# 230 Christian Elongue on Advancing the Language Industry in Africa

Exploring the Language Service Industry in Africa

Introduction to Diversity of Languages

• The African continent is home to an estimated 2,000 languages, each with its own unique diversity.

• Christian Elong, managing director of Kabot Group, discusses his work in knowledge management and language services from Ghana.

Professional Background of Christian Elong

• Christian shares his diverse professional background, emphasizing a personal conviction about promoting African languages.

• His experience primarily lies in the Civil Society and International Development sectors as a researcher.

• Noticing the lack of visibility for many African languages sparked his interest in the language service industry.

Establishment of Kabot Language Services

• In 2022, Christian founded Cabo Language Services with a mission to build the language service industry in Africa.

• He believes that structured platforms can enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing among language practitioners on the continent.

Advocacy and Commercial Aspects

• Kabot Language Services operates both as an advocacy group and a commercial business focused on social impact.

• Their primary clients are NGOs and community-based organizations needing professional language services.

Initiatives by Kabot Group

• One significant initiative is the Network of African Language Translators and Teachers (ALAP), which has over 2,200 members aimed at fostering collaboration among professionals.

• Another platform called MATI was created to provide guidance for translators and interpreters on practical issues like invoicing and pricing strategies.

Formation of Continental Bodies

• Recognizing a gap for national associations across Africa, they established ALAC (Association of Language Companies in Africa).

• ALAC aims to unify language service providers across the continent for stronger advocacy and increased visibility within the industry.

Recognition and Future Goals

• Kabot has been recognized as one of the top 34 global influencers in the language industry by Multilingual magazine in February 2024.

Understanding Africa's Linguistic Diversity and Localization Needs

Overview of Africa's Business Context

• The speaker discusses the challenge of presenting a unified view of Africa, emphasizing its diversity in business contexts and associations across the continent.

• Africa is identified as a continent with significant linguistic and cultural differences, divided into five main regions, each with unique needs for localization services.

Regional Language Variations

• In West Africa, there is a high demand for French and English translation due to historical colonization influences.

• East Africa predominantly requires Swahili and English localization services, reflecting the region's linguistic landscape.

• Northern African countries like Egypt and Algeria primarily use Arabic, necessitating expertise in Arabic localization for successful operations.

Linguistic Richness Across the Continent

• The speaker highlights the incredible linguistic variety in Africa, noting that it far exceeds European diversity; approximately 2,000 languages are spoken across the continent.

• Ghana’s dominant language is Akan, particularly Twi, which is spoken by around 11 to 12 million people. Other languages include Ewe and Fante.

Key Languages in Different Regions

• Swahili has about 150 million speakers across East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda), making it one of the most widely spoken languages on the continent.

• Yoruba is another significant language with approximately 45 million speakers found not only in Nigeria but also in Benin.

Language Intelligibility and Usage

• Many languages within Ghana are organized into groups; speakers often understand each other despite different mother tongues due to widespread use in education and daily communication.

• The integration of local languages into public life enhances mutual intelligibility among various ethnic groups within Ghana.

Demand for Translation Services

• The demand for translation services varies significantly across African countries compared to global markets; institutions are primary buyers rather than individuals seeking professional translators.

Language Services and AI in Africa

The Demand for Professional Translation

• There is a growing requirement for access to professional translators, yet many opt for cost-saving solutions like free or automatic translation tools (e.g., Google Translate).

Conferences as Revenue Drivers

• Institutions, particularly businesses and NGOs, are driving demand for translation services, especially during conferences which generate significant income for language service providers.

• Conferences necessitate translations across various languages (e.g., French to English, Portuguese), depending on the attendees' backgrounds.

Mobile Solutions in Language Services

• The African market requires mobile-first language solutions since many users consume content primarily through mobile devices.

• Companies like "Translation Without BS" have developed mobile apps aimed at humanitarian translation in crisis zones.

Leveraging AI in Language Services

• The Kabot Group emphasizes leveraging AI to advance the language service industry.

• Initiatives like Masakan focus on creating natural language processing tools and datasets specifically for African languages.

Challenges with Low Resource Languages

• Many African languages are considered low-resource due to limited data availability, impacting machine translation and generative AI applications.

• Machine translation effectiveness varies; lower resource languages face greater challenges compared to more widely spoken ones.

Data Creation Initiatives

• Projects like Masakan contribute significantly by creating datasets that help train AI systems for various low-resource African languages.

• Global LSP funding initiatives support projects aimed at increasing data availability, such as a project focused on Igbo language data creation.

Standardization Issues in Language Development

• A lack of standardization among writing systems (e.g., Twi in Ghana) complicates the development of consistent language resources.

Investment Barriers in Language Technology

• Limited investment from local sources hampers the growth of African language AI solutions; most developments are funded by global tech firms like Google and Facebook.

Language Technology and African Languages

The Need for Investment in Language Services

• There is a significant need for investment in the language service industry, particularly focusing on African languages. This includes developing datasets and practical tools to make these languages more accessible.

• Masakan has developed machine translation models for 20 to 23 African language pairs and created benchmarks for datasets of 35 African languages, highlighting the progress made in low-resource NLP techniques.

• Increased ownership from African organizations is essential; local stakeholders should not rely solely on foreign tech companies like Google or Mozilla to drive language technology solutions.

Evaluating Meta's "No Language Left Behind"

• Meta's initiative is seen as a starting point but requires stronger local involvement to be truly effective.

• While it was an interesting initiative that helped develop training techniques using limited data, its long-term impact remains questionable.

• The dataset claims around 40 to 50 African languages, which is minimal compared to the total number of approximately 2,000 languages across Africa.

The Importance of Local Languages in Development

• There's a pressing need for African venture capitalists to invest in the language service industry rather than predominantly funding fintech and health technology sectors.

• Developing local languages is crucial for civilization growth; without investing in their accessibility and teaching resources, economic development may falter.

Challenges in Language Resources

• A lack of comprehensive learning materials hampers the ability to teach local languages effectively. For instance, finding a dictionary for Twi (a major Ghanaian language) can be surprisingly difficult despite its widespread use.

• Before advancing into high-tech solutions, foundational work must be done on traditional learning resources such as dictionaries and other linguistic tools necessary for effective language education.

Initiatives Towards Language Resource Development

• There are ongoing efforts within private sectors to contribute towards creating educational resources tailored for local languages through initiatives like partnerships with universities.

Language Learning Barriers and Initiatives

Challenges in Language Learning

• Many individuals face barriers to learning local languages, not due to lack of desire but because of insufficient resources and centers for language education.

• The need for intentionality and focus is emphasized; more language learning centers and resources would facilitate easier access to language acquisition.

Role of AI in Language Learning

• Advances in AI, particularly multimodal capabilities, could enhance conversational models that assist in language learning.

• Speculation on the potential of AI to support language learning goals through improved data availability.

Establishment of the Association of Language Companies (ALC)

Formation and Purpose

• ALC was established to create a continental umbrella organization for language service companies across Africa, addressing the absence of such an entity.

• The organization aims to unify various national bodies representing professional translators and interpreters within different countries.

Structure and Membership

• Legally registered in August 2023 in Ghana, ALC includes a steering committee with representatives from South Africa, Ghana, and other regions.

• Members come from diverse African nations, facilitating regular professional development programs like webinars and training sessions.

Goals and Activities of ALC

Increasing Visibility

• One primary goal is enhancing visibility within the language service industry by gathering data on LSP numbers, professionals involved, and economic contributions.

• Research initiatives are necessary to understand industry dynamics better; this information will help educate stakeholders about available opportunities.

Enhancing Profitability

• Another key objective is improving profitability for language service providers by fostering unity among them to strengthen their negotiating power.

• Continuous professional development is essential for improving how African professionals negotiate pricing and market their services effectively.

First Annual Conference Highlights

Gathering Industry Professionals

• During its first annual conference held during its one-year anniversary, ALC brought together LSP from all five regions of Africa.

LSP Initiatives and Global Collaboration

The Importance of Professional Development in the Language Service Industry

• There is a significant need for ongoing professional development, market advocacy, and technology adoption within the language service provider (LSP) community to enhance collaboration and impact.

• A call to action is proposed for LSPs and associations across Europe, Asia, and the US to support initiatives aimed at bringing together industry professionals.

Learning from Global Best Practices

• The speaker emphasizes that exposure to best practices from other regions can accelerate the professionalization of services by African LSPs.

• It is noted that understanding best practices will influence the growth rate of the language service industry in Africa.

Collaborative Learning Opportunities

• Suggestions include organizing joint events or webinars where LSPs can share resources and learn from each other’s experiences.

• The podcast serves as a platform for raising awareness about ongoing work in Africa's language service sector.

Investment in Language Technology

• There is a pressing need for investment in technology tailored for African languages, with larger global LSPs encouraged to support local initiatives.

• Examples are given of companies like Le AI in South Africa that are successfully leveraging funding to develop solutions for local languages.

Mobility Programs and Staff Exchange

• A proposal is made for mobility programs allowing staff exchanges between African LSPs and those in more advanced markets like Europe or Asia.

• Such exchanges would provide hands-on experience crucial for learning localization practices prevalent in Western markets.

Funding Support and Collaboration Opportunities

• Larger LSP organizations are urged to sponsor initiatives within Africa, fostering collaboration with local entities already driving progress.

• Mentioned is the African Language Conference (AFLC), which brings together practitioners to share innovations; global LSP sponsorship could enhance these events' impact.

Conclusion on Collaborative Efforts

• Participation in such conferences allows global players to understand better the realities on the ground within Africa's language service market.