ICT Update: Language Technology

'Language Technology' is the theme of this edition of ICT Update, a bimonthly publication focusing on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in agriculture in developing countries for the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (ACP-EU). Its four feature articles include the following:

1. "Accessing information by voice" - "A system to read out text, available via mobile phone, could help reach many more communities. Results from a pilot project in Kenya, giving information to farmers on banana cultivation, has encouraged the development of similar projects in Botswana and South Africa. The Banana Information Line is a project of the Local Language Speech Technology Initiative (LLSTI)."
2. "Hitting the right tone" - African Languages Technology Initiative (Alt-i) started developing aspects of human language technology using Yoruba as a pilot language, including an efficient and ergonomic computer keyboard layout for Yoruba, an HIV/Aids information kiosk, and a speech recognition system for African tone languages, in which the pitch of the speaker’s voice contributes to the meaning of a word.
3. "Reviving a language" - Hul’q’umi’num’, a language spoken by a number of communities on southern Vancouver Island, including, among others, the Cowichan tribes, Chemainus First Nation, Penelakut Tribe, Lyackson First Nations, Halalt First Nation, and Lake Cowichan First Nation, has only about 100 speakers remaining. A Canadian initiative is using participatory video (PV) to involve community members in making DVDs in the language. Where internet is accessible, the project is developing a website.
4. "Localizing languages" - The Pan-African Localisation (PAL) project proposes to enhance the localisation of technology (including use of local languages and content) in Africa, with a particular focus on development and education. Workshops and networks of public and private software developers, as well as the organisation One Laptop per Child, led PAL to partner with Translate.org.za, which is developing some key elements for localisation in Africa, such as local data files, keyboard layouts, and terminology. It will also look at how governmental policies, with regard to language and ICTs, can affect localisation. "Fonts, keyboards, and, for some African languages, entire software office applications are already available as free or low-cost value-added elements to enable computer systems used by ICT for development projects in Africa to fully accommodate the languages of their intended users."

The issue also features links to the following projects and websites, among many:

• Translate.org.za - adapting Open Source software in 11 local South African languages;
• ICT and Kiswahili - a translation site;
• AFÁRÁ - working with rural populations to equip them with appropriate information technology skills through the use of their own local language (selecting the Yoruba language as a pilot);
• Bilingual and multilingual websites - TheVirtual Limited, a translation resource;
• Swahili spell checker;
• Foundation for endangered languages; and
• A list of Web browsers for people with disabilities.

This issue also includes pages on perspectives, technology tips, and questions and answers.