Facebook to be translated into Jersey’s native language
Jèrriais is the traditional language spoken on the Channel Island of Jersey, a crown dependency located off the French coast of Normandy. A variety of the ancient Norman language, Jèrriais has been the dominant language of Jersey, but the past century has seen a steady decline in its use. The two official languages of Jersey are English and French.
As an endangered language, Jèrriais has an interesting history. During World War II, the language was crucial to people who lived in Jersey during the German occupation, as they could say things they didn’t want the occupiers to understand. The language today is an important part of Jersey's heritage.
Enter Facebook. A recent BBC news article reports that Tony Scott Warren from the Jèrriais Office is working on the translation of the popular social media site into Jersey’s native language, which is spoken by 2,674 people (according to a 2001 census).
“I want us to have a Jèrriais presence on Facebook as it is the one bit of social media we are not exploiting,” said Warren.
"I thought it would be good if we could not only have a Jèrriais section and a Jèrriais group on Facebook but also have the capability to look at it in our own language.”
"To be able to look at it and use it on screen and have everything to do with being on Facebook in Jèrriais."
This is an interesting example of how 21st century social media technology is helping to keep an obscure language with ancient roots alive.
Alex Dupont
See Also
- More about translation
At Language Translation, Inc., we employ a 3-step process to ensure that your documents are rendered seamlessly and accurately into the languages of your choice, preserving every bit of their original meaning and nuance. - Jersey native language translation for Facebook (BBC News)
The world's largest social networking site could soon be translated into Jersey's native language Jèrriais.