Warning of ‘digital extinction’ of the Maltese language, Nationalist MEP Francis Zammit Dimech is calling on small states to prioritise language technology.
“It is our [policymakers’] responsibility to ensure the Maltese language is well integrated and used within the digital sphere, including on digital platforms and through digital assistants such as Siri and Alexa,” Dr Zammit Dimech said.
By doing so, he added, policymakers would ensure the national language remained relevant in an ever-changing digital world, otherwise, the language would face the risk of ‘digital extinction’ due to the lack of technology support.
Dr Zammit Dimech’s comments came following concerns about the lack of a Maltese version in several ministries’ websites. Apart from the Office of the Prime Minister’s, only two ministries have a bilingual online site: those of the justice and foreign affairs.
University lecturer Michael Spagnol questioned who would use Maltese – the national language – if Maltese ministries did not and executive director Thomas Pace noted that the Maltese Language National Council was willing to provide support when it came to bilingual sites or educational campaigns.
Read: 'If Maltese ministries do not use Maltese, who will?'
The council is calling for a communications official to be appointed in each ministry and department to ensure that public statements, leaflets and information on social media are bilingual.
This should also be the case for public consultation documents that are of interest to the public because only the site’s address was in Maltese at the moment.
As a member of the European Parliament’s Culture and Education Committee, Dr Zammit Dimech tabled a series of amendments on a report addressing the challenges faced by languages in the digital age.
The amendments were formulated following consultation with stakeholders in Malta.
Among others, Dr Zammit Dimech called on member states to invest more in research, to assist educational institutions in improving the digitalisation of languages and to give priority to language technology, especially in those states that are small in size and have their own language.