Meet Israel Quic, the host of @ActLenguas Twitter account for March 25-31

In 2019, we are inviting several hosts to manage ^[1] the @ActLenguas (Language Activism) Twitter account and to share their experiences with the revitalization and promotion of their native languages. This profile post is about Israel Quic (@maisquick ^[2]) and what he plans to discuss during his week as host.

Rising Voices (RV): Please tell us about yourself.

Soy Israel Quic de origen Mesuamericano del Pueblo Maya Tz’utujil, vivo a orillas del lago Atitlán en Guatemala. Mi idioma Maya Tz’utujil se conserva muy bien en las personas adultas y mayores, pero comienza a perderse en los jóvenes y niños.

My name is Israel Quic of Mesoamerican origin of the Maya Peoples Tz'utujil, I live on the shores of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. My languages is Maya Tz'utujil, which is very well preserved in adults and older people, but has begun to get lost in young people and children.

RV: What is the current status of your language on the internet and offline?

Las nueva generaciones comienzan a tener acceso al Internet, pero no encuentran información en su propio idioma, por lo que se hace necesario producir recursos digitales en idioma Maya Tz’utujil para ponerlos a disposición en línea. Es una tarea muy grande porque el sistema nos ha acostumbrado a consumir información en español y por tener pereza cerebral se le pone mas atención al español que el idioma originario.

The new generations are beginning to have access to the Internet, but do not find information in their own language, so it is necessary to produce digital resources in the Maya Tz'utujil language to make them available online. It is a very large task because the system has accustomed us to consume information in Spanish and because of brain laziness, we tend to pay more attention to information in Spanish than to information in the native language.

RV: On what topics do you plan to focus during the week that you’ll manage the @ActLenguas Twitter account?

Esta semana me gustaría compartir las diferentes producciones que se han generado en los diferentes pueblos tz’utujiles sobre el idioma, naturaleza, cultura.

This week I would like to share the different productions that have been created by different Tz'utujil communitieds about language, nature, and culture.

RV: What are the main motivations for your digital activism for your language? What are your hopes and dreams for your language?

Me gustaría que el Maya Tz’utujil pueda resistir a los embates de la aculturación, asimilación que genera el sistema discriminador y racista guatemalteco. Si se ha logrado conservar la cultura e idioma por más de 500 años, ojalá las próximas generaciones puedan vivir y disfrutar de sus raíces ancestrales.

I would like for Maya Tz'utujil to resist the pressures of acculturation and assimilation brought forth by the discriminatory and racist Guatemalan system. The culture and language has been able to be preserved for more than 500 years. I hope the next generations can live and enjoy their ancestral roots.