Under-Represented Languages Dialogue Underway
The online dialogue “Using Citizen Media Tools to Promote Under-Represented Languages” is currently underway and will last through November 22. This week-long event hosted by New Tactics, Indigenous Tweets, and Rising Voices, the citizen media outreach arm of Global Voices Online, allows for practitioners in these language communities to share their personal experiences and strategies in ensuring that their language is better represented online.
This event may also be practical for others in similar underrepresented languages that wish to learn more about the challenges, successes, and opportunities to build communities around the use of these languages. Please feel free to join the dialogue with your questions or contributions to this rich discussion.
Some of the questions currently being discussed:
Is language underrepresented online because of challenges accessing the internet? The lack of a functioning keyboard? Or, is it because of non-technology related challenges such as speakers’ lack of confidence with the language?
What are the specific technical obstacles that can be addressed in order to better represent more languages online? How do we get our languages into Google, Facebook, Twitter?
How have you used new technologies and web 2.0 tools to use and promote underrepresented languages online? What tools did you use? What lessons did you learn that can be passed along to other practitioners?
How have you been able to promote the use of a language online with communities? How do you get others excited and engaged? How have you trained others to use these citizen media tools?
How can we ensure that this effort will carry on? What is the background and context in which you work? What are your challenges in reaching the next generation of language-speakers?
Please visit the dialogue page here.
