Language Education And Development
Rationale
Having witnessed transformation of lives in language communities where its personnel have served for over 40 years of its existence as a non-stock, non-profit, religious corporation, Translators Association of the Philippines, Inc. (TAP) envisions more transformed communities through translation and language development. Currently, TAP is engaged in four Old Testament Translation, six New Testament Translation, two Oral Bible Translation, one non-scripture translation, and 14 language development projects across the country.
Why language development? Language is essential to life and the state of the language of one’s community is an indicator of the state of well-being of that community. The weakening and loss of a language is symptomatic of unhealthy power relations with groups outside of the community and a disrupted dynamic within. But the strengthening and development of a minority language is a move towards a more balanced relation with groups outside and a more constructive dynamic inside the community and within the individual person himself.
So TAP has a dedicated Language Development Team that assists minority language communities as they undertake to advance the development of their language.
Services
The Team facilitates workshop series on:
Participatory Language Assessment
Where community members determine the current state of their language and make plans for its development.
Heritage Language Learning
Equips certain sectors of a community to speak the language of its heritage.
Standard Orthography Development
Enables representatives of a language community to come up with an orthography that can be used by all sectors of the population, accepted by speakers of the different varieties of the language, and is approved and published by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino.
Community Grammatical Analysis
Wherein native speakers of a language actively participate in the investigation of grammatical features of their language and work towards it’s publication.
Educational Materials Development
Enables teachers and culture bearers to come up with reading materials and teaching guides for classroom instruction.
Language Development Engagements
Currently, the Team is engaged in 14 projects, labelled in the map below according to language name.
Approach
TAP Language Development approach to service is interdisciplinary. It takes its perspective of engagement from Community Development, aiming for community empowerment to sustain language development. It leverages on language-related gains and lessons from Socio-political History in the local, national, and global realms, and is sensitized by Cultural Anthropology research findings. Interaction with stakeholders and the conduct of workshops instantiate the operation of core concepts in Sikolohiyang Pilipino. Workshop modules are cast along the lines of Dialogue Education where Linguistic concepts, undiluted, are made accessible and immediately applicable by participants. TAP Language Development is an Incarnational Ministry that steps out of a formal training compound to make itself available to accompany and assist language communities as they venture to address their language related needs.
Results
Language community members are unified and galvanized around the making of a standard orthography. The launching of printed copies of this government-approved orthography manual is a milestone that whole communities celebrate. It spurs the production of reading materials from various sectors of the community. People are inspired to venture to the next project such as the publication of their grammar, dictionary, literature, and the like. Teachers gain more confidence to make education in the mother tongue work. Appreciation of distinct features of their language rise and more and more people want to speak it, not lose it or hide it. People’s morale become high and their self-esteem bolstered. Community elders muse:
Our language is our identity. It is a gift from God and we must take care of it.
Tay Kudul, Tagbanwa elder
God’s Word to every ethnolinguistic community!
Millions still lack access to Scripture in their heart language, and you can help change that whether through translation, technology or support. Your skill can make a difference. Be part of this life-changing mission today!