College of Human Sciences
Unisa @ 150: An SA first as multilingual robotics glossary is launched
The Unisa Science Engagement Centre (USEC), in collaboration with the Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, and the Department of African Languages, officially launched a first-of-its-kind multilingual glossary of one hundred robotics terms in all eleven South African official languages.
The glossary will be available in both print and digital versions
The launch took place at the university’s Science Campus on 7 August 2023. This milestone is celebrated at a fitting time when Unisa celebrates its 150th birthday under the theme "Reclaiming Africa’s Intellectual Futures". The launch marks a significant step by Unisa in promoting inclusivity and accessibility in the field of robotics education for all towards innovative education in South Africa.
The development of the first one hundred robotics terms in all South African official languages holds significant importance in the preservation of indigenous languages and the development of a necessary vocabulary and required 21st century skills for the citizens of the future, beyond the current fourth industrial revolution (4IR) era.
The development of the multilingual glossary stemmed from the identification of the need to indigenously address the digital divide and entice interest and participation in science, engineering and technology fields for all learners of South Africa. Facilitating communication through promoting multilingualism empowers indigenous communities and has over the years ensured that learners and educators from diverse linguistic backgrounds are able to access and understand the learning of robotics.
"The glossary project started with a few terms on a white board being translated," says Dr Patricia Gouws, USEC Director. "The list grew over the years. The most amazing thing about this project is having learners learning how to build and programme a robot in their own mother tongue."
Dr Napjadi Letsoalo, Chair of the Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, says that robotics can no longer be seen as just science fiction. "Rather," he explains, "robotics is fast evolving and impacting the human sciences. Languages now have a voice in science and this collaboration is the beginning of greater things to come."
From left: Mamoya Letseleha (Department of African Languages), Dr Napjadi Letsoalo (Chair of the Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages) and Thabisile Mchunu (Department of African Languages)
The booklet consists of 100 terms translated from English into Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Xitsonga, Tshivenda, isiZulu, isiXhosa, isiNdebele, siSwati and Afrikaans. It is available in both print and digital versions.
Says Letsoalo: "This booklet may look small, but this multilingual robotics project involved a dedicated team of individuals who spent years coining and developing robotics terms in indigenous languages. This was not an easy task, complicated by COVID-19." He further says that the current printed version is an English version of the glossary list, and versions for other languages will be added on in due course.
On the list of future projects, the multilingual robotics team will next year be hosting a first Multilingual Robotics Spelling Bee. "This will be yet another step towards the team endeavour to merge science and language and promoting multilingualism for all learners and educations in South Africa," concludes Letsoalo.
#Unisa 150
* By Neliswa Mzimba, Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages
Publish date: 2023/08/16
Accounting pundit appointed to lead Unisa's College of Accounting Sciences
World Social Work Day: A shared future for transformative change
Unisa partners with Palabora Mining Company to create research-based solutions
Unisa’s student leadership takes debt bull by the horns
From medical scrubs to legal robe