POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF MULTILINGUAL
TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPE & THE
INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT
Sanjiv Barman Editor, Bengali Service, Deutsche WeHe,Rederbergguertel 50, 50968 Cologne, Germany Sanjiv.Burman@dw-world.de
ABSTRACT
Europe and the Indian sub-continent have a unique common feature that has hardly been adequately articulated. In todays context the multi-cultural and multi-lingual structure of both the regions makes it extremely important to identify the huge potential of multilingual technologies. The European Union has been moving rapidly towards becoming a supra-national entity - with an ever-growing need to break the linguistic barrier between the people. In the Indian subcontinent the multi-lingual structure has for centuries been considered strength. But instead of utilising that strength, the political and cultural divisions in this region are unfortunately becoming more rigid in todays context. Therefore both the regions can leam from each other and facilitate the process of cultural integration. The multilingual technologies can playa decisive role incustomizing itself for this broader framework for its use. In both the regions English and other principal languages have indeed been crucial in enabling communication between different language groups. But huge parts of the population have in the process been left out due to the lack of access to those languages. Multilingual technologies can make an immense contribution in effectively including all sections of the people in this exciting process ofbreaking barriers.
Introduction
Europe and the Indian sub-continent have a unique common feature that has so far not been adequately articulated. In todays context the multi-cultural and multi-lingual structure of both the regions makes it extremely important to identify the huge potential of multilingual technologies. In order to do that one needs to first understand the philosophy of language or the approach towards languages in both these contexts. In fact, as we all know, the approach towards languages in every culture is quite different. The Indian sub-continent with its cultural and linguistic diversity is often admired because of the way so many languages and different scripts co-exist without any major conflict. The term Indian subcontinent' actually takes into account the common cultural entity of this region, in which this diversity is visible. The basic difference between the human characteristics in Europe and the Indian subcontinent is that the right or the awareness of being an individual is not so dominating in the Indian context. Decisions for individuals are quite often taken by the family, clan or the community.
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On the other hand the right of the individual and the assertion of that right are extremely important in the European or the western context in general. Quite naturally this difference of attitude is also reflected in the approach towards languages. Indian approach towards languages
Let me first illustrate some aspects of the Indian psyche in this regard. •
Knowledge of language has nothing to do with being literate, Since the Indian tradition always put emphasis on the oral form of transferring infonnation from one source to another, even today - the written text is not given the utmost importance in daily life. Therefore one can be an active member of the society and even politically conscious in spite ofbeing illiterate or semi-literate.
•
Non-verbal communication has a very subtle role in daily communication. For this reason it is not always customary to greet, thank or acknowledge the presence of the other person by using the spoken language. For an outsider, this form of communication quite often seems impolite, rude or even arrogant. In the Indian context it is more important to relate to the other person - quite often using extra-verbal means.
•
Learning or knowing a language has a very different definition in the Indian context. One chooses to acquire only certain skills according to the immediate or long-tenn need. Somebody who cant even read or write, can be fluent in many languages without having learnt these fonnally. Even educated people have varying levels of competence in the languages they seem to know. Speaking, understanding, reading, and writing skills can often vary in each case. Skills are also quite often related to the context. Therefore you can find an Indian who is fluent in bis mother tongue, with passive knowledge to read the script but 'little or no knowledge to write his own script. There are people who can read and understand English but cant write or speak the language properly.
•
Languages are seldom taught fonnally. Even the education-system is based upon a multi-Ianguage structure. The medium of instruction can be a language different from the mother tongue. But as I mentioned earlier - even if someone is exposed to English as a medium of instruction, he may not be fluent in speaking or writing the language though his passive knowledge may be sound enough. A man working in a grocery shop in a different part of the country learns the local language - but only in the context of the vocabulary related to his immediate trade. So he has no difficulty interacting with the customers in his place of work. Today in India it is quite difficult to find an institution offering courses in Indian languages.
•
Another very interesting feature in India is that translations are quite rare from one Indian language to another. Even traditionally, the epics, and legends evolved and circulated from one region to another verbally - often with a lot of variation, but
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keeping the core essence intact. The content was modified according to the target group. That is why many different versions of the epics like the Ramayana & the Mahabharata can be found in Indian Janguages. Even in modem India translations between Indian languages are quite rare. Interestingly English has now ceased to become a foreign language and has become an Indian link langnage for a certain dass in the society. •
An Indian can confront a different language than his own in an almost unique manner often with a lot of ease. He is quite aware of the fact that many languages sirnply exist around hirn and it is not possible to know themaIl.Adifferent language is. not necessarily threatening for hirn. He also doesn t always have the urge to understand that language, unless the comprehension is extremely important. But two people with different languages try to relate to each other through extra-verbal means, sometimes even with a few words one knows from the other language - or even from a third language like Hindi or English. Once they can relate to each other, there is a communication. That communication remains within the framework of whatever is possible to communicate. You can come across many such situations in a long-distance train-joumey in India.
•
An Indian doesnt always try to follow the language around hirn instinctively. Even if one person in the group can communicate, the others feel relaxed and are not always interested in the details. This is considered to be a pragmatic approach towards languages.
•
There are link languages depending on factors like the area, dass, status, education etc. It can be Hindi, English, Tamil or any other dominating regional language. In the northem part of India .and Pakistan as weIl as Nepal, Hindustani is more or less the language of communication. In the southem part of lndia and in Sri Lanka many groups can communicate in Tamil. Bengali is a language which is used and understood widely in eastem India and Bangladesh. The educated elite from all parts tends to speak English among themselves.
•
For a large section of people it is very difficult to survive only with one language. The access to the job-market or economic activities in general is not possible only with the local language. Knowledge of English or Hindi is quite necessary for many people. In large cosmopolitan cities and urban areas of India the migrant labour force has brought in their own languages - which have made their languages significant in those areas. If you travel by a taxi in Calcutta it is quite likely that the driver can only understand Hindi.
•
Due to this multi-Iayered and complex use of languages the development of each of the languages is experiencing a problem in todays India. Due to the extensive use of English especially in scientific and commercial fields, terminologies in these fields are
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confined to English only. Today it has become quite difficult to express many matters in an Indian language without using English.terms. The attempt to do so in the media and by the government is creating just an artificial layer on the Indian languages something which is not always understood or used by the common man.
European approach towards languages Now let me come to the European mindset in general as well as the attitude towards languages. The basic European or western approach is to try to define every aspect of life and create necessary structures to facilitate any action. Systems and frameworks are created and constantly improved upon. There is a strong will to have a thorough understanding of any matter. Ambiguity is not encouraged. This attitude is also reflected in intra-personal interactions. Let me now illustrate some aspects of the European approach towards language and communication. •
It is assumed that only a literate and educated person can have access to other languages - as it involves formal training in all the skills and a thorough understanding of the structure and use of the language.
•
The medium of education is always in the mother tongue. There are additional languages Iike English or French in the school - a policy that is meant to expose the students to other cultures but quite often remain in the formal level. At a later stage, many people do leam an additionallanguage seriously according to their needs.
•
The area where a language or a dialect is spoken is well-defined. As long as one is in that area, the local language is the central language. Local inhabitants can lead a normal life without any need to learn another language. The other languages important to that area are used in public notice, forms and written information. Europe basically is quite decentralised. So each region is self-sufficient as far as language is concerned. The access to the job-market and economic activities are possible only in the local language. That is perhaps the reason why the movement of people within the EU has not reached a significant level, although the laws permit an EU-citizen to live, settle down and even vote in local elections.
•
Every individual wants to be properly informed about everything relevant around hirn. So language is the key to that access. If one doesnt know the language, it can create a sense of insecurity. This is compensated - either by doing an extensive home-work or by learning the language itself.
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European integration process and the evolution of communication The European Union has been moving rapidly towards becoming a supra-national entity and in a few years it is going to expand even further - with an ever-growing need -to break the linguistic barrier between the people. In certain cases English, French or German are dominating as link languages - Russian may become another very important language once the eastem part of Europe joins the EU. But in the basic level, there is no single language which can become the uniform link language within the EU. With the evolution of the European Union in the last few decades the communication within this area is facing an ever growing challenge. •
This gradual fall of barriers has resulted in a greater sense of mobility. People are moving around Europe mainly as tourists or even building a second horne outside their own country. But the movement in the job market has not increased substantially. People generally prefer to live in their own region. Even within the countries staying close to ones root is the natural trend.
•
The younger generation, however, has been more mobile and less conscious of the traditional borders. They are establishing contacts with other societies; marriages are taking place between communities. With the fall of the borders and the spread of the single currency the physical national entity is becoming more and more invisible. So each generation is responding to Europe in quite a different way than the other. For example - a grandfather in France - who has experienced the Nazi aggression, can have a different emotion towards Germany than his grandson who has no experience of even a border check-post with that country.
•
Immigrant communities have added new languages like Turkish in Germany, Arabic in France and Spain, South Asian languages in Britain. This development is adding to the diversity within the EU. With the increase of population in the immigrant communities and the falling birth rate of local communities one can foresee that these languages will be formally recognised in due course of time.
•
Many efforts are going on to encourage the leaming of additional languages. There are organisations and funding to promote this cause. Language courses are offered at many levels.
Social and Iinguistic development in India The Indian subcontinent on the other hand, has for centuries been an area where the multi lingual structure has not been considered as a barrier - rather strength. For thousands of years different cultural groups have been arriving in India along with their cultural and linguistic
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elements - enriching the local cultures. Due to this receptive and tolerant nature of the traditionallndian society we have a rich and vibrant culture today - something to be proud of. But instead of utilising that strength, the political and cultural divisions in this region are unfortunately becoming more rigid in today s context. •
A senseless but organised effort to fragment and define the population according to caste, religion, language has been going on for quite some time. Instead of following the Indian tradition of opermess to other cultures and exchange of cultural and linguistic elements, there is a growing trend of religious, cultural and linguistic chauvinism in India today - something which I find totally contrary to the very essence ofthe Indian tradition.
•
This chauvinistic effort to impose any language on all fields, without the necessary infrastructure required is yielding negative results. English still remains the key language as far as career is concerned. Attempts to downgrade the learning of English in many cases have been quite counterproductive. On the other hand attempt to impose Hindi has also yielded similar results.
•
The urban elite class with high ambition is putting a lot of effort to learn & use English, resulting in poor language skill in their mother-tongue. Many people from this educated class have very limited contact with texts in their mother tongue after they leave schoo!. Many of them do still read newspapers in their native language but have no habit ofwriting that language ever since they left school.
Mutual exchange of ideas and learning from each others experience and the role of multilingual technologies Therefore due to these salient features in both .the regions each culture can learn from the other and facilitate the process of cultural and linguistic integration in their respective areas. It is in this larger context that the multilingual technologies can play a decisive role - in customizing itself for the broader framework for its use - instead of further technical development per se. In both the regions English or other important languages have indeed been playing an important role in enabling communication between different language groups. But as illustrated earlier, huge parts of the population have in the process been left out due to the lack of knowledge in those languages. On the other hand the local languages have been gaining importance in the Indian subcontinent since the last decade due to the ever-increasing influence of the electronic media. Among the 1.3 billion people of this region barely 4-8% of the population knows English. Due to the high
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rate of illiteracy the electronic media has also been achieving success over the print media. Information technology is also gaining ground - with an increase in access to computer and internet. We have to remember that in the Indian context access does not necessarily me an owning a deviee. Use of telephone, television or computers is in many cases possible due to the community-based use of these deviees. IT as a force has come to stay in India. This is a medium with a difference. We are tal king about users - not passive listeners or viewers - like in case of radio or television. IT is being applied increasingly in virtually all aspeets of daily life. As a result of 'this development the demand for workers with various levels of skill in this field has also grown rapidly - ereating unprecedented employment opportunities. But the actual potential of the expansion will only be possible onee IT frees itself from the exclusive use of English and is equally effective using Indian languages. It also has the potential to revive and increase the use of Indian languages. Use of Indian languages in IT is on the inerease but still is in a very immature stage. There is still no uniformity in the use of Indian languages. IT has so far been used mainly to streamline the printing process and creating websites in these languages, But the number of users actively involved in using Indian languages for regular use has not increased. However, due to the increasing number of websites in Indian languages there is a growing awareness about multilingual technologies.
Problems of multilingual
technologies in India
There are some basic technical obstacles to widen the use of multilingual
technologies
in India.
•
Unlike the Latin or Roman script support of Indian seripts in all levels is still not achieved completely. The 2000 & XP versions of Microsoft Windows and Office have started the process of integrating the Indic seripts into the operating system as weIl as in the text-processing software.
•
The basic letters of Indic scripts have already been integrated into the Unicode system but development for practical use of these scripts are still not complete in all the cases.
•
Whatever success has been achieved in supporting Unicode and text-processing - the results of that success is for the time being limited only to users with the required eompatible environment. It would take quite some time till the older versions of the operating systems and software are fully replaced by the newer ones - with full multilingual support.
•
Websites using Indic scripts face a basic problem in making their display possible to users with just any environment. Font-embedding offers one possible solution - but limited mainly to HTML-based websites. But for websites with more complex
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structures - used for e-commerce or other purposes still face the problem of language support. Downloading the required fonts by the user can only be a lirnited solution to the problem. •
Other IT-applications like OCR, speech-recognition, translation etc. need to be improved to includethe Indian languages. ~
Once these technical difficulties are solved and any Indian language can be used just like the Roman script with wide support like spelling and grammar .check andother value added features, the true use of these scripts will be possible. This would enable the multilingual technology make an immense contribution in effectively including all sections of the people in this exciting process ofbreaking barriers using IT. European languages do not face this difficulty. Since almost all European languages use the Roman, Cyrillic or Greek script, the problem of compatibility does not arise. Support in almost all levels of IT is available in case of European languages.
Vision for the future Due to this complex nature of multilingual structure we can conclude that neither in Europe, nor in India any single language can really unite all the people. Therefore a pure monolingual model can never work. Although in both the areas English still remains the single most significant language, it cannot be imposed on all sections of the people in both these areas due to historical, cultural and emotional reasons. Since our aim is to further facilitate communication among the people in all possible levels and in a much greater scale, we should take .a pragmatic approach - using the realities on the ground to achieve this goal. Both Europe and the Indian sub-continent can and should leam from each others experience in dealing with languages and formulate policies beneficial to both the areas. This could even be a model to any other region in the worId with multilingual diversities. Let me conclude now with the following observations and suggestions in this regard: •
Since we all know that English has become the single most important language in both Europe and the Indian subcontinent we should make use of it as a tool to create an infrastructure for promoting initial communication between other languages. English can remain a kind of platform, bringing together efforts in promotion of and communication between languages. Instead of being a dominating threat to other languages English can be used to complement the current vacuum in communication between language groups - with of course a perspective to replace it wherever and whenever it is meaningful.
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•
A framework of initiatives can be set up - with the aim of coordinating the present initiatives in both the areas. EU supported initiatives like ERASMUS, SOCRA TES, EBLUL etc. and Indian initiatives like TOlL, various programmes of C-DAC are already contributing towards increasing awareness of the multilingual societies and further development of multilingual technologies. But unfortunately - like in many other cases - there is hardly any coordination between these efforts .. So the contributions coming out of these efforts quite often remain underutilised. If a framework could be set up where representatives of all organisations involved in this effort as weIl as the national governments, the EU and developers of multilingual technologies can interact among them, which could benefit everyone involved in a much larger scale and promote people to people contact.
•
A multilingual portal can be set up with links to the organisations involved in teaching of languages, creating awareness about multilingual societies, developing serious multilingual technologies etc. This could highlight the current status of possibilities and future visions in this direction.
•
All European and Indian languages should be fully integrated in all levels of IT to first fulfil the technical requirements needed to utilise these languages. A common standard in the application of these languages should also be achieved. IT-companies should make their products more multilingual. Complete multilingual solutions should be offered to organisations attempting to use different languages.
•
The increasing application of e-commerce, e-govemance and e-learning in both Europe .and India can evolve using the multilingual technologies. In the Indian contextthis would bring back the relevance of the regional and local languages - creating more career opportunities and development in this field. The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh can be a good example in this regard.
These are the some ofthe outlines and ideaswhich can perhaps stimulate all parties involved in formulating policies, developing multilingual technologies and those who are waiting to make use of this framework to implement their ideas in this direction. This could be an approach which does not necessarily require a lot of additional resources. The existing efforts can be coordinated and optimized to achieve a much better result.
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