The Online Terminology Forum for East Cree and Innu: A collaborative approach to multi-format terminology development

Abstract

For Indigenous languages to thrive, it is essential for speakers to be able to talk about their present reality in relevant and meaningful ways. In this paper, we report on our work in terminology development through workshops and the creation and use of modern digital tools including online dictionaries and terminology forums, and by working with speakers in the creation and ongoing discussion of new words. We describe the technology required to make this possible and the necessity of producing various formats, such as interactive images, booklets, and multimedia apps. We dis-cuss the tools we have developed with and for East Cree and Innu speakers, transla-tors, and linguists and the challenges of quality terminology creation, including con-text, clarity, dialectal variation, multiple submissions, and the specificity of the struc-ture of Algonquian languages. We explain how videos can complement and support terminology development and diffusion and the importance of providing searchable, translated texts for models and context. We stress the importance of allowing oral, visual, and written submissions to interactive terminology databases. We also report on two Online Terminology Forum training workshops with Innu translators. We demonstrate the advantages of building a pan-Algonquian terminology database to combine, strengthen, and expand communities’ (re)vitalization efforts across thematic domains such as health, justice, environment, education, and technology.