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Help Write a Bestseller— In an Endangered Language!

© Deborah Cannon

When I was a kid, growing up in Vancouver, my parents were told not to speak to us in their native tongue (Cantonese), because back then, teachers thought that being completely proficient in English was the only way for someone to succeed in life. This trend has persisted into the 21st century and now many aboriginal languages in countries throughout the world are in danger of being lost. The population is aging and more native speakers are dying without passing on their culture, of which language is the most important. Just as wildlife is endangered through ignorance and neglect, so too are languages. On the list of the endangered are 6,500 native languages.

This month, in a press release, Trafford Publishing pledged $1.6 million for endangered languages toward a global effort to halt loss of priceless cultural knowledge. At the gathering of the 2005 World Information Technology Forum -- a UNESCO/ European Union sponsored conference in Botswana -- Trafford announced their pledge to over 800 delegates, representing more than 80 countries. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss ways to provide technology to the developing world.

"Have them write books," urges Bruce Batchelor,Trafford's CEO and founder of the company that revolutionized 'on-demand' publishing. Trafford has pledged to underwrite approximately $1,600,000 in publishing costs over the next ten years. The program will make available primers for school children, dictionaries and local stories. One book will be published in each of 650 endangered languages.

Trafford Publishing releases over 3,000 new titles a year, some of which have become national bestsellers. The company is used by independent authors from over 105 countries with printing done in Canada, the US and the UK. Bruce Batchelor's idea is to enable local communities to record their own languages, create teaching tools, and write books. "Some communities really need a few key tools to document their language . . . An iBook, iPod, microphone, digital camera, solar battery charger, a week's on site technical training - those would be part of the most basic linguistic rescue kit," he says.

Trafford's gift was prompted by a request by Bothas Marinda of Namibia to have a book published in his native language. Peter Brand, of First Peoples' Cultural Foundation, passed along the idea to Batchelor who decided not to limit his help to only a few first nations or tribes. "It is ironic that most of these languages have been almost wiped out because of 'modern' culture," notes Batchelor. "Now we can use innovations in publishing and technology to enable and empower locals to document and then teach their languages."

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