Manitoba government takes surprising linguistic decision

Canada’s 70 minority languages include some surprises

Canada’s Manitoba government is initiating a new project to translate official proceedings into the seven Indigenous languages used in Manitoba, starting with the Anishinaabemowin language.

Since Canada was founded, English and French have been the most widely-spoken languages. However, it is thought that up to 70 different languages are spoken. In fact, 4.7 million people (14.2% of the population) speak a language other than English or French most often at home and 1.9 million people (5.8%) reported speaking such a language on a regular basis as a second language.  These include the indigenous languages and – surprisingly – Canadian Gaelic!

The proportion of indigenous languages is, however, minimal. Like other regions across the globe, there is a danger that these languages gradually disappear.

Working with the province’s first languages

“This project will generate a substantial amount of Indigenous language text, which will assist language learners, educators, and artificial intelligence researchers in working with our province’s first languages,” according to Premier Wab Kinew.

The service will initially concentrate on Anishinaabemowin, with plans to expand to the other six Indigenous languages spoken in Manitoba once successful outcomes from the pilot project are observed, the premier noted.

Starting this spring, language experts will collaborate to produce accurate translations of French and English legislation into Anishinaabemowin including potentially creating new words and phrases to encapsulate government business. The service will primarily focus on translating the official proceedings of the legislature.

(Patrick FitzGerald Photo: ©Unsplash)