Language promoted through technology (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Language promoted through technology
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimes/newsst/newsst1080724304.asp

Wednesday March 31, 2004 11:21 - (SA)

The government announced it is about to embark on a project to bring 
indigenous languages into line with current international norms.
 
This was the message from Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Minister of
Minerals and Energy, Arts, Culture, Science and Technology when she
announced an innovative language scheme at the Durban Convention
Centre.
 
The minister said Africa as a whole had a woeful history as far as 
honouring the languages of the people of the continent was concerned.
 
"African languages' biggest problem stems from the days of colonialism 
and the ill-conceived idea that African languages were inferior to
colonial languages and unfit for any functional role in business or
politics," said  the minister.
 
As part of a strategy to reverse this situation the minister announced 
three initiatives - a bursary scheme, the establishment of language
research and development centres (LRDCs) and the launch of a human
language technologies  (HLT) initiative.
 
"I would like to state that it is the government's goal to have all  the
official languages of South Africa adequately developed in order to 
serve the complex and diverse requirements of modern communication,"
she  said.
 
"Developing a language requires the use of realistic strategies, and  a
proper plan of action with clear goals and objectives. When one thinks 
about developing languages one has to think about research, which
provides  the backbone of all language development strategies.
 
"It is for this reason that we have decided to establish language
research  and development centres and to link them with academic
institutions. The  mandates of these centres are terminology
development, literature development  and research, and language
planning research.
 
Mlambo-Ngcuka said the human language technologies unit would
co-ordinate  the work that was done in terms of developing and managing
electronic language  and speech resources in all the official languages
of South Africa.
 
Department spokesman Xolile Mfaxa said the new technology could be  used
in all sections of society such as universities, government and the 
private sector in promoting the use of indigenous languages.
 
"We want to see capacity built along the lines of terminology so there 
is no excuse for not using a particular language - for example not
using  Zulu because it doesn't have certain technical terms."
 
Mfaxa said five bursaries worth R40,000 each, were awarded to
post-graduate  students in the fields of translation and editing,
interpreting, terminology development, human language technologies and
language planning.
 
All of these initiatives follow the February 2003 adoption by government
 of the National Language Policy Framework.

Sapa