Stories about Language
Who fact checks online disinformation in West Africa’s Bambara language?
Kpénahi Traoré, a language activist and journalist, battles the online dissemination of false information in Bambara, one of West Africa’s most widely spoken minority languages.
Making Swahili visible: Identity, language and the internet
Swahili is the most widely spoken African language, but its visibility online is dismal. Kenyan language activist Bonface Witaba is working to change this.
A conversation with Udmurt language digital activist Artyom Malykh
"My primary motivation is to keep the language of my community alive. Udmurt must be used in as wide a variety of spaces as possible in order to ensure that...
A Yorùbá language activist strives for linguistic diversity in digital spaces
Adéṣinà Ọmọ Yoòbá, a Nigerian Yorùbá language and culture advocate, is keen to bridge the cultural and linguistic digital divide.
Fighting and writing for Moldova's place in the pantheon of world literature
"Foreign publishers doubt the literati of this small and little known place. Can they really write something remarkable? Of course they can!" exclaims Moldovan novelist Iulian Ciocan.
COVID-19-themed Global Voices story stars in Czech translation competition
Moderator Jan Faber spoke with GV about record-breaking participation in this year's edition, the future of translation and common errors that foreigners make when writing in Czech.
In Algeria, online repression targets Amazigh protesters active in Hirak movement
In Algeria, the Amazigh people are often associated with France, Algeria's former colonial power. Racial slurs online accuse this group of being separatists who threaten "national unity."
‘Language revolt': This activist tweets against erasure of first languages in South Africa
A language reclamation activist confronts linguistic imperialism and the dehumanisation of two South African first languages through digital inclusion advocacy.
#IdentityMatrix: a Twitter conversation on identity and digital rights in Africa
Activists from Burkina Faso, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya, will lead a social media conversation in their mother tongue on the intersection of languages, ethnicity and digital rights in Africa.
Bangladeshis turn to video sites during COVID-19 lockdown
Affordable access to 4G services in Bangladesh over the last two years caused YouTube viewership to skyrocket; now, the COVID-19 lockdown will spur further growth.
As Uzbekistan thaws, the Uzbek language spreads its wings
A political thaw is underway in a nation eagerly going online — providing the perfect opportunity for the Uzbek language to thrive in new and unexpected ways.
‘Linguistics is in everything’ from astronomy to everyday life, says this linguist from Trinidad & Tobago
"Trinbagonians are connected through a shared linguocultural history and present — we don’t have to constantly define or explain or substitute our words in our conversations."
In shooting for the stars, this Trinidad & Tobago linguist highlights how language connects us
[The names are] "the linguistic manifestation of the clash of Amerindian, African, European and Asian cultures which led to the Creole language and culture."
This chief hopes Yorùbá speakers adopt his newly invented ‘talking alphabet’
Writing Yorùbá in Latin script may soon become a thing of the past as one Yorùbá man, Chief Tolúlàṣẹ Ògúntósìn, has invented a writing system to encode the Yorùbá language.
From Sweden to Mexico, indigenous people explain why their languages are disappearing
The Nordic regions of Europe are thousands of kilometres away from Mexico or Peru, but both witness the destruction of their native peoples' identities
Lost in translation: Why Google Translate often gets Yorùbá — and other languages — wrong
As more tech companies attempt to provide translation and access to multiple languages online, controversies and challenges arise — especially when it comes to accuracy and cultural nuance.
A renaissance is underway for Mongolia's literature lovers
Mongolia's long and bitterly cold winters provide ample time for reading. Luckily, the country's publishing market is booming — popular histories and translated fiction are the most sought after.
Literature as a gateway for exploring Indian-Nepali hybridity: Interview with author Prajwal Parajuly
"The book being read by the very people it was about, in the very language the characters speak in? Heart-warming. The book has reached the most remote corners of Nepal."
Indonesian superhero cartoon fights for the environment and the Balinese language
"The inspiration for the creation of the superhero character of Luh Ayu Manik Mas is the strong, tough and resilient Balinese women who themselves are like superheroes."
The feminist translators and interpreters revolutionizing the profession in Argentina
"Feminism is always growing and diversifying, and feminists must come together and create areas of common interest and practice unique forms of activism that move away from hegemonic feminism"
