Show threadpetersuber3d ago

Update. #AI tools are mostly trained on #English language literature and reflect the cultural assumptions of that literature. When they deliver their results in another language, the translation masks the "epistemological persistence" of those assumptions.

Primary source:
https://www.academia.edu/150614492/Epistemological_Persistence_in_Multilingual_AI_The_Illusion_of_Locality_in_Large_Language_Models

Lay summary:
https://theconversation.com/ais-fluency-in-other-languages-hides-a-western-worldview-that-can-mislead-users-a-scholar-of-indonesian-society-explains-276865

#Multilingualism #MultilingualResearch

Epistemological Persistence in Multilingual AI: The Illusion of Locality in Large Language Models

Large language models (LLMs) increasingly present themselves as multilingual and culturally responsive systems, creating the appearance of local understanding across linguistic contexts. This article argues that such linguistic fluency masks a deeper

BellingenNSW6d ago

Canada is an officially bilingual nation - CEO competencies

"Air Canada has announced that its CEO Michael Rousseau will retire this year, following widespread criticism over his English-only condolence video addressing a crash that killed two of the airline's pilots this month. "

""It is essential that the next CEO of Air Canada is bilingual,” Mr Carney said."

"...When Mr Rousseau was appointed president of the airline in February 2021, he promised to learn French. In the video, posted on Air Canada's social media accounts with French subtitles, Mr Rousseau shares details of the accident, speaking only two words in French: "bonjour" and "merci". >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-31/air-canada-ceo-retirement-english-only-condolence-video/106515210

#monolingualism #CEOs #CEOCompetencies #Anglosphere #Anglophones #communication #accountability #multilingualism #language

Air Canada CEO to retire after English-only crash message draws criticism

Michael Rousseau sparked controversy for addressing a deadly crash in an English-only video with French subtitles. 

European Food Safety AuthorityMar 27
🌍 Food safety speaks many languages. On the International Day of #Multilingualism, we celebrate the role of language in making food safety information accessible, inclusive and meaningful across Europe. Discover how we work across the languages of the EU: 👉 efsa.europa.eu/en #EUFoodSafety
MediaFaro MagazineMar 25

French literacy in Luxembourg: a threat to German?

French literacy in Luxembourg is causing debate. Is the country’s multilingualism at risk?

How German and Luxembourgish are holding their own.

https://mediafaro.org/article/20260325-french-literacy-in-luxembourg-a-threat-to-german?mf_channel=mastodon&action=forward

#Luxembourg #Language #Multilingualism #German #Luxembourgish #French

French literacy in Luxembourg: a threat to German?

French literacy in Luxembourg is causing debate. Is the country’s multilingualism at risk? How German and Luxembourgish are holding their own.

Luxembourg Times
CarolleisaMar 14

#Beijing must reconsider.
Cog science n sociolinguistics has shown #multilingualism bolstered by edu n civil rights provides significant advantages in problem-solving, social perspective, n innovation which made the U.S. top on the world stage, which Trump/MAGA billionaire era has degraded putting national security at state.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6271gxpdkzo?fbclid=IwZnRzaAQieB5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeLTTR6tIA4EOUfVDsOoETGVsPIrNMicnkk03ct5nLSvqGKUPtrkW5TliVXRA_aem_slxyuzqkNGMZc95YpdCLyA

Why is China set to approve a new law promoting 'ethnic unity'?

A law that could threaten the rights of minority groups is a sign of the direction Xi is taking China.

Show threadAnnika Rockenberger (she/they)Mar 4
The article will be in German and will give me an opportunity to get used to writing academic texts in my native tongue again. It's been a while, and I'm both excited and a bit scared. The last texts I wrote in German are shorter texts for a non-academic audience, and it was surprisingly hard to find the right… sound. #multilingualism #academicwriting
Benjamin GeerMar 4

“Senegal’s bilingual education reforms challenge the dominance of French—but foreign aid dependence and internal linguistic politics complicate the path to decolonizing the classroom.”

https://africasacountry.com/2026/03/whose-language-is-the-nations/

#multilingualism #Senegal

Whose language is the nation’s?

Senegal’s bilingual education reforms challenge the dominance of French—but foreign aid dependence and internal linguistic politics complicate the path to decolonizing the classroom.

Show threadDavid MegginsonFeb 14

@mpjgregoire Yes, multilingualism is fascinating.

I had a francophone university friend who did his medical degree at U of T then went to practice in Quebec. He realized he didn't know many of the technical medical terms in French, and had to keep asking the nurses what the words were. 🙂

I imagine the same would apply, for example, to a francophone who did their computer science degree at an anglophone university like U Waterloo: they'd know all the English technical terms in computing, but not necessarily the French ones.

#language #multilingualism

silmeth 🇺🇦Feb 11

An interesting (though not very surprising IMO) read about #Anglophone #Linguistics and English bias: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17447143.2015.1102921

> Asking a linguist how many languages they speak is like asking a doctor how many diseases they have.

Chomsky managed to avoid learning “the ebola of linguistics” after all.

#Multilingualism #AngloCentrism

Show threadpetersuberFeb 2

Update. "Beginning February 11, 2026, #arXiv will require that all submissions have a full English-language version, either as the original language or as an included translation."
https://blog.arxiv.org/2025/11/21/upcoming-policy-change-to-non-english-language-paper-submissions/

Coverage of the new policy in Nature.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00229-0

#Multilingualism #MultilingualResearch #ScholComm

Attention authors: Upcoming policy change to non-English language paper submissions – arXiv blog