Yanne Cby Yanne C
語言:
English /// 中文
Translator: Brian Hioe
Photo courtesy of Tapas Katu
The following interview was originally posted on Global Voices ahead of the panel, “Digital Initiatives for Indigenous Languages of Taiwan,” which was held on June 28, 2025 at DAYBREAK. This event is the first time Rising Voices, in collaboration with New Bloom and the Indigenous Youth Front, organized an event in Taiwan to bring together local Indigenous language digital activists to learn from and connect with each other. The idea was to facilitate the exchange of learned experiences and innovative ideas among these language activists, inspiring more possibilities for their language work.
In this interview, Tapas Katu, an Atayal speaker from Nantou, shared how she learned the Atayal language and leveraged the power of digital tools to aid her learning.
Rising Voices (RV): Please tell us about yourself and your language-related work
Tapas Katu (TK): I’m an Atayal person from the Ren’ai Township in Nantou County. I previously worked at the Research Center for Psychological and Educational Testing of the National Taiwan Normal University as a research fellow for the Atayal language; I am also a member of the Taiwan Atayal Language and Culture Research and Development Association. From time to time, I would participate in activities that can help advance research regarding Indigenous languages, such as the Indigenous language recording project sponsored by Common Voice.
RV: What opportunities do you see, based on personal experiences, in the use of digital tools for Indigenous languages?
TK: Due to my limited capacity, I tend to pay more attention to the Atayal language; at times, I’d read news on Indigenous language groups in the US for a reference. Here are some of my conclusions from daily experiences in Indigenous language learning:
Interactions among friends and relatives become more frequent with the advances in digital technologies: As far as Atayal is concerned, the leading electronics that the youths are bringing into the community help boost our opportunities of using the language for interactions. For example, between my mother and me: one works in Taipei, while the other works in Nantou. We talk every day on Line in Atayal and occasionally, I might check with Tesing Silan M.P. in Japan or elders in Hsinchu or Taichung about some phrases that I can’t really grasp yet.
Interactive features on websites for Indigenous language learning has helped motivate human-machine learning. In the past, the digitization of learning materials was primarily used for revision in the classroom; it’d be a bit harder to pick up the language by self-learning through the materials it provided.
Now that the Klokah.tw [Editorial Note: an entry portal for Indigenous language learning by the Council of Indigenous Peoples] organizes its courses by level, along with the implementation of AI technologies, it makes it easier for any users to learn at their own pace, via the distance learning courses.
My own research, on the other hand, touches upon the development of the learning materials.
For reading, because I would come across text materials concerning Indigenous romanization (through Japanese, English, and Taiwan written Chinese romanization etc.), pretty often, when reviewing these material, to improve accuracy, I’d try to take digital notes and include explanatory links for the romanization I found.
For the pronunciation: I am picking up on software programming and have worked on some small projects of pronunciation checking software. I am still looking for an advisor and team to help me with this research project.
Klokah.tw is an Indigenous language learning website, with a plethora of digital materials and audiovisual resources to facilitate learning. Photo credit: Screenshot
RV: What are your observations concerning the use of Indigenous languages in daily life?
TK: In real life, the middle-aged generation between 35 and 55 years of age rarely uses complete sentences in Indigenous languages. When they use the languages, it’d be in the form of broken phrases in most cases. Indigenous language instructors and kids in the community, however, can converse freely with the sentences they had learned in the classroom. Of course, it wouldn’t necessarily be the same case for kids who do not grow up in Indigenous communities. It depends on the language environment they are surrounded by.
In contrast, during occasions such as weddings, funerals, community meetings, or family gatherings, you can still see elders above 68 using the languages freely with no issues at all — including the use of complete sentences and, at times, the singing of ancestral folklores.
As far as I am concerned, the middle-aged generation probably missed the crucial period in language learning, probably because of the national language policy, so as to lose the ability to carry on daily life conversation in the language—and this in turn makes an impact on the next generation in their language learning. But if they are able to maintain a language friendly environment in their homes — such as having elders fluent in the languages living with them—and their next generation can use Indigenous languages freely in school without having to worry about discrimination or other restrictions, then there’s still a high chance for these kids to cultivate the ability to carry on daily life conversations in the languages.
RV: What are your motivations for seeing these language(s) present in digital spaces?
TK: My initial intention for learning the language was to be able to chat freely with elders in my household. As language learning tools became more technology-based, I moved gradually from paper-and-pencil notetaking to using audio tapes, voice recorders, and eventually picked up sound-matching technologies. On the other hand, I moved from self-learning to learning more systematically at the learning center, then to working on the advances of language preservation initiatives alongside my peers.
RV: Could you share some of the challenges encountered and lessons learned in your digital work with these languages?
TK: With the fast-emerging technology today, it’s easier to work with devices or software and, when you’re stuck, it’s easier to find experts for consultation. But the biggest challenge remains that one only has as much time, and it’s been hard for me to arrange a long-term schedule for field research in the communities. The second challenge comes to funding. Whether you are seeking professional assistance or spending time on acquiring the skills yourself, one must consider the cost.
RV: What concrete steps do you think can be taken to encourage younger people to use Indigenous languages in the digital space?
TK: I think all generations are fairly accepting of Line, Douyin, and Facebook live streams now, whether they are from the young, middle-aged, or older generation. Some elders already use these to periodically or occasionally share their experiences from the communities and/or their knowledge of the languages and cultures. I am really grateful for them to be doing this.
Whenever I have time, I also make short videos teaching indigenous expressions, and have them uploaded to online communities for Indigenous language instructors, in the hope of encouraging further interest. When I have even more time, I’ll upload open-source materials for the instructors to download and use.
In the meantime, learning materials, games, music, and videos existing in the digital space can also help with exposure, providing Indigenous youths of the digital age more opportunities to get in touch with their languages and to experience that speaking and hearing Indigenous languages is completely normal. For Indigenous people who had long been deprived of their voices, this would be a huge change in the mindset.