In 2023 the overarching theme for the International Day is “Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination”
9 August 2023, 7.00 am PDT – 9.30 am PDT
The online event will be live-streamed on the
IDIL 2022-2032 Facebook page and Translation Commons YouTube channel
Organized by Translation Commons
In partnership with
The International Decade of Indigenous Languages
Add event to calendar
In order to raise awareness of the needs of indigenous communities, every 9 August commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982.
On the occasion of World Indigenous Day, UNESCO and Translation Commons’ online event draws inspiration from the status of select ‘Asian Indigenous languages’. The Asian continent is home to a vast array of Indigenous communities. Though the particular experiences of these communities vary from region to region, they play a common critical role in helping to preserve cultural heritage, transmit traditional knowledge, and maintain a sense of identity. Through this event UNESCO and Translation Commons aim to raise awareness on the importance of Indigenous language preservation and revitalisation across Asia, focusing on the need for bringing Indigenous texts in the foreground and highlighting the importance of stakeholder accountability, technological know-how and adaptation to changing context. This online conference brings together Indigenous communities from South and South-East Asia to facilitate dialogue, understanding and cooperation. This dialogue will not only contribute to the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032) but also to fulfilling Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), for strengthening world peace and security.
Program Objectives
- Reach out to a diverse set of audiences of South and South-East Asia, including indigenous communities, allies, people working in various fields such as academia, technology and social media and raise awareness about the importance of community as the primary stakeholders and their involvement in the translations, promotion and revitalization of their respective languages.
- Share good practices and lessons learnt from concrete projects including those related to the development of digital translation tools.
- Raise awareness on the benefit of using indigenous languages and engaging key stakeholders in education systems to preserve cultural knowledge.
- Reflect on appropriate and sustainable actions in implementing the Global Action Plan of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
The online event will be live streamed on the IDIL 2022-2032 Facebook page and the TranslationCommons YouTube Channel. In addition to our main program, a social media campaign will be active to acknowledge the role of translators and interpreters working with Indigenous languages.
Speakers
Speakers are representatives from Indigenous Peoples Organizations, academia, and other public and private organizations working with Indigenous Peoples and language professionals from all over the world.
Contributors
Translation Commons is sincerely grateful to all our behind-the-scenes volunteers who have worked so hard to bring this exciting event to fruition by offering their skills, time, passion, and generosity. Further, our speakers bring to us their years of experience to shed light on the very important and often overlooked area of Indigenous language in its many settings in the modern world. Our partners provided guidance and infrastructure to conceive of and conduct the program. We are truly grateful for the honor to work with all of you. Thank you for your contributions.
Translation Commons welcomes sponsors. If you share our passion, we gratefully accept your kind support, and will acknowledge your involvement in our speaker program. Donations of any size are very much appreciated and are tax deductible.