The commitment to Catalan
The Mobile World Congress is an internationally renowned event held in Barcelona. Despite this, Catalan does not have a prominent presence in this congress. Despite an agreement between the Government and the GSMA, organizer of the congress, to promote the Catalan language in the technological and digital sphere, the initiatives that make it a reality are a minority. Some of these initiatives include ABControl’s voice assistant, which allows Alexa to speak in Catalan, and Relisten, a platform that uses artificial intelligence to write information in Catalan. However, these initiatives are an exception and the presence of Catalan in the congress is limited.
The need to incorporate Catalan
Despite the fact that the Consumer Code recognizes the right of consumers to receive information in Catalan, this right is not fully applied in the digital sphere. This is especially evident in the tech world, where English and Chinese dominate. Plataforma per la Llengua, an organization dedicated to promoting linguistic diversity, works to approach companies and explain to them the Catalan-speaking reality and the opportunities this entails. Despite this, there is still some ignorance among companies about the importance of incorporating more languages, such as Catalan, into their tools and services.
The role of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an important role in linguistic diversity. Multilingualism is a challenge for AI, especially in voice assistants. The AINA project, developed by the Government in collaboration with the BSC, seeks to make machines speak and understand Catalan. AINA is making it easier for companies to incorporate the Catalan language in their technologies. However, there is still a way to go for Catalan to be present on the main voice assistant platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri.
The importance of the presence of Catalan
Consumers in Catalonia express their desire to have Catalan as an option in services such as Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. However, this option is not yet widely available. The presence of Catalan in technology is important for the normalization of the language and to ensure that Catalan speakers do not feel forgotten. Initiatives such as Hola Alexa and Relisten are steps in this direction, but there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve a wider presence of Catalan in the technological world.
The challenge of linguistic diversity
Linguistic diversity is a challenge in the field of technology. It is important to work so that the different languages have an adequate presence on digital platforms and services. Delving deeper into linguistic diversity is an opportunity for companies and for society in general. Work must continue to promote linguistic diversity and ensure that all languages have a place in the technological world.