SECOND SEVERN CROSSING, WALES - NOVEMBER 2018: Large sign at the side of the M4 motorway welcoming drivers into Wales.

Technology has tremendously transformed our daily lives and it’s possible that the change will be more profound as time goes by. From communicating to developing educational products, technological innovations have penetrated every industry today.

According to the Welsh Government language strategy, technology plays a key role in the future of the language. Their action plan recognizes that technology is a key area that must be addressed to ensure that there will be a place for the Welsh language in the future. The plan builds on the foundations laid by volunteer technologists, large enterprises, and the public sector.

The Government’s ambition to leverage language technology will support the current and future Welsh speakers in their social, educational, and professional lives. That will be made possible by addressing three key areas as stipulated in their language technology action plan.

The plan pays attention to the tech infrastructure and use, but the Government’s vision brings components together. That makes language technology materials available for use and sharing in the future. The main work required for the plan to work will be taken under the following fields:

Developing and sustaining digital infrastructure

The government must ensure that they have the necessary language digital infrastructure needed like machine translation, speech-to-text, machine learning, and big datasets. It’s also essential to have the Welsh-language data necessary to train the systems. Additionally, the action plan understands the need for academic research and development in Welsh Language technology.

Creating a culture of innovation

Technology is at the centre of every innovation in different industries. For instance, advancements in mobile technology have significantly benefited sites like Top Mobile Casino UK by improving the user interface to how they deliver information to their users. Such technological advancements have enhanced how people can access products and information, which also comes handy in enhancing learning methods.

We need to see more Welsh-language digital data and resources made openly available without any unnecessary conditions to limit their use. These resources need to be shared under the appropriate license that’s open and permissive when possible. That will help support the digital innovation effort necessary to benefit the Welsh language.

Developing a culture of innovation will have a huge effect on education and the shared resources will encourage people to develop and publish content in the Welsh language. Where possible the Government will choose generic international standards based on what they do in the context of their Action Plan.

The government’s main aim is that the innovation, development, and emphasis on open data and technology will help develop an innovative economy in the country. The plan gives a chance for Wales to develop the tech sector using their language technology skills and experience. It also helps them work with other countries and regions that want to see improved machine learning translation, conversational AI, and speech-to-text in their languages.

The public sector’s digital transformation

The Welsh Language needs to become a key part of the public sector’s digital transformation agendas. With the power of procurement and other related processes, the government’s aim is influencing the broader ICT sector to support more Welsh language provision.

Promoting the creation and distribution of digital products in the Welsh language

Welsh-language resources, interfaces, and products need to be readily available, without always being requested by the end users. As such, choice architecture should go a long way in expediting this, considering a number of factors. That includes the current number of bilingual Welsh-speaking households or workplaces in the country, where they live and everything else related.

The Welsh language user experiences also need to facilitate finding content for the Welsh-Language. When introducing content and resources, the aim should be to ensure there’s a wide range of digital products or services in the Welsh language and find ways to increase their use.

How language technology benefits the Welsh language

Language technology is an invention that has proven that machines aren’t limited to interpreting human language. Technology has bolstered areas like linguistics, machine learning, and information technology. These wide-reaching applications are enabling humans to communicate with robots without using an interface or a computer commanding them in machine language.

In Wales, Language technology is helping to secure the future of the Welsh language by making it more accessible to the new generation. Language technology is also useful to visually impaired people who constantly rely on text-to-speech systems and screen readers to convert audio to text. Even better, language technology can be beneficial in activities like driving.

Conclusion

Technology has transformed the way we live, communicate, share, and receive information in profound ways. Fortunately, language technology has played a key role in helping smaller languages like the Welsh tackle different challenges that may arise and bring more opportunities. The government’s ambitious action plan is a smart move to leverage language technology in developing the Welsh language, but it will need the cooperation of leaders in different sectors for it to work.