Stories about Language
4 September 2019
Unified under one font system as Myanmar prepares to migrate from Zawgyi to Unicode
Myanmar hopes to complete its migration from its use of Zawgyi font to the adoption of a unified system of fonts that conform to the international standard called Unicode.
2 September 2019
Decolonising and demystifying Central Asian literature through translation
"Central Asian literature is still exotic; people appreciate its rareness more than its literary merits. I want readers to move away from thinking 'how unusual!' to thinking 'how beautiful!'"
‘Sacrifice by Fire’: The first translation of ‘Holocaust’ into Cambodia's Khmer language
"When there are no more survivors to talk about what happened, we still need to learn and teach and talk about it on their behalf.”
14 August 2019
‘The external world doesn't know how rich Nepali literature is': An interview with author Dr. Sangita Swechcha
"Not only is [the number of] Nepali writers who write in English slowly growing but the translation of literary works from Nepali to other languages is gaining momentum too."
29 July 2019
A brief history of Taiwan's indigenous Seediq tribe
The Seediq tribe, one of the aboriginal tribes of Taiwan, has a history of fighting for their rights against the Japanese colonial power.
5 July 2019
New York Times ad for Nairobi bureau chief riddled with clichés about Africa
The NYT’s language to describe their ideal Nairobi bureau chief reignited the debate on Western media's perpetual use of tired clichés and tropes about Africa.
25 June 2019
“Language is also a form of resistance”
"As a citizen of the Mexican State, I demand that my language, our languages and peoples, have the same opportunities to survive and exist without the fear of being extinguished....
21 June 2019
‘Is vagina a dirty word?’ Ugandan feminist Stella Nyanzi's court battle continues
Nyanzi battles for her freedom of expression. Besides this case, Nyanzi still faces charges other charges of cyber harassment and offensive communication.
23 May 2019
‘Big tech companies won’t solve the problem for us. We can do it ourselves.’
My 92 year old grandfather, like Nigerians of his generation, can read and write in Yorùbá. But since they are not 'literate' in English, they are digitally excluded.
17 May 2019
In Hong Kong, the sexual connotation of Ikea's new tofu ice cream ad creates controversy
"[The ad] generates the image of a woman wishing for her body to be eaten like tofu."
11 May 2019
The road signs that stirred up Albania-Greece relations yet again
Authorities have stated that the signs violated legislation regulating the order, size, and font in which Albanian and minority languages should be displayed.
10 May 2019
How the word ‘gender’ became a slur in Bulgaria
Homophobia and transphobia are widespread in Bulgaria, whose government has recently cozied up to the extreme right.
3 May 2019
Running counter: An interview with a French publisher of Turkish literature
"Kontr is a publishing house, and a home where one invites the ones he likes, it is not a factory aimed at producing goods, labels or at making money."
19 April 2019
A Global Voices story helps translation competition winners express their passion for the Czech language
An international competition of translation into Czech using a GV story presents awards to global winners.
15 April 2019
“Our languages are not dying, they are being killed”
“Your language is worthless,” they were told repeatedly. “To be a Mexican citizen, you must speak the national language, Spanish. Stop speaking your language.”
18 March 2019
DigiGlot Newsletter: AI innovations bring good news and bad news for indigenous and minority languages
The DigiGlot Newsletter is a bi-weekly collaborative newsletter that reports on how indigenous, minority, and endangered language communities are adopting and adapting technology to change the internet landscape.
3 March 2019
Late night Japanese TV show takes aim at foreign convenience store clerks
According to Nakai, instead of saying "change in 1,000 yen notes" (釣り千円で, or surisenyende), the convenience store clerk said masturbation, or zurizen (ずりせん).
2 March 2019
For the love of language: The first book of stories printed in Mro language
Bangladeshi organization prints first book in Mro language to support the growth of indigenous languages.
28 February 2019
Dijaawa Wotunnöi: an animated short film helps revitalise the Yekuana language
Several Yekuanas -- an indigenous people who live in Venezuela and Brazil -- participated in the project as translators and researchers, and also contributed their voice to the film's characters.
25 February 2019
Global Voices becomes primary source for global translation competition in Czech Republic
"Global Voices. . . provides articles on interesting and fresh topics that come in several language versions, translated by native speakers, and using contemporary language and an accessible style."
