Minority languages are not minor languages. In this sentence there is everything needed to defend what history has left in the territories. There are ancient idioms that have made us what we are, and not even in the era of globalization should we forget the pride of our origins. And this is the meaning of the operation that led Motorola, at the Free University of Bolzano, to present its first smartphones with a Ladin interface to the world, an operation that demonstrates how technology can be at the service of people. And not vice versa.
The project, created thanks to a collaboration between the University with the Lenovo Foundation, and the Ladin Institute Micurá de Rü, was carried out by a team of translators and revisers led by Professor Paul Videsott, professor of Romance philology, who worked with Motorola software developers. Professor Videsott himself explained the great effort made by saying that «it was the greatest translation work into Ladin after that done with the Bible». Among other things, by inserting neologisms, given that the language spread between Alto Adige, Veneto and Friuli dates back to the nineteenth century.
Ladin is the first European language to be implemented as part of the Motorola and Lenovo Foundation initiative, which aims to promote the preservation of minority languages at risk of extinction, which are fundamental for passing on and keeping alive the cultures of the peoples who speak them, but the project had already started starting from Brazil. From hardware to software, Motorola's goal is to create products that allow all users to feel included through its technology, allowing everyone to realize their maximum potential.
The smartphones that will “speak” Ladin that were presented during the “Ladin Day” are those of the Edge 50 series: customizable thanks to Artificial Intelligence, they are innovative and with a refined design, with the 50 ultra, 50 pro and 50 fusion models. And for Giorgia Bulgarella, Head of Marketing of Motorola Italia, “We are proud that our Group has chosen us as the first European country for this pioneering project, which reaffirms our closeness to Italian consumers and to one of the things that are closest to their hearts: their cultural heritage” has explained Giorgia Bulgarella, Head of Marketing Of Motorola Italy.
Ladin is one of the twelve minority languages officially recognized in Italy. These are five Rhaeto-Romance languages spoken by around 30,000 people living in as many Dolomite valleys, and are considered by UNESCO among the languages at risk of extinction. In fact, the United Nations agency estimates that an indigenous language disappears every two weeks, resulting in the potential loss of around 3,000 unique languages by the end of the century.
Motorola and Lenovo Foudation, in addition to the project for the preservation of Ladin, also created the “Hello Indigenous” whitepaper together with UNESCO, with the creation of interfaces in Nheengatu (Amazon region) and Kaingang (south/south-east of Brazil), Cherokee (North America), Kuvi and Kangri (India) and Maori (New Zealand). The introduction of Ladin on the Edge 50 products is only the first step: all the next smartphones launched by Motorola will include it in the user interface.