Article - Technology Revitalizes Endangered Languages

[Jim Rementer]

A recent article of interest.

Jim Rementer


Innovative use of technology breakthrough revitalizes endangered languages

VICTORIA, BC, March 4 /PRNewswire/ - There is an urgent need for Aboriginal
communities worldwide to have the tools to document, archive and revitalize
their endangered languages while enough fluent speakers still survive.

Two Victoria-based organizations - The First Peoples' Cultural Foundation
(FPCF) and Trafford Publishing - are exploring ways to support and enhance
existing First Nations language programs and encourage the revitalization of
endangered languages around the world.

They have begun to use Trafford's breakthrough service in full-color book
publishing to create a series of customized full-color primers-in several
Aboriginal languages. Language revitalization is critical to cultural
survival; primers like this are much-needed by Aboriginal language
instructors.

"There are more than 6,500 languages spoken around the world," says Simon
Robinson, Executive Director of the FPCF. "It is estimated that 90 per cent
of these languages will be extinct by the end of the 21st century. Unless we
act now to support their revitalization, thousands of years of accumulated
human knowledge is at risk of disappearing without record." In Canada,
British Columbia is home to 32 of the country's 50 Aboriginal languages. By
building tools and providing resources that support community language
initiatives, Robinson's organization aims to help endangered languages thrive
again.

In their initial collaboration, Trafford and the FPCF will publish primers on
colors and numbers. There will be five different versions of the book - each
featuring a different First Nations language. As a testament to the speed and
accessibility of Trafford's new publishing tool, a proof of the first book in
the series - a book in Sencoten created by students of the Lau,Welnew Tribal
School on the Saanich Peninsula - was produced in under one week.

Future work includes expanding the series to include an alphabet primer,
books on conversational phrases, and dictionaries; and translating the
primers into other First Nations languages. The new technologies will enable
First Nations communities and individuals to produce their own wide range of
books in their own languages.

"We are really excited about the work of the First Peoples' Cultural
Foundation," states Bruce Batchelor, co-founder and CEO of Trafford
Publishing. "Our on-demand publishing system can provide the FPCF with an
accessible and cost-effective way to produce dictionaries, children's books -
any imaginable printed resource - in First Nations languages."

Generally, once a manuscript and accompanying artwork are complete, Trafford
can have the book ready for distribution to classrooms and retail outlets in
as little as four weeks. It will be stored as a digital file and printed
on-demand using a Xerox DocuColor system

"Xerox has been a leader in Print On Demand since the initial launch of
high-speed digital print engines more than 20 years ago. Our latest
generation of digital printing devices, particularly the DocuColor family of
digital color presses, enables the cost-efficient production of full-color
books such as these First Nations primers," said Peter W. Perine, vice
president and general manager, Xerox Publishing Segment Marketing. "In this
high-growth area of Print On Demand, Xerox is helping customers produce
high-quality books in short run lengths and quick turnaround times."

The FPCF and Trafford Publishing are making their announcement at iSynergy, a
technology showcase in Vancouver that was sponsored by Apple Computers. The
FPCF's programs and enabling tools (website interactivity, remapped keyboards
and customized fonts, for example) are built on Apple technology. Trafford
uses Apple Macintosh computers for its prepress and production processes, and
Apple 0SX servers for its data-intensive networking.

The First Peoples' Cultural Foundation is committed to the documentation,
protection and revitalization of the full diversity of Aboriginal language,
arts and cultures. It has garnered worldwide attention for FirstVoices.com,
an impressive web-based Indigenous language archiving application that it has
developed and made available online. Indigenous groups from Canada,
Australia, Europe and the USA are preparing to use the FPCF's tools.
www.fpcf.ca

Trafford is a Canadian-registered private company currently serving close to
2,000 authors from over 40 countries. It has offices in Victoria, BC
(Canada), New Bern, NC (USA), Drogheda, Co. Louth (Ireland), and Crewe,
Cheshire (UK). Trafford is credited with inventing the on-demand publishing
process for authors of black and white paperback books-now over 10% of all
new titles launched in North America use this process. Extending this service
to affordable full-color children's books is another world first.

See www.trafford.com/journalists for a backgrounder on this publishing
breakthrough.
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