Message-ID: <199911281738.MAA15574@pilot023.cl.msu.edu> Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 12:38:45 -0500 From: Donald Z Osborn <mailto:osborndo@PILOT.MSU.EDU> Subject: Language, Tech. transfer, & Devt. To: mailto:DEVEL-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
In a speech on national education given on 13 November 1999 (and published in the 16 November issue of the newspaper _Essor_, the Malian president Konare made the following statement in the context of remarks concerning the introduction of instruction in the various national languages of the country (French is the official language of government and until now the exclusive language of formal public education [excepting a some pilot experiments]):"... dans la longue histoire de l'humanité, jamais aucun peuple n'a réussi domestiquer la science et le progrès dans la langue d'autrui." [in the long history of humanity, never has any people succeeded in domesticating science and progress in the language of others]
This perspective has important implications for "technology transfer in development" (however conceived, initiated, and implemented). Yet the centrality of language has often seemed to be avoided (left as implicit [in ag., for instance, you naturally assume that the extension agent will use the/a farmers' language and the development expert or research scientist will have a translator as needed] or overlooked entirely), especially in multilingual nations where the presence of many languages makes the situation complex and even potentially politically tricky.
I'd be interested in reactions and experience from people on this list. Can technology be "domesticated" without first being rephrased in the mother tongue? Is any development "sustainable" without at some point being discussed in terms that all the people in a community would understand (i.e., a necessary but I would hasten to add, not a sufficient condition)? And what does this imply for foreign / internationally funded development projects and programs in multilingual societies?
In other words, what is necessary beyond people talking - and even talking in action - in their own languages to make for such "domestication"? - Freierian-style adult literacy in maternal languages? - school curricula in those languages? - active production of materials in those languages by development projects? - documentation of indigenous knowledge in the languages in which the IK evolved (& then storage "in situ")? - language "localization" of ICTs? - all of the above or some combination? - what priorities?
Or is all of this off the mark entirely?
Thanks in advance!
-- Don Osborn mailto:osborndo@pilot.msu.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "A superficial culture, unsupported by a cultivated morality, is as `a confused medley of dreams.'" `Abdu'l-Baha (1876) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~