It enables users to seamlessly switch between Afrikaans, Amharic, ChiShona, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Kinyarwanda, kiSwahili, Portuguese, French, English FEATURE | PHENDU KUTA | Vambo AI, a multilingual generative AI developed by South African tech startup Vambo Technologies, is a pioneering language accessibility platform. It aims to empower users to seamlessly communicate, learn, …
Read More »Debate rages on Lower Primary language of instruction policy
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The language of instruction in lower primary is emerging as a contentious subject before the Education Policy Review Commission-EPRC. In one of the last public hearings of the commission, the Acholi parliamentary group joined the dissent against the current policy of using local language …
Read More »NRM Secretariat Launches Kiswahili Language lessons to aid East African Integration
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party unveiled an ambitious initiative to impart Kiswahili language skills to its members nationwide, in a bid to align with the broader East African integration agenda where Kiswahili has gained prominence as a regional common language. Honourable James Magode Ikuya, …
Read More »Uganda adopts Kiswahili
Kampala, Uganda | Xinhua | Uganda has adopted Kiswahili as an official language, a top government official said here on Tuesday. Chris Baryomunsi, Minister of Information Communication Technology and National Guidance told reporters that the Cabinet on Monday approved the implementation of a directive by the 21st East African Community …
Read More »Mind your language, speaker Oulanyah urges MPs
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah has asked Members of Parliament to refrain from using unparliamentary language while debating, saying the debates are broadcasted live to all Ugandans. This was after Manjia County MP and Opposition Whip John Baptist Nambeshe, talked about sex during the …
Read More »Chinese language craze in Ghana
Accra, Ghana | XINHUA | Despite multiple challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghanaians’ craze for the Chinese language continues, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana Chu Beijuan told Xinhua Saturday. Speaking to Xinhua in an interview during a Chinese proficiency competition named “Chinese Bridge”, …
Read More »Dreaming of returning home, Egypt’s Nubians revive language
Aswan, Egypt | AFP | Fatma Addar grew up in a Nubian family, connected to her ethnic minority’s rich history through its tales of a bygone life on the Nile, though regaled less and less in their original language. She lives in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan and was schooled …
Read More »Neutral pronoun ‘they’ chosen as word of the decade
New York, United States | AFP | The neutral pronoun “they” has been voted word of the decade by US language experts, beating out other contenders that included “climate” and “meme”. “They” is used in English by a growing number of non-binary individuals, people who do not identify as …
Read More »Facebook messaging app adds real time translations
San José, United States | AFP | Facebook on Tuesday gave its popular Messenger app the ability to translate missives in real time, deploying artificial intelligence to enable text conversations between people using different languages. Messenger has become a tool for businesses to connect with customers, and the ability to converse …
Read More »Macron unveils plan to boost French, ‘language of liberty’
Paris, France | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday unveiled plans to get more people speaking French, saying the “treasure shared by 700 million people” belonged to all and should be given more prominence in the EU ahead of Brexit. France’s youthful president has impressed foreign audiences with his near-flawless …
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