language preservation Archives

Celebrating Cyrillic Alphabet Day: Why Scripts, Subtitles, and Language Diversity Matter

Every year on May 24, millions of people across Eastern Europe and beyond celebrate Cyrillic Alphabet Day, also known as the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The holiday honors the two Byzantine brothers who developed the Glagolitic alphabet, which later inspired the Cyrillic script used today in languages such as Bulgarian, Serbian, Russian, Ukrainian,…

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Audio and Video Transcription

International Mother Language Day: How Can Captions and Subtitles Support Linguistic Diversity?

International Mother Language Day commemorates the events of 1952 in what is now Bangladesh. At the time, the government of Pakistan declared Urdu as the sole national language, despite the fact that the majority of the population in East Pakistan spoke Bangla (Bengali). On February 21, 1952, students and activists took to the streets in…

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Accessibility and Captioning

Honoring Native Heritage: The Role of Captions in Preserving Indigenous Languages and Stories

Every November, the United States observes National Native American Heritage Month — a time to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of Native American and Alaska Native peoples. It’s a moment to listen, learn, and reflect on the rich diversity of Indigenous communities whose languages, traditions, and stories continue to shape our collective heritage. But…

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Accessibility and Captioning

The Consequences of Losing a Minority Language: Cultural Erosion and Beyond

Languages are not merely tools for communication, they are vessels of culture, history and identity. But in a world that is becoming more globalized, many of them risk extinction. For the loss of a language is deep — both for those who speak it and for the collective global community. In this post, we’ll explore the far-reaching…

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Language Diversity Preservation

Supporting Minority Languages through Auto Captions: Unlocking New Opportunities for Cultural Preservation

Auto captions have revolutionized content accessibility across various media platforms, yet their potential extends far beyond mainstream languages. For minority languages, which often struggle for recognition and preservation, auto captions could serve as a powerful tool for revitalization and accessibility. This article explores how advancements in auto caption technology can support minority languages, discussing the…

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Accessibility and Captioning

Indigenous Languages and Language Revitalization with Amara Subtitling

In this article, you’ll learn about the ways in which indigenous languages enrich humanity and contribute to human society. You’ll also learn about how they are endangered, why it’s important to preserve them, and what organizations like Amara are doing to support indigenous language revitalization efforts.

Accessibility and Captioning

Stoney Corner Language Reclamation

In May, we added the Stoney Nakoda [sto] language to the subtitle language dropdown in Amara. Since then, we had the opportunity to learn more about the organization who requested the addition: the Stoney Corner Language Reclamation Project at Paul First Nation. As a project of the Participatory Culture Foundation, Amara supports the preservation…

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Accessibility and Captioning