Key Takeaways:
- Users of Facebook can now access the social networking site’s desktop interface in Inuktitut, according to a report from Meta.
- A total of 2,000 strings, or roughly 4,500 words, were translated into Inuktitut by centre workers. They contributed to the development of innovative concepts for the Facebook interface, but there were no Inuktitut equivalents.
According to a report from Meta, Facebook users can now access the social media site’s desktop interface in Inuktitut.
Through a collaboration with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the group defending the rights of the 33,000 Inuit in Nunavut under the Nunavut Agreement, Meta launched the new official language setting, which is now accessible everywhere.
According to Meta, the debut coincides with the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, which the UN established to recognize the critical need to protect, revitalize, and promote Indigenous languages in the light of the widespread loss of these languages.
“In many facets of our existence, Inuit anticipate seeing and hearing Inuktut. The official status of Inuktitut on Facebook, alongside English and French, strengthens the legitimacy of our language, “said Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk in a news statement on Friday.
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“Having access to Facebook in our native tongue is a significant and practical step toward seeing as well as hearing Inuktut in all facets of our lives,” says the author.
According to Statistics Canada, Inuktitut is the most widely used of the four Inuit languages in the Inuit Nunangat, the homeland of the Indigenous people of Canada that spans four provinces and territories. More than 39,475 Inuit across Canada speak the language.
Meta collaborated with the Iqaluit-based Pirurvik Centre, a translation and learning center, to accurately translate the platform.
Center staff translated a total of 2,000 strings, or about 4,500 words, from Facebook into Inuktitut. There were no Inuktitut alternatives, but they also helped build fresh ideas for the Facebook interface. For instance, “Facebook page” has been translated into Inuktitut as “Facebook makpigaq.”
Leena Evic, the center’s executive director, was quoted in the press release as saying, “Pirurvik is marked to have worked with Meta and [Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.] to guarantee the new terms generated in Inuktitut reflect the intricacies of our language and culture.
Younger generations will use the Facebook interface in Inuktitut as a daily learning tool to learn the language, while Inuktitut-speaking Inuit will use it as a communication tool.
Joining the increasing list of Indigenous languages on Facebook is Inuktitut. Inupiaq, an Inuit dialect spoken in northern Alaska and the Northwest Territories, was added to the social networking platform’s language options in 2018.
By following the instructions on the Facebook website, you can learn how to modify the language settings on your PC.
Source: CTV News
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