Practical Insights on Language

6 Reasons Why We Keep Failing at Digital Development Interventions

6 Reasons Why We Keep Failing at Digital Development Interventions

Published on: Feb 03 2022 by Guest Writer - 10 Comments
Clearing out boxes of old books and reports recently, I was struck by how many ICT4D initiatives there have been over the last 20 years, many of which have simply...
Help Bridge the Language Translation Technology Digital Divide

Help Bridge the Language Translation Technology Digital Divide

Published on: Sep 18 2019 by Guest Writer - 4 Comments
In the digital age, when we face a language barrier, there are a host of internet resources to overcome it. We often rely on translation platforms, dictionary apps,...
BASAbali: How the Internet Can Save Local Languages

BASAbali: How the Internet Can Save Local Languages

Published on: May 28 2018 by Guest Writer - 4 Comments
The Balinese Cultural Agency estimates that less than a fourth of Balinese can still speak the Balinese language.  Worldwide it is believed that “by the end...
It’s 2017, You Should be Localizing Your ICT4D Solutions Already

It’s 2017, You Should be Localizing Your ICT4D Solutions Already

Published on: Mar 30 2017 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on It’s 2017, You Should be Localizing Your ICT4D Solutions Already
Many ICT4D projects have a major strike against them before they even begin: they use international languages instead of local ones. The intended audience not only...
Translating Technology Terms Into Burmese

Translating Technology Terms Into Burmese

Published on: Oct 09 2015 by Gennie Gebhart - 2 Comments
Earlier this summer, Thomas Fuller of the New York Times published a memo from Yangon lamenting the lack of political vocabulary in the Burmese language, in which...
How Digital Tools Can Support Reading Culture in Laos

How Digital Tools Can Support Reading Culture in Laos

Published on: Nov 05 2014 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on How Digital Tools Can Support Reading Culture in Laos
In the course of a six-month, one-woman survey of public Internet access venues in Vientiane, I spent most of my time in Laos’s capital city in libraries and...
Respect Myanmar’s Ethnic Diversity: Use Unicode Fonts Online

Respect Myanmar’s Ethnic Diversity: Use Unicode Fonts Online

Published on: Sep 15 2014 by Wayan Vota - 1 Comment
Burmese is the dominant language of Myanmar, but its had a long and winding journey in the digital realm, and now there is a tension between two competing systems...
In ICT4D Beneficiaries vs. Constituents, What About Client-Driven Development?

In ICT4D Beneficiaries vs. Constituents, What About Client-Driven Development?

Published on: Apr 28 2014 by Josh Woodard - 5 Comments
Language as a Cultural Barrier in ICT4E Deployments

Language as a Cultural Barrier in ICT4E Deployments

Published on: Apr 06 2012 by Lindsay Poirier - 1 Comment
When I started working on my ICT4E project a few months back, I thought I had all of my bases covered. It’s easy to fall into that groove. I learned quickly,...
What if I gave you a fully loaded Macbook Air filled with content in Klingon?

What if I gave you a fully loaded Macbook Air filled with content in Klingon?

Published on: Aug 19 2011 by Wayan Vota - 3 Comments
That is what I think many good intentioned people do when they install computer systems without locally relevant content – they deploy the equivalent of a...
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