Getting in Touch: Digital resources for Indigenous languages

The Getting in Touch project sought to create new and meaningful language projects with Indigenous communities with respect to the development of new digital technologies. The Getting in Touch project aimed toward the concept of Digital Inclusion: making sure that Indigenous communities have support to develop digital resources in their own languages. In April 2014, a workshop was held at the Batchelor Institute's campus at the Desert People's Centre in Alice Springs. It brought together teams from Indigenous communities, linguists and technology experts.

The workshop discussed issues and ideas about digital tools for Indigenous Language Speakers. Everyone brainstormed these ideas and created maps and plans for future resources. Among those present were language teams from Maningrida, Wadeye, Warruwi (Goulburn Island), Ti Tree, Alice Springs, Willowra, Ngaanyatjarra lands, Pitjantjatjara lands, and Mwengart (McClaren Creek).

The workshop was funded by the University of Melbourne Social Equity Institute, and was supported by the Australian Government's Indigenous Languages Support Program, the Australian Research Council, Batchelor Institute and First Languages Australia.

You can read about the project, view some presentation slides and watch a short film about the project on the Centre for Australian Languages and Linguistics Getting in Touch web page.

One of the major outcomes from this workshop was the development of the Getting in Touch Bird Apps.