux citoyens. Elle apparaît toutefois nécessaire, car si l’on veut changer le cours des choses pour les générations futures, c’est maintenant que les bases doivent être posées. Prenons l’exemple du Swahili, langue parlée en Ouganda, au Kenya, en Tanzanie, à l’île de Zanzibar, aux Comores, au Rwanda, au Burundi, au Congo-Kinshasa, en Zambie, en Somalie, en Afrique du Sud et au Mozambique. Cette langue, considérée auparavant comme une langue “obscure”, compte aujourd’hui plus de 200 millions de locuteurs et est l’une des 10 langues les plus parlées au monde. Le swahili a été adopté comme langue nationale au Kenya, au Congo-Kinshasa, et comme langue officielle en Tanzanie et récemment en Ouganda. Tout ceci pour montrer que parvenir à un tel résultat se fait pas à pas, continuellement, tout en y investissant les efforts et les fonds.. 2) Introduction des langues autochtones dans le système éducatif par les décideurs africains Rappelons que le système colonial avait mis en place un système éducatif conforme à sa politique, où la langue d’enseignement et de communication était une langue européenne. Dans tous les pays africains, il semble que tous les moyens du système éducatif semblent être mis au service du prestige d’une langue occidentale, enseignée comme langue première. Ainsi, nous avons, en tant qu’élèves africains, précisément en Côte d’Ivoire, à apprendre l’anglais à partir de la classe de sixième(6e), parfois depuis le primaire pour certaines écoles privées, puis l’espagnol ou l’Allemand à partir de la classe de quatrième(4e). L’enfant est ainsi arraché linguistiquement et culturellement à son cadre de vie. Pourtant, tous les enfants africains ont le droit inaliénable d’aller à l’école et d’apprendre dans leurs langues maternelles. Involontairement, les systèmes éducatifs ont contribué à la dévalorisation des cultures et langues africaines, notamment dans les pays francophones où les décideurs ont non seulement manqué de faire introduire une langue autochtone dans leur système éducatif, mais aussi donné assez de valeur aux langues européennes dans nos systèmes. Pour y remédier, les dirigeants des différents pays africains doivent introduire l’apprentissage d’au moins une langue locale dans le système éducatif de leur pays respectif afin que les apprenants puissent apprendre cette langue depuis le primaire. Le Ghana peut être cité en exemple, où on enseigne à le Twi ainsi que l’Ewe à l’école primaire. 3) Assurer la présence des langues africaines sur la toile La promotion des langues africaines impose d’assurer la présence des langues africaines sur la toile. C’est-à-dire introduire celles-ci dans les technologies de l’information et des communications (TIC). Ceci étant, les décideurs politiques doivent assurer la présence adéquate de l’outil informatique comme matériel didactique à la disposition des élèves avant de veiller à l’introduction de ces langues sur les TIC. Jusque-là, les actions menées à cet effet par le passé ont porté leur fruit car le logiciel de traduction Google Translate a dernièrement ajouté dix nouvelles langues africaines dans son système en plus de celles incluses auparavant telles que l’Amharique, le Haoussa, le Somali, le Swahili, le Yoruba ou encore le Kinyarwanda. Bonne nouvelle ! Il y a aussi l’existence d’une plateforme numérique dénommée OBTranslate qui vise à traduire plus de 2000 langues africaines pour permettre aux habitants des zones rurales d’accéder facilement aux marchés mondiaux. Nous pouvons également citer Boite A Innovations, une société canadienne représentée dans 4 pays (Canada, Bénin, Sénégal et Gabon), spécialisée dans l’alphabétisation des langues africaines, ensemble d’outils numérique d’apprentissage dans les langues africaines, plus de 12 langues précisément. Les États africains doivent apporter leur pierre à l’édifice de la promotion des langues africaines en soutenant financièrement toutes ces initiatives visant à promouvoir et à introduire les langues africaines sur la toile. Conclusion En somme, l’adoption des langues locales comme langue officielles, l’introduction de celles-ci dans le système éducatif et sur les TIC s’avèrent être des moyens efficaces pour promouvoir les langues indigènes africaines. Il apparaît donc nécessaire pour les décideurs de réviser la méthode d’enseignement monolingue dans les pays africains. Ceci contribuera au développement du continent africain. Bien qu’un nombre de langues africaines soit plus ou moins présent sur la toile, plus d’efforts restent à fournir pour améliorer la qualité des services de langues, la traduction par exemple, vers ces langues. Cependant, la question du choix d’une langue particulière parmi tant d’autres que compte chaque pays afin d’assurer l’intégrité nationale se pose. Pour l’heure, il revient aux parents de jouer leur partition qui est de déjà enseigner à leurs enfants leur langue maternelle depuis la maison. Avez-vous
How to prevent African minority languages from extinction?
Have you ever heard of the NJUU language? Did you know that this language has only one remaining fluent speaker today? Do you know where it is spoken? Njuu language is the sole survivor of the Tuu cluster of San languages spoken in South Africa. It is considered the original language of South Africa. This language was declared extinct in 1973, only to be rediscovered in the late 1990s when a radio appeal turned up dozens of elderly speakers. This number progressively reduced to only 3 people, namely Ouma Katrina Esau, Hanna Koper, and Griet Seekoei, all sisters. Today, Ouma Katrina, aged 87, is the only remaining fluent speaker of Njuu, after her elder sisters have passed away. She works hard to save her language from dying out by teaching it to the local children for about a decade in Upington, town in the Northern Cape Province where she lives. The United Nations recognizes this language as critically endangered. How do we prevent this from happening to other African languages? Just like Njuu, many other African indigenous languages are on the verge of extinction and are, therefore, “critically endangered”. Of the 2,158 living languages in Africa, 195 are institutional, 581 are developing, 859 are vigorous, 396 are endangered, and 127 are dying. Per the statistics, about 523 languages (endangered and dying languages) have to be saved. These languages mainly account for minority languages. What is a minority language? How does a language become classified as a “minority language”? Why do minority languages disappear? How can minority languages be prevented from extinction? These are the questions that this piece will be exploring. What is a “minority language”? A “minority language” is a language spoken by less than 50% of the population in a given region, state, or country. Hence, a language can be a minority language in one region or state but a majority language in another, depending on the number of the speaker population within a given geographic context. How does a language become a minority language and eventually die? The first reason a language becomes a minority language is that speakers stop using their mother tongue at the expense of another language. Indeed, after migrating to a new region or state, sometimes because of natural disasters, some people stop using their mother tongue and begin to learn and use that of the region they have relocated to. Hence, these people may begin to use only that new language with their children, and gradually the intergenerational transmission of the mother tongue will be reduced or cease. As a consequence, the number of speakers who use that language as their primary language will start to decrease, and the total number of speakers will eventually decrease, causing the language to become a minority language. In the long run, the language may no longer be used at all and may go extinct. The second reason is that when fewer people connect their ethnic identity with a particular language, they tend not to give value to that language and therefore do not see the need to use it or pass it on to their children. Any language with many of this category of people will definitely have fewer speakers and become a minority language and/or an endangered language. A third reason is the age range of the speakers of a particular language. Let us take the example of the aforementioned language, Njuu. Let us consider that there are 100 speakers, of whom 40 are above 50 years. As these 40 people grow older and die, the number of speakers will decrease. Younger speakers may multiply, but if they fail to pass on their mother tongue to their children, the language will not only become a minority language but be “critically endangered”. A language may die as a result of economic reasons. Indeed, speakers of a minority language may, for one reason or another, decide that it is better for their children to speak a language that is tied to economic success. And this is to guarantee them a good future. Hence, they do not see the need to teach their own language to their children. Eventually, the more parents would do that, the fewer speakers of that particular language would have. And when those parents are no more, there would gradually be no living speakers and that language would die. How can minority/endangered languages be prevented from extinction? 1. The most crucial step in preserving a language and preventing its extinction is to create and maintain a detailed documentation of that language. In other words, written records (books), transcriptions, and recordings should be created for each minority/endangered language for its preservation. Languages involve technical aspects such as syntax, punctuation, phonology, and syllables that have to be carefully curated and recorded. And for that matter, linguists and anthropologists must work together to recreate accurate language resources. 2. The second effective way to preserve an endangered language is to teach it. Just as Katrina Esau said “I am teaching the language because I do not want it to become extinct when we die”. And this is a two-way affair. First, speakers of a particular endangered language must pass the language on to their children by teaching them how to speak it. Secondly, speakers of endangered languages must willingly teach their language to fellow citizens from different ethnic groups. This will increase the number of speakers of those languages and prevent them from dying. This is where the creation and maintenance of language resources are relevant because they will be used in the teaching process. Just as Ouma Katrina Esau has taken upon herself to teach her language at her home to the children of the community, she lives in. 3. The last, but not the least, means to save an endangered language is the use of technology to promote it. That is, create online dictionaries, websites, applications that will allow more people to learn it and promote it. An example of the various applications designed
Most African Indigenous Languages are on the Brink of becoming Extinct by 2100
Culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original peoples are defined as indigenous. Among indigenous peoples are the Mayas, Lakota, Pygmies of Central Africa, the Maasai tribe from East Africa, the Berbers of Northern Africa, etc. Indigenous peoples can be found on every continent and, globally, account for 6% of the world’s population. In total, they are custodians and speakers of more than 4000 out of 7000 languages spoken in the world. However, indications reveal that most indigenous languages are mostly endangered and are on the brink of becoming extinct by 2100. 3,045 languages are endangered as of 2022, which is 42.5% of all living languages. The Rights of Indigenous Peoples On December 18, 2019, the General Assembly (GA) of the United Nations adopted a resolution on the “Rights of Indigenous Peoples” during its 74th session. The year 2019 was declared by the UN as the International Year of Indigenous languages, which preceded the proclamation of 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL), with UNESCO as the lead UN Agency. Despite being the embodiment of cultural diversity, indigenous peoples are mostly marginalized, facing extreme poverty, suffering human rights violations, and living in constant fear of losing their cultures and languages as a result of factors such as increased globalisation, urbanisation, and migration, among many others. UNESCO, in light of IDIL, seeks to draw the world’s attention to indigenous languages and establish the urgent need to preserve and promote these languages by building a global community that revitalises and supports indigenous languages worldwide. To achieve the goal of IDIL 2022-2032 a Global Action Plan was developed for all individuals, governments, institutions, and stakeholders. In order to contribute to your quota, join the IDIL 2022-2032 global community. The State of African Indigenous Languages Language is the ultimate embodiment of our diverse cultures and identities. History, customs, and traditions are preserved through languages. Africa is known to be the most linguistically endowed continent in the world, as it accounts for one-third of world languages. The globally accredited and most authoritative inventory of world languages, Ethnologue in its 25th edition (2022) records a total of 7,151 living languages globally, with Africa recording 2158 living languages, with detailed categorisation into Institutional: 195, Developing: 581, Vigorous:859, In trouble: 396, Dying: 127. Extinct/Dead languages are characterised by having no native speakers and no native descendants, and an endangered/in trouble language is a language that is at risk of falling out of use as a result of having few speakers. UNESCO categorises language endangerment into four. These are: Vulnerable – most children speak the language, but it may be restricted to certain domains (e.g., home) Definitely endangered – children no longer learn the language as a “mother tongue” in the home. Severely endangered – language is spoken by grandparents and older generations; while the younger generation may understand it, they do not speak it to children or among themselves. Critically endangered – the youngest speakers are grandparents and older, and they speak the language partially and infrequently. Extinct – there are no speakers left. Despite the rich linguistic diversity the continent is endowed with, it cannot vaunt much about its languages owing to the many phases of colonisation it was subdued to, where the indigenous languages were sacrificed on the altar of the coloniser’s languages, which were used and are still used as a medium of instruction when the European colonisers in Africa introduced formal education. The dismemberment of the African continent as a result of colonisation is defined by Ngugi Wa Thiongo as ‘‘an act of absolute social engineering; the continent’s dismemberment was simultaneously the foundation, fuel, and consequence of Europe’s capitalist modernity.” The colonisation of a people’s language is to colonise their minds and the knowledge and history carried in that language. Ngugi further established in an interview that it is “self- enslavement if you know all the languages of this world but not your mother tongue. On the contrary, if you excellently know your mother tongue and add the rest of the languages of this world, that is empowerment. ” As Africans, we seem to overlook certain actions and inactions that endanger our native languages. First, most Africans (especially the youth of Africa) do not feel proud speaking their mother tongue and feel more empowered and educated speaking foreign languages. Second, the speaking of African languages in African schools is prohibited. On the notion that proficiency in the colonisers is essential in becoming successful. Third, African governments conduct their operations in foreign languages other than their native languages. Lastly, I personally find it extremely sad that, amidst the myriads of African languages (2158); the continental body- the African Union, which consists of 55 member states—has only one African language as an official language. The AU has six official languages, namely; English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, andKiswahili. This begs the following questions; What is the African Union’s effort in preserving the numerous languages of its people? Why would the continental body that oversees the wellbeing of its members have only one African language as an official language? All of the problems stated above keep us in constant self-inflicted bondage. Conclusion The path towards empowerment is first and foremost embracing our native languages as Africans; for they are a conservatory of our culture and heritage. In it lies who we are, where we come from, what defines us, and why we exist, which in turn defines where we are going and how far we go. You might also want to explore this article that talks about “4 critical reasons why every African should know their native language now and practical ways to promote African languages.”
5 Tips to get your child to love and speak your mother tongue
Nowadays, quite a number of Ivorian parents whose children were born in capital cities are worried about their children’s inability to speak their native languages. It is quite common now to see children who cannot even have a simple conversation in their dialect, while it is a critical way of preserving their culture and identity as a people. While some African children only understand and cannot speak, a number of Ivorian children or youth neither understand nor speak their mother tongue. The only language they can understand or speak is French. This is sad as Ivory Coast’s rich culture from 78 local languages and history may get eroded when children cannot converse in their mother tongue. It also means that they are unable to transfer this heritage to their children and grandchildren. This would gradually result in a decrease in the number of local language speakers, which, in the long run, would cause some languages to go extinct. If you are one of the parents who are worried that your child cannot speak your mother tongue, then the following 5 tips might be useful to you. TIP 1: Speak frequently to your child in your dialect As parents, you must make an effort to teach and speak your native language to and around your children as much as possible at home. Speaking to your child in your native language must be introduced at an early stage of your child’s development. Research shows that children learn languages more easily and faster than grown-ups. As a matter of fact, it will be of great value to introduce your dialect to your child when he/she is a toddler, whether you reside in an urban city or not. To be effective, conversing with your children in your native language must be consistent. As they grow up, you, as a parent, should keep on encouraging them to greet and communicate in your native language and teach them the importance of their native language. When you talk to them in your native language, let them know that they can only reply in that language. This reminds me of my late maternal grandmother. When she was still alive, and we were younger, our parents used to send us – my siblings and I—on vacation to her home. I remember her telling us to talk to her only in our native language, since her French level of expression was low. Even though we initially perceived it as a ‘laboring task’, we are now reaping the benefits of that constraint, since today I can proudly speak Tagbana, my native language from the northern part of Ivory Coast. TIP 2: Take your children to the village To help your children understand their mother tongue, they need to be immersed in your culture. Hence, during the vacation period, take them to your hometown to visit grandparents and other relatives who live there. It will help them both improve their speaking skills and discover their culture. “Many of the children born and brought up in the city do not know where their hometown is. A language is easier to learn and speak when the learner visits the place where it is spoken. Total immersion for a couple of weeks can have an amazing effect”. During their stay, grandparents and other family members will tell them cultural folk tales in the local dialect. They may not understand everything now, but with time, this will not only develop their vocabulary and oral skills, but also inculcate cultural values in them. TIP 3: Encourage them to watch cartoons in your local dialect One of the most practical ways for your child to learn and speak your native language is to encourage them to watch TV shows or cartoons in your dialect. Parents can provide their children with cartoons in their native language to watch. This will help them acquire new vocabulary. You will be surprised at how much your child will learn by watching television programs and cartoons. After watching, you can ask your child to tell you what they understood from the story. This will make them practice speaking. From there, you can start introducing them gradually to music in your mother tongue. Here are a few links to cartoons in Kiswahili, Zulu, Chichewa, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Xhosa. TIP 4: Teach them how to read in your native language Books are the most effective tool for learning a language. Get some story books with lots of illustrations in your native language and read them with your children. Providing children access to reading materials in their mother tongue is also essential for developing their reading and writing skills. However, few African local languages have been used so far in children’ books as confirmed by Christian Elongué in this piece. Thus, this tip is reserved for parents and children who are able to find books in their native languages. Examples of such languages are Amharic, Sesotho, Sisulu, Hausa, Yoruba, and Ewe, among others. Introduce your children early to reading in your native language and encourage them as they practice speaking. TIP 5: Hire a nanny that speaks your native language Last but by no means least, hiring a nanny who can speak your native language can help your children speak their mother tongue. Parents are usually far from their homes because of work and leave their children with nannies. In the case where the nanny speaks your native language, your children can continue learning the language with the nanny in your absence. Encourage your nanny to only speak your dialect to your child. Over the years, you will be amazed at how much your child has improved. In a nutshell, language learning is a continuous process that occurs during childhood. Speaking our country’s official language is good and multiplies our chances to make it in today’s business world. However, there is a need for us to take the speaking of our local languages seriously, including passing it on to our children, as it is key to
Developing and using African indigenous languages in the digital age
We live in an era driven by technology whereby everything in the world needs to be digitized in order to be used, promoted and to grow. This also applies to languages, in the sense that they’re being digitized to facilitate and increase their use in the world. A study affirms that it is estimated that there are over 1000 to 2000 languages as well as 8000 dialects spoken in Africa. However, in this digital age, these numerous languages risk extinction if they are not developed to be frequently used in Africa and all over the world. According to Victor Oladokun in New African Magazine, “As elderly rural speakers die out, the survival of some African languages is at risk. In the face of this language crisis, we need to recognize what is at stake, turn adversity into opportunity, and add value to our tremendous linguistic resources”. There are various ways to add value and develop the use of African languages in the world, and in this article, I have gathered three ways to develop the use of African indigenous languages in this digital era. 1- Possibility to use search engines with African languages BDC defines a search engine as “a software program that helps people find the information they are looking for online using keywords or phrases.” Search engines are able to return results quickly even with millions of websites online by scanning the internet continuously and indexing every page they find. When a user enters a search term, the search engine looks at the website page titles, contents and keywords it has indexed and uses algorithms (step-by-step operations) to produce a list of sites with the most relevant websites at the top of the list. Making it possible to use African languages in search engines means a lot. It includes creating content for various websites in African languages, and this means everyone can have access to the internet in their language. It will also increase and develop the use of African languages in this era where the internet decides everything. Imagine being able to do research on the internet using your native African language ! It is going to be awesome! And guess what? You can already do this since Google Search engine gives the possibility of doing research in main African languages such as Hausa, Swahili, Twi, Ga, Ewe etc. Even though this is appreciable, much work still needs to be done to cover more African languages. 2- Programming language Java T point defines a programming language as “a computer language that is used by programmers to communicate with computers. It is a set of instructions written in any specific language (Java, Python) to perform a specific task”. Developing programming languages in African dialects to develop desktop applications, websites, and mobile applications will be very useful and a great opportunity to spread the use of African indigenous languages because it will make possible the creation of search engines talked about in the first point. All over the world, people will have access to the internet in African languages. There are some existing programming languages in indigenous languages, such as: 3- AI Voice Assistant devices “Voice assistants are devices/apps that use voice recognition technology, natural language processing, and AI to respond to humans. Using the technology, the device synthesises the user’s message, breaks it down, evaluates it, and offers a meaningful response in return,” verloop.io. These devices can take African languages to the next level in the whole world and therefore make their use effective everywhere, which will enhance their promotion. There is one common AI voice assistant already put in place, which is: 4- Financial Technology (Fintech) According to Investopedia, financial technology is “used to describe new technology that seeks to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services”. Fintech is used to help companies, business owners, and consumers better manage their financial operations, processes, and lives by utilizing specialized software and algorithms that are used on computers and smartphones. Business Insider Africa shows that “As investments in startups across Africa keep growing, fintech has continued to take a large chunk”. In 2021 alone, fintech received 50% of the over $2 billion raised by African tech startups, according to data from tech industry researchers, Disrupt Africa. Therefore, adding African languages through localization, to Fintech solutions, will boost their use. Africans will now be able to make financial transactions online using their African languages. This will promote African languages as well. Conclusion In this digital age, developing and using African indigenous languages can only be done effectively with the use of technology. As mentioned above, four ways of developing and using African languages in the digital age are programming languages, AI voice assistants, fintechs, and the search engines created with African languages. Let us make the right choices for the better promotion and advancement of these languages in this digital age. Do you know any other way of developing and using African indigenous languages in the digital age? Kindly share them with us in the comments! You can also read my previous article on “5 technological solutions enhancing the access and use of African languages.” Thank you!
5 Strategies that African Publishers can use to promote African Languages more effectively
The role of a publisher in the dissemination of thought cannot be overemphasised, and the immortalization of one’s literary work is a dream of every writer. For a second, just imagine the inexistence of a publisher: knowledge would have been a scarce commodity. Publishers are not just business gurus, but important agents of change who advance society by sharing meaningful ideas. As cultural entrepreneurs, they contribute to the visibility of culture and the establishment of a language through the knowledge products and books they publish. Moreover, “the health and vitality of a language are not just influenced by the number of speakers, but also by the number of writers and publishers”. The spoken word can easily be forgotten and fade away, but the written word lasts longer. Writing is the most ancient method of preserving knowledge for contemporary and future generations. As such, publishers of books are contributing to the immortalization of not just the knowledge of which books are written, but also of the language and medium through which that knowledge is communicated. Thus, the preservation of a language largely hinges on the Trinity – Speakers, Writers and Publishers. Therefore, when it comes to the promotion of African languages, the number of people able to write and publish regularly in those languages is also key. But when one looks at the book industry in Africa, one can easily notice that the number of books published in foreign languages outshines those published in local languages. It’s easier to find a Shakespeare in Africa than a Ngugi Wa Thiongo. This is sad, yet true; the reality calls for a more strategic and holistic valorization of African languages through any possible medium, especially in education and publishing. In this write-up, i share key strategies that publishers can use to promote African languages and contribute to their visibility and use. 1. African publishers should bet more on writers who write in African languages During an interview with world-renowned Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, Nanda Dyssou, a Congolese-Hungarian journalist, inquired why there are still not enough books in African languages. She indicated that it was one of the reasons why people are used to reading in English and other European languages, and blatantly recognized that African publishers are less likely to take a chance on writers who write in their native language. In his response, Ngũgĩ[1] said that “getting published is one of the most infuriating challenges of writing in African languages. There are hardly any publishing houses devoted to African languages”. So writers in African languages are writing against great odds: no publishing houses, no state support, and national and international forces aligned against them. Literary awards such as the Nobel, Commonwealth Literature, and even the Africa-centric Noma prizes rarely go to writers in African languages that are, after all, spoken by the majority of Africans. Prizes are often given to promote African literature, but on the condition that the writers don’t write in African languages. Many African writers can write in African languages, but are afraid of not getting published. This obstacle, if removed by publishers, will encourage writers to write more in African languages; which will contribute to an influx of literary works in African languages. Again Ngugi Wa Thiongo, remains a global African writer who has consistently challenged statu quo by continuing to use Gĩkũyũ as his written language of choice, and he even asks his publisher to wait for two years before releasing the English translations of his books to give Kenyan readers more time to discover the story in the original language. “The publishers are not always with me on this policy,” he said. At Kabod, we believe this will ultimately promote African languages and increase the lifespan of the languages used. And to make that possible, we have discounted prices and special offers for African publishers or writers who want to translate their books or writings from any European/Asian languages to an African language. 2. Creating more dedicated publishing houses focusing exclusively on writings in African languages. One radical [but costly] decision that can be made by publishers is to either institutionalize publishing houses that focus only on the publication of content in African languages, or at least have a unit in their publishing house that focuses on the publication of literary works in African languages. This is a sacrificial and financial risk. However, for the greater cause of promoting and preserving African languages, it is worth the price. In light of paying the price, there are some initiatives working tirelessly to support African language publishing. An example of an initiative that focuses on publishing in African languages is WritePublishRead, in collaboration with the African Languages Association of South Africa, which aims to give unpublished local writers of indigenous language fiction the chance to be published digitally in their home language by way of a self-publish starter kit, thus enabling anyone to read these texts if they have access to a mobile phone or any other digital device. Another is the Children’s Book Project in Tanzania, which seeks to improve literacy skills amongst school children and encourage a reading culture in the country. It also focuses on equipping libraries with quality reading and learning materials (including African language materials) and supports the Tanzanian publishing industry to produce quality books for children and young people. In South Africa, Nal’ibali is an initiative that promotes reading and writing in mother tongue languages, and champions the reading-for-enjoyment campaign to ignite children’s interest in storytelling and reading. Publishers’ collaboration with initiatives that promote African languages paves the way for the promotion of the languages while making money. We can’t expect African languages to grow in preeminence, status, and global influence without being willing to pay the price. If that would require publishing books in African languages with the risk that very few people[2] will purchase them, publishers and governments must be willing to take those risks and consistently promote the publishing in and use of African languages. Increasing the number
4 Critical Reasons Why Every African Must Know Their Native Language Now
Language is defined as a structured system of communication. In communicating, we have the opportunity to express our feelings, thoughts, ideas, etc. More than just communicating; language and culture have an almost unbreakable and intricate bond. As we know, language is always linked to a group of people. This explains the notion that to better understand one’s language, you must first understand one’s culture. This begs the question: How best can you know someone’s language and culture if you do not know yours first? Our individual culture and native language, which define us and influence our actions and inactions, beliefs, and worldview, build the rudiments of self-awareness and unique identity. Having an in-depth knowledge of one’s own native language is crucial for the following reasons; Prevents language extinction. Having an in-depth knowledge of one’s own native language prevents language extinction. Language extinction occurs when there is no speaker of that language. The longevity of a language largely depends on the number of its speakers. Intellectual development Studies have shown that cognitive development, as well as intellectual development, is comparatively faster in those who are fluent in their mother tongue. It has also been noted that if a student is educated in his/her mother tongue, the rate of his or her educational success is higher than someone who is taught in a different medium other than their mother tongue. Better connection with your culture Languages are the most important way of keeping our culture alive. Often, the direct translation of one language to another might not carry the same essence as it does in the source language. Thus, the best way to thoroughly learn about a culture is to know the language. Our mother tongue helps us stay connected to our culture and our roots – this is what defines us. The Pride Knowing your mother tongue well is a matter of pride. It boosts one’s confidence and creates awareness in the individual’s mind, while also helping them connect with their cultural identity in a better manner. How to contribute to the promotion of one’s native language The following are some ways Africans can promote indigenous languages: Increase indigenous initiatives and evidence-based research on African Languages Increase the development of quality content and teaching resources in African languages Contribute to the increased presence of indigenous languages online through NLP Develop language policies that prioritize the use of indigenous languages for official purposes and as a medium of learning and teaching. Intentionally teaching and speaking native languages at home, especially at home. In conclusion, it is incumbent on every native speaker to be the custodian of their native language. Contributing to the safeguarding of these languages ensures the longevity of our diverse history, culture, and unique identity. A few initiatives are contributing to the preservation of African languages using natural language processing (NLP): ● Masakhane is a grass root initiative that has the mission of conducting and encouraging NLP of African languages by Africans in Africa. ● Lanfrica Lanfrica aims to mitigate the difficulty encountered in the discovery of African language resources by creating a centralized, language-first catalogue. ● The African Language Teachers and Translators (ALATT) network is a major platform on LinkedIn that brings together language professionals of African languages to facilitate connection, learning, and opportunity sharing among the actors of the African language industry. ● The Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) has ingrained its presence on the African continent for decades by partnering with communities to develop language solutions. There is no legacy worth more than knowing one’s native language and culture and passing them on to the next generation. Should posterity look at the ancestral records, what will your contribution be towards the preservation and promotion of your culture and language? Would you be happy to see your native language go extinct? If not, then the time to act is NOW! Kindly share in a comment the actions or ways you are contributing to the preservation and promotion of your mother tongue/native language.
5 Technological Solutions enhancing the access and use of African languages
Africa is the second-largest continent in the world after Asia and is the most multilingual continent in the world. Whereas world linguistic surveys point to growing language rationalization and a decline in the number of living languages, African languages continue to reproduce and generate ever-new dialects and lingua francas. According to the African Language Program at Harvard, it is estimated that there are between 1000 and 2000 languages spoken on the African continent, with possibly as many as 8000 dialects. They are traditionally divided into major language families, which are the Afro-Asiatic, the Nilo-Saharan the Niger-Congo and the Khoi-san. These various languages have been negatively affected as a result of colonisation, which almost led to their extinction because of the impact of foreign languages and their ascribed privileges. However, Africans, increasingly willing to stick to their culture and maintain it, made use of many assets including technology to ease the use of African languages and avoid its extirpation. “Digitizing African languages is a complex but necessary process. Now, academics and information technology companies from around the world are working together to integrate new languages into various forms of software and technology.” observed Andrew Thompson, a freelance writer. Technology, therefore, is a great tool to enhance the visibility, preservation, and use of African languages, and I have gathered 5 technological solutions that are boosting African languages. 1- Online and offline dictionaries Dictionaries are useful tools for language documentation and standardization, as they try to cover and document the general vocabulary (general dictionaries) or the specialized vocabulary (technical dictionaries). They have a high symbolic value for a language. Having dictionaries, and especially technical, online, or cell phone dictionaries, is visible proof that a language is standardized and modern and can be used in all domains of life. However, very few African languages have standardized dictionaries, which can facilitate the use of African languages by making them accessible to everyone. There are some dictionaries in different African languages, such as Swahili, Kalenjin, Jarai, Zulu, Thai, Twi, Ga, Baoulé, Bambara, etc. 2- African Languages Applications African Language applications are mobile, or web apps created to help facilitate the use of African languages and can be used everywhere in the world. There are various types of such apps: some are used for the teaching of the languages, as games; or to provide news in the local languages. These apps make the languages accessible to all, especially Africans in the diaspora. They can be downloaded and used offline on any device, and this makes it easier for users to cope with them, learn the language, or learn more about the languages everywhere. Some of these applications are: Lulla, which is an app that can be used offline and teaches Bambara, Baula, Yoruba, Wolof, Tamasheq, Swahili, Peul, Zulu, Fun, Bassa, Igbo, and Xhosa as well as African cultures. Another app is Linguarena which teaches Swahili, Bambara, and Wolof. Mandla on the other hand, teaches over 15 African languages through bit-sized lessons, practice listening, speaking, reading, etc. Zivo, with which you can learn Swahili, Zulu, Shona, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Tswana, Venda, Swati, Sepedi, Tsonga, Ndebele, Hausa, Igbo, and Oromo etc. These apps facilitate the use of African languages throughout the world. 3- Online resources on African languages They are passionate individuals such as Chris Emezue, founder of Lanfrica, Christian Elongué, founder of the network of African Languages Translators and Teachers (ALATT), and institutions that are regularly creating, advocating or sharing informative and interesting online resources about African languages. These individuals and institutions are providing information, lessons, news, projects, and research, that are related to African languages. Some of these African language resource websites are: 200 Word Project is a visual and audio tool comprising a database of specialized words with pictures and video clips that allow students to hear native speakers pronounce each word, Dialogue Africa which gives free access to fun lessons to learn Twi, Yoruba, Swahili, Ga, Igbo, and more. Ayekoo Afrique, created with the primary interest of making the learning of African languages an easy task for people such as Africans in the Diaspora. African Americans, although living outside the African continent, share a connection with Africans. African languages.com which contains information about African Languages, and other African Language related resources. Currently, mostly South African languages are covered, as well as Kiswahili and Cilubà. 4- African languages keyboards These language keyboards enable Africans to communicate freely, quickly, and comfortably in languages they can best express themselves in. The first-ever African language keyboard, called Bhala, was created by a Zimbabwean called Sabelo Mhlambi. It first had the languages of Ndebele, Shona, Swati, Swahili, Xhosa, and Zulu spell-checkers online and is now being developed. There are now many more African language keyboards such as African Keyboard and Keyboard Africa but there is still room for more keyboards to be developed and for the existing ones to be improved. 5- African languages chatbots Chatbots are software applications designed to simulate human conversation in African languages. Chatbot technology uses natural language processing and artificial intelligence to understand what a human needs and adapts its response to help end-users achieve the desired outcome. According to Michaek Keenan, they are like virtual assistants that create a better customer experience during each consumer touchpoint. There are many chatbots in African languages, such as: Proto chatbot for Mozambique, to help Mozambicans program customer care for Portuguese, English, Nyanza, and many more African languages, Proto chatbot for Tanzania which helps Tanzanians ease their communication in Swahili, English, Arabic, and other languages, etc. Conclusion African languages are increasingly being promoted and used more in our world today thanks to technology. I have presented many ways technology is facilitating the use of languages in Africa, such as chatbots, keyboards, websites, applications, and dictionaries. At Kabod, we believe technology has a great potential in enhancing the visibility, access and use of African languages and must be taken more seriously by Africans for the betterment of Africa and the conservation of African cultures. Do you know any other
