Alana Bailey – GPLC Member
On 21 February 2026, the Linguists Collective presented the LC Conference 2026 – a global online event celebrating International Mother Language Day. The Linguists Collective is a service-based agency operating from the United Kingdom (UK) that specialises in interpretation, translation and linguistic services internationally. Its multilingual approach was reflected by the programme of the conference which comprised more than twenty speakers from various language communities.
Some of the most interesting topics which were discussed, included the preservation of endangered and indigenous languages, passing down identity and language from generation to generation, the influence that using the predictive mode of smartphones has on language, as well as mother language loss among the diaspora and refugees.
The first session examined the 2026 theme of International Mother Language Day and endangered languages. The second offered practical training for linguists, while the third was an interactive session on language, culture & communication. The fact that the first and third sessions contributed to many people benefiting from the event.
It was evident from the start that the frustrations and concerns of language communities and people who work in language-related fields are similar the world over. Smaller languages are under threat of large colonial languages, especially English. Because the youth is exposed to so much English via social media and entertainment, they often find that they can express themselves more easily in English than in their own mother languages which raises concerns about the future of these languages. The second major issue is the influence of artificial intelligence (AI). One of the speakers lamented that the role of professional translators is increasingly being diminished to that of proofreaders due to the quality of and easy access to AI translation programmes.
South African language practitioners will definitely be able to associate with these concerns, but should also take note of some ideas expressed during the event when planning the preservation and development of our languages and careers.
Archivist Abdullah Barbhuiya emphasised that the archiving of our languages and literature should not be regarded as a form of nostalgia, but rather as a form of resistance against the erasure of our languages and cultures. Because of the youth’s passion for technology, they can play a vital role in using AI to preserve our languages. Not only can they assist with technological challenges that older generations may not be as experienced with, but in the process their own appreciation for their mother languages may be ignited.
Finnish Language expert Raisa McNab highlighted the challenges faced by legal interpreters in the UK. South Africans will know that concerns about the training and qualifications of interpreters and a growing demand for interpretation in more languages in courts versus shrinking budgets are not unique to the UK. She however also pointed out that instead of viewing languages as barriers, we should harness the linguistic wealth in our countries to create new opportunities for careers and cultural interaction.
She was optimistic about the future of translators and interpreters. While many lament that translation is dead due to the influence of AI, she is convinced that it is instead morphing into something new. She bases her opinion on the fact that facilities such as ChatGPT or Google Translate are not culturally sensitive. The translator or interpreter can add value to their language services by watching out for vocabulary or statements which may offend people of the language into which translation takes place or explain the same about the language of origin. Nuanced meanings and emotions may be clarified, which a chatbot may not pick up on, but which may be vital in a specific context. She states that the roles of these professionals are therefore now expanding to include cultural facilitation between parties in all professional fields.
Regarding language in schools, Vasiliki Chondrogianni (Professor of Bilingualism and Language Development at the University of Edinburgh) said that in Kenya with its more that 68 indigenous languages, teachers often do not bother to qualify in more languages as they do not get additional remuneration for teaching multilingually. They should be rewarded – an argument that may be applied in South Africa as well. She added that in order to make mother languages attractive for children, there should be age-appropriate, appealing material in classrooms – ranging from textbooks to posters, language games, etc. By using stories from a specific language community instead of translating stories, children will also associate more closely with reading material.
This article highlights but a few of the topics and opinions expressed during the conference. What has however once again become clear, is that language communities face similar struggles everywhere, but that we can learn a lot from each other and should cooperate to find solutions to ensure that our cherished mother languages will face a viable future.
