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Alex
Joined: Jun 4, 2003
Posts: 13 (view all)
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Gender & Age: Male & 30
Country: Canada
Province/State: British Columbia
City: Victoria
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Language and technology
June 1, 2004 - 01:24 AM
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The Internet, heralded as a beacon of light for linguistic and cultural diversity, has produced mixed results. Most digital content is still in English, and few lesser-known languages are present. Is technology controlling the evolution of languages? What does the future hold for indigenous languages in the information age? Is the Internet a force for linguistic diversity or homogenization?
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Kebby Thijesko Shampongo
Joined: Aug 15, 2003
Posts: 31 (view all)
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Gender & Age: Male, 32
Country: Zambia
Province/State: Central
City: Chililabombwe
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Re: Language and technology
June 6, 2004 - 06:53 AM
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Well language divergent to addressing pressing issues remains a cornerstone to poverty eradication and good governance to the developing world.The internet is a dynamic resouce that can help even people living in rural remote areas to share information in their own languages if accorded the opportunity to have their languages posted on website.
However,most of the languages are at risk being extict and swallowed by the so called official languages.Imagine of languages spoken by about 10,000 people who have been moving world over to look for greener pastures.Their clonies have little chance of learning such.But the internet technology of translating such information would help to save' smaller languages from extinctioon'.
All what we need is a message for better world translations in all the languages using the internet technology as well having academic subjects for school thus books translated as well into local languages.
Secondly,the societies in Africa and other developing countries are doing away with local languages labelling them as barbaric in the name of vernacular.Atitudes got to change from political leaders to and ordinary citizen.
Therefore English and a few languages are the only offically used media of communication for the internet and technology manufacturing of cyberequipment.
The battle is a white elephant for developing countries.
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Laouini Amel
Joined: Oct 17, 2003
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Country: Tunisia
Province/State: Susah
City: Hammam Sousse
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Some Statistics
June 8, 2004 - 10:09 AM
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I would present to you statistics about some languages of our World:
1- English (fourth living language by number of native speakers)
Mother tongue population: 500 M (2000)= 8,3 % of world population
Total users (mother tongue and second language): 1,3 Mld (2000)= 21,6 % of world population
Diffusion(Number of Countries in which the language is represented in terms of people able to communicate correctly with it. ): 92
On Internet it becomes:
Total online users: 228 M (2000)= 40% of total world online population
Volume online purchases: $ 530 Mld
Principal search engines and directories in English: 37
2-Arabic (6th living language by number of native speakers)
Mother tongue population: 215 M (1999)= 3,58% of world population
Total users (mother tongue and second language): 250 M (1999)= 4,166% of world population
Diffusion: 31 countries
On Internet:
Total online users: 4,4 M (Dic. 2001)= 0,77% of total world online population
Volume online purchases: not indicated
Principal search engines and directories in Arabic = 5 main local and international search services which offer an interface in this language: Google Arabic, ODP W/Arabic, Al Bawaba, Menara, Naseej :-((((
3- French (11th living language in the world )
Mother tongue population: 78 M (2000)= 1,3% of world population
Total users (mother tongue and second language): 129 M (2000) = 2,15% of world population:
Diffusion = 49 countries
On Internet:
Total online users: 22 M (2001)=3,85% of total world online population
Volume online purchases: not indicated
Principal search engines and directories in French= 27 (local and international)
What we can observe in this three cases (I've chosen them only 'cause they are the most relevant for me as i speak Arabic -mother tongue- English and French) that statistics differs from general to the specific case of Internet use.
For Exemple French is spoken by 2.15 % of world population but includes 3.85% of total online population. the same thing for English 21.6% of world population and 40% of online population! Unlikely, Arabic (my mother tongue) representes 4.16% of world population but only 0.77% of online population.
It's one feature of the DIGITAL DIVIDE, to be alive online a language have to be present in webpages (giving relevant information to whom speak it), in search ingines and directories especially.
To preserve our linguistic diversity we must hold this new challenge that is Information Technologies (IT).
Statistics source: http://www.localization-translation.com/globalization-guide/localization-languages/globalization-localization-languages.html
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