Language news
What is happening to the languages people actually speak: policy, schools, revival, and the technology arriving on top of them. Filed each morning at 7am London time, sources linked.
Business
Ministry of Justice court interpreting contracts go live with a second supplier
The award was settled in January, so the news is the start date. The contracts also oblige suppliers to work together on AI tools under the ministry's AI Action Plan for Justice.
Culture
Spirited Away to be dubbed into te reo Māori for Whakaata Māori
Māoriland Films announced the deal on 2 Oct, supported by Te Māngai Pāho. Translators Te Kauru Nohotima and Hana Mereraiha say the film's spirit world sits close to te ao Māori. It also screens at Māoriland Film Festival in March 2027.
Policy
French MPs table constitutional bill to protect regional languages
Article 2 let the Conseil constitutionnel strike down immersion teaching in the 2021 Molac law, and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques prefect is now in court against Sare and Bayonne over Basque. Long odds: both chambers must agree, then a referendum or Congress.
Tech
Kural Tulu Touch puts the Tulu-Tigalari script on Android keyboards
Follows Karnataka granting Tulu second official language status in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi on 18 Sep. A volunteer build inside an app, not a platform default, but phone typing is where script revival meets daily use.
Policy
Buenos Aires Province enacts law to promote Argentine Sign Language
Argentina's most populous province now has to build LSA access into public policy and work with Education on curriculum content. The test is which body is named to run it, and whether Deaf people still face courts and clinics without interpreters.
Policy
Latvia confines Russian on public media LSM to emergencies
A parliament has pulled a large minority language from public service media almost entirely, after its own Legal Bureau preferred the public media council's softer plan. It still needs the President's signature.
Tech
Egypt courts start AI speech-to-text for Egyptian dialects
Egypt's Justice Ministry put AI speech-to-text into criminal courtrooms from 1 October, turning spoken proceedings in Egyptian dialects into written records as part of judicial digitisation.
Tech
UNESCO publishes multilingual digital toolkit drawn from Welsh bilingual tech
UNESCO adapted Wales's Bilingual Technology Toolkit into a Practical Toolkit for Supporting Multilingual Digital Services for websites, apps and public services in low-resource and Indigenous languages. Wales's bilingual stack is now a UN template for smaller languages online.
Tech
Trinity releases Geabaire Irish AAC for autistic gaelscoil pupils
Free symbols-to-speech AAC from ABAIR, designed for Irish grammar and dialects rather than adapted from English. Timed with 24 new autism classes in gaelscoileanna so non- and minimally-speaking children can join Irish-medium school life.
Policy
Puerto Rico Senate again passes Puerto Rican Sign Language bill
The Senate approved PS 1463 for a third time, recognising LSP as the natural language of the island’s Deaf community and mandating a census. Earlier versions cleared both chambers but died by pocket veto; House and governor still needed.
Tech
India CAG and BHASHINI launch AI audit translation for Indian languages
CAG and Digital India BHASHINI launched a customised AI translator for official audit documents so findings can reach citizens in Indian languages under sovereign, access-controlled systems with human oversight.
Education
Moldova trains kindergarten teachers in endangered Gagauz
President Maia Sandu announced a three-month programme in Comrat for kindergarten teachers of Gagauz, a UNESCO-listed endangered language, ending with Ministry certificates.
Policy
Ukraine registers bill on EU minority-language schooling rights
Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada registered Bill 16119 so schools teaching in EU minority languages can use those languages alongside Ukrainian. About 149 schools could gain minority-institution status under the proposal.
Education
California scraps four-hurdle exit for nearly 1m English learners
On 27 Sep Gov. Newsom signed AB 2555: one state English test now reclassifies pupils, ending California's unique teacher, parent and district checks that left many stuck after they scored fluent.
Tech
Togo tests Voix du Togo AI for public services in Kabiyè, Ewe, Moba
Togo AI Lab began public testing in Lomé so speakers of Kabiyè, Ewe and Moba can reach public services in those languages, with plans for about 50. Led by the digital ministry with Zindi, Umbaji and Berkeley CEGA.
Education
India SC extends CBSE three-language exam relief to Class 6
NEP-aligned CBSE rules require three languages with at least two Indian ones from Class 6. Mid-year rollout left textbook and option gaps; the court overrode the Centre and matched Class 6 to the softer Class 7 to 9 track.
Policy
Quebec poll workers must vet voters before speaking English
Under Bill 96, Élections Québec staff ask if a voter has English-education eligibility or is Indigenous before speaking English; otherwise they stay in French. Follows the 15 Sep French-only mailouts ruling; lawyers are preparing a challenge.
Policy
West Belfast to scope full Falls Road Irish-English bilingual signs
Stormont's infrastructure minister has ordered a scoping exercise to extend the July Gaeltacht Quarter pilot along the full Falls Road. Dual-language road signs remain rare in Northern Ireland.
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