ELIA Welcomes New Board Members
On June 23, the European Language Industry Association (ELIA) announced its new board for the 2021-2023 term. Diego Cresceri and Geert Vanderhaeghe will remain on the board for a second term, while Indrė Lelevičienė (of Lithuania’s Baltijos Vertimai) and Lucia Tiago-Stankovic (of Portugal-based LinguaeMundi). The two outgoing members of the board are Clio Schils and Susana Peixoto.
Activist Investor Bill Ackman Uses KUDO’s Platform
Bill Ackman, the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Pershing Square Capital Management recently used KUDO’s multilingual conference platform to announce Pershing Square Tontine Holdings’ $4 billion acquisition of 10% of the ordinary shares of Universal Music Group. Ackman’s presentation was able to be hosted in 11 different languages, thanks to KUDO’s remote interpreting services.
Simon Fraser University Honors Indigenous Language Speakers
In partnership with the Yukon Native Language Center and the Council of Yukon First Nations, Simon Fraser University’s Indigenous Languages Program has recently honored eight graduates of the language proficiency certificate and 13 fluent speakers of Yukon First Nations languages. The move shows strong support for the development and revitalization of First Nations languages like Southern Tutchone and Hän in the province of British Columbia, where the university is based.
Tulu Speakers Demand Official Status in India
A recent social media campaign demanding for official language status for Tulu in India has gained some traction throughout the country as the hashtag #EducationinTulu trended on Twitter. Tulu is a language spoken by 1.8 million people in Karnataka, India and has historically been misrepresented in the country — in an effort to preserve the vulnerable language and the identity of its speakers, about 400,000 posts were made on social media to encourage the Indian government to recognize the language officially alongside the other 22 languages with official status in the country.
