FOSTERLANG: New EU project to boost Europe’s endangered and minoritised languages
Led by the University of Warsaw, FOSTERLANG aims to shift how Europe recognises and strengthens the cultural and social value of speakers of minoritised and migrant languages, helping both communities and the broader society thrive.
“This collaboration is about turning the tide for threatened languages in Europe,” said Prof. Justyna Olko, project coordinator. “We’re empowering communities and showcasing their crucial role in Europe’s cultural and societal wellbeing.”
Research and real-world solutions
The project combines cutting-edge research in linguistics, education, anthropology, and digital innovation with real-world solutions co-created by language communities. One major goal is the Linguistic Capital Road Map, offering concrete strategies for protecting and promoting linguistic diversity across Europe.
Technology will also play a key role. Paul Trilsbeek (Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics) noted: “We’re trying to push the boundaries of speech recognition for minoritised languages - many of which have been left behind due to limited availability of training data. With recent breakthroughs in multilingual AI-based speech recognition models, usable tools can be built using much less data. Fine-tuning these models with accurately transcribed spontaneous speech should bring further improvements. In August, our new postdoc will join the team to take on this challenge.”
More information & media
Follow FOSTERLANG online and get involved:
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