{"id":2669,"date":"2014-11-12T13:16:21","date_gmt":"2014-11-12T13:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=2669"},"modified":"2014-11-12T13:16:21","modified_gmt":"2014-11-12T13:16:21","slug":"languages-korean-soap-operas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/languages-korean-soap-operas\/","title":{"rendered":"Saving Endangered Languages with Korean Soap Operas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Caspian<\/a>

Caspian blue\/Wikimedia<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Researchers predict that over half of the world\u2019s languages will be extinct by the end of the century. Viki, a clever website, uses technology to protect linguistic diversity.<\/em><\/p>\n

Viki<\/a> is a website that crowdsources the translation of licensed films and television shows, using the translations to create subtitles. Viki\u2019s goal is to make films and shows more widely accessible through the formation of translation communities.<\/p>\n

This September, Viki partnered with the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages<\/a> to start the Endangered Languages Initiative<\/a>. Now, Viki features projects in Udmurt, Cherokee, Maori, and other endangered languages.<\/p>\n

The Rosetta Project<\/a> predicts that, if the current language disappearance rate is not stalled, half of the world\u2019s languages will be extinct in the next century. Viki\u2019s project is one of several recent initiatives aimed at protecting linguistic diversity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Viki CEO Razmig Hovaghimian<\/a> told The Atlantic that the new project aims to help not just media content, but also \u201clanguage,\u2026nuance, [and] culture,\" cross borders.<\/p>\n

Does it Work?<\/h3>\n

The Atlantic<\/a> points out interesting facts about who is watching what on Viki: the Korean drama You Who Came From the Stars<\/em> is most watched in Hebrew and Arabic, and Japanese shows are most watched in Lithuanian. This indicates that the site is indeed facilitating cross-cultural media exchange.<\/p>\n

However, rather than exporting endangered languages outwards, Viki\u2019s initiatives may be integrating endangered language communities into global pop culture. Israeli or Lithuanian viewers may even be picking up Japanese and Korean phrases.<\/p>\n

Viki\u2019s goal of bringing exposure to endangered languages through digital media may be hard to achieve. Translating a show is hard work, and finding volunteers to take up such a task is challenging. On top of that, some\u00a0endangered languages are located in communities without reliable Internet access, and others\u00a0do not have a written form.<\/p>\n

However, when Viki does successfully translate a work, the material is immediately available on the Web, making these endangered languages both internationally accessible and internationally relevant.<\/p>\n

Keeping Languages Alive Through Updates<\/h3>\n

To stay linguistically relevant, some speakers of endangered languages are creating specific technological and industrial terms. For example, a group of translators for the language Udmurt<\/a>, spoken near the Russian Urals, invented words for \u2018PR,\u2019 \u2018retail,\u2019 and \u2018crowdsourcing\u2019, according to The Atlantic<\/a>. This was done with the aim of keeping Udmurt abreast of the world\u2019s rapidly developing industries. Their success shows that innovation is key to keeping endangered languages alive.<\/p>\n

In a joint press release published in National Geographic<\/a>, Viki and Living Tounges report that less than five per cent of the world\u2019s languages are online. For the remaining ninety-five per cent, the Internet can be used as a tool for revitalisation.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the Huffington Post<\/a> recently reported on a new online documentation method for language use \u2013 Twitter. Viki\u2019s translation project is also a virtual documentation of endangered languages. The project not only propels endangered languages into global consciousness, but also helps facilitate linguistic research.<\/p>\n

The Importance of Pride<\/h3>\n

Yet, an online presence is not enough. Dr. K. David Harrison, the director of research for the Living Tongues Institute, tells National Geographic<\/a> that, though \u201ctechnology alone does not doom or save languages,\u201d having linguistic pride and a \u201cwillingness to creatively expand [a language\u2019s] use through technologies,\u201d can help the preservation process.<\/p>\n

Without a doubt, working to make films and shows available to Viki\u2019s 33 million users in your native tongue would be something of which to be proud. And, such pride is easily shared with other speakers of your language.<\/p>\n

Fired up about learning rare languages? The preservation of linguistic diversity starts at home, with you. Take pride in your background by improving your language skills, or have a look through our language courses to brush up on a language that you may have been neglecting: Contact Us<\/a> to get started. And then, why not take a shot at translating a movie?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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