By PR | 08:13 PM October 26, 2023
Boholano educators convened in a workshop to translate children’s books into Binisayang Binol-anon.
The “workshop on ASEAN Stories Translation to Binisayang Binol-anon” was a two-day activity held on Oct. 25-26 at the Provincial Capitol Building.
Teachers, supervisors, and principals under the Department of Education (DepEd)- Bohol division gathered to learn about localizing stories through proper language translation.
This event, according to the Asia Foundation, aims to further its advocacy for making storybooks accessible to local Filipino communities by adapting their native languages in telling stories.
The stories translated by the participants will be available at LetsReadAsia.Org, a digital children’s book website, and a special project of the non-profit organization.
Let’s Read Asia gives out free, ready-to-download books from authors, local translators, language experts, and illustrators all over Southeast Asia.
Currently, the website contains storybooks available in 12 local Filipino languages, with Binisayang Bol-anon to be added soon,
The website aims to raise more awareness of local Southeast Asian languages and the need to preserve them as the region becomes more globalized, with foreign influences and posing threats to local culture.
“Ang Pilipinas ay isa sa mga bansa sa region na maraming local languages, with over 180, and a lot of them are dying,” the Asia Foundation- Books for Asia Program Officer Reynald Ocampo said.
The program officer added that he hopes to raise efforts in helping children appreciate the importance of local languages through the use of children’s books.
Ocampo said their non-profit observed a lack of children’s literature written in Binisayang Bol-anon, which led them to conceptualize the workshop with the provincial government through the Bohol provincial library and information center, a long-time beneficiary of their literacy-related projects and programs.
The participants’ output in the workshop will be published on the website after undergoing a quality assurance process from editors of the non-profit organization.
Other collaborators included DepEd- Bohol division, the Center for Culture and Arts Development, the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage Council, and the Bohol Information and Communication Technology Office.
During the program’s opening rites, Vice Gov. Dionisio Victor Balite, with DepEd- Bohol division superintendent Evangel Luminarias and board member Lucille Lagunay, attended and gave their messages of support for the workshop.
Lagunay, SP chair of the committee on education, this event will lead to more Boholano children developing an understanding of cultures outside their communities.
“The richness of ASEAN stories is a treasure trove of knowledge and diversity. Translating these stories into Binisayang Bol-anon provides Boholano children with windows into the cultures, histories, and traditions of our fellow Southeast Asian neighbors,” Lagunay said.
The board member added that children will grow an appreciation for diversity and become more culturally sensitive towards other countries in the SEA Region.
“This, in turn, deepens our connections and fosters a sense of unity in our region,” Lagunay added in her message of support. (PIMO/GMC)
