There is too much cultural beauty contained in our languages for us to stand by and witness them become lost to history. Our Mayan languages are not a relic of a past civilization. Our languages, our words, and our cultures are alive, vibrant, and strong. By participating in the Mayan Languages Preservation and Digitization Project, we ensure that our languages will continue to thrive beyond boundaries and time. Passing on our heritage through a legacy of language is essential to this mission and we invite all to join with us to make the preservation of languages a reality.
The Mayan Languages Preservation Project is creating a Practical Roadmap to Digitization as a community lead initiative to be shared with other communities through the UNESCO Decade of Indigenous languages (IDIL 2022 -2032). Starting by creating talking glossaries, keyboards, and creative spaces for community collaboration we are overcoming the hurdles of “little copra” and little digital and localization and industry expertise at the community level. We rely on community determination to build collaborations and partnerships, including student internships, as the communities is now work towards creating a first NMT solution and building digital tools that are accessible, applicable, and culturally relevant. This initiative is currently being applied in the communities and used in a bilingual school and by native Q’eqchi’ language speakers throughout the community. The Practical Roadmap to Digitization will provide step-by-by step instructions on the path that we are taking to digitization and are intended as a foundation for a “self-serve portal” for any community to use as a resource in their own journey to digitalization and increased language maintenance and language learning. At present there is no central place for this information and many communities do not know where and how to start. We are partnering with several like-minded organizations to create applied solutions, including community partners and language activists, universities, NGOs, and UNESCO to make this roadmap an easy-to-find resource for all.
Creation of a self-service portal under UNESCO and The International Decade of Indigenous Languages can help streamline the process and unify our efforts while providing a centralized location to create real community-driven solutions around the globe.
The project is sponsored and supported with the technology and expertise of MasterWord Services, Inc., a language services company and partner organization of UNESCO’s International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
The power of the digital world opens up endless possibilities for preserving and sharing knowledge. The Mayan Languages Preservation and Digitization Project, facilitated by the MasterWord Institute, harnesses this power to safeguard the richness of Mayan languages for generations to come. This project is a partnership with no hidden conditions, creating a platform for Mayan language professionals and scholars to curate a comprehensive, open-source glossary.
We honor and value the critical role each Mayan speaker has in shaping this project. By sharing your unique linguistic knowledge, you’re not only strengthening your community’s access to essential resources such as education, healthcare, and law, but you’re also sharing the beauty of your languages and culture with the world. This is your platform, your heritage, and your voice resonating globally. We stand with you in the belief that language rights are human rights. The Mayan Languages Preservation and Digitization Project reaffirms this truth. Together, we’re not just preserving languages, but acknowledging, celebrating, and sharing the invaluable cultural wealth embodied in them.
