Working Group 3:

Language rights

Language Rights in the Human-Machine Era: Speaking to Technology and Through Technology

Imagine a world where you can’t access vital information during a crisis or even in your day to day life because it’s only available in a language you don’t understand and/or through a technological tool you’re unable to use for various reasons. This is a growing concern as technology rapidly advances. Language technology development can outpace our human ability to ensure equal and equitable access for everyone.

Problem and Focus

We explore how language rights keep pace with techno-societal advancements and how can people with varying linguistic, communicative, cognitive, sensory, physical and other abilities participate equally and equitably in a world where AI-driven language technology is increasingly integrated in every layer of human activity.

Specific Concerns

Exponential technological development gives rise to questions regarding equitable access to information and services in minority languages. Equitable access means promoting fair interaction between technology and diverse languages, and safeguarding the well-being of language communities facing a global landscape with only a few major languages taking the lead. It also means that Individuals and communities should have the right to choose whether they interact with humans or machines, regardless of their reasons.

Global Context

These issues are particularly pressing considering global challenges like pandemics, conflicts, and natural disasters. When information is crucial, everyone needs access in their preferred language(s).

Key Issues

In light of the importance of communication and access to information, the activities of the Working Group Language Rights (WG3) within the COST Action “Language in the Human-Machine Era” (LITHME) investigate several key aspects:

  • Technology and Crisis Response: How can we ensure technology helps, not hinders, access to information during crises and disasters? Can it reach everyone who needs it, regardless of language?
  • Technological Inclusion: How can tools like Machine Translation empower communities with limited access to communication, education, and other essential services? This includes Deaf communities, migrants, refugees, and other people who speak minority and minoritised languages, or live in linguistically marginalised communities.
  • Stakeholder Involvement: The principle of “Nothing about us, without us” is critical. How can we ensure those impacted by language technology have a voice in its development and deployment?
  • Ethics and Accessibility: Is language technology simply a new form of commercialised ableism? WG3 examines the ethical implications of language technology and the need for accessibility for all languages, not just the most well-resourced.

The Promise and Peril of Human-Machine Interaction

The future promises exciting advancements like “smart” glasses and earpieces, along with further evolving chatbots, avatars, robots, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. Speaking through and to these technologies will potentially enable seamless inter- and intra-lingual communication and boost participation in civic life. However, these advancements still raise concerns about the impact on languages with fewer technological resources compared to dominant languages.

Finding a Balanced Future

While language technology holds the potential for better communication and inclusion, WG3 also emphasises the importance of addressing ethical and rights considerations surrounding Artificial Intelligence. By exploring these challenges and opportunities, WG3 aims to contribute to a human-machine era that enhances individual and societal well-being and respects human dignity.

Ongoing Activities

  • Follow our 2023 – 2024 (last year of LITHME) Online Talks with experts from academia, international organisations, think tanks, communities, and IT companies.
  • LITHME 4th annual conference was held at UCLouvain (Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium) on 2-3 September 2024. This year’s theme is: ‘Exploring the Dark Side of Future Language Technologies: Linguistic (In)security, Ethics, and Privacy in the Human-Machine Era’.

Resources

LITHME 4th annual conference, UCLouvain (Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium), 2-3 September 2024. ‘Exploring the Dark Side of Future Language Technologies: Linguistic (In)security, Ethics, and Privacy in the Human-Machine Era’. Click here to view the WG 3 presentation on Lessons Learned in four years of LITHME.

The 2024 Training School teaching materials on The AI Race and Language Rights: Speaking To and Through Technology in the Human-Machine Era. The presentation explores how the rapid advancement of AI technologies impacts our understanding and exercise of language rights, particularly in a world where human-machine interactions are increasingly commonplace.

Key Discussion Points:

  • Language, AI – Race, and Human-Machines: Examining the relationship between language, the ongoing AI – race, and the human-machine interactions.
  • New Meaning of Language Rights: Redefining the concept of language rights in light of AI-driven communication and technological advancements.
  • The Role of Technology: Analyzing how technology addresses (or fails to address) challenges in multilingual communication, accessibility, and crisis situations.

The 2023 Training School teaching materials on Language Rights in the Human-Machine Era. This presentation is a collaboration between working groups 3, 4, 5, and 7. It explores the implications of new language technologies for language rights, while considering the following questions:

  • Are we ready for the coming human-machine era, in which we will increasingly interact with technology that can translate languages, generate text, and “understand” natural language?
  • What are the challenges posed by new language technologies to traditional theories of language rights?
  • How can we ensure that future language technologies are used in a way that respects the rights of all language users, including speakers of endangered and minority languages?
  • What about highly multilingual and not so technological countries (case of Peru)?
  • Language Technology, endangered languages, language rights: friend or foe? – team debate animated by WG 1 and WG 3 chairs.

The 2022 Training School materials on:

Information Accessibility as a Human Right by Sharon O’Brien (presentation pdf, video)

Defining Language Rights by Angela Soltan and Cynog Prys (presentation pdf)

You are welcome to access these materials, whether or not you attended the Training School.

Meet the Chairs

The Language Rights team began its journey in 2021 led by Dr. Angela Soltan (Moldova State University) as chair and Dr. Cynog Prys (Bangor University) as co-chair. In 2022, the team welcomed Prof. Sharon O’Brien (Dublin City University), who joined as co-chair alongside Dr. Prys. Building on this foundation, Dr. Rebekah Rousi (Uwassa University) and Dr. Lucía Ruiz Rosendo (Geneva University) stepped into the co-chair roles in 2023, ready to lead the team into its next phase. To learn more about the WG 3 Chairs, members and activities click here.

Keywords:

Crisis communication, disaster response, accessibility, underrepresented groups, minority language rights, inclusivity, ethical implications.

WG chairs:


Angela Soltan

angela [ a t ] soltan.md


Rebekah Rousi

rebekah.rousi [ a t ] uwasa.fi


Lucía Ruiz Rosendo

lucia.ruiz [ a t ] unige.ch

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