We Provide:
- Oral and Written Language Solutions
- Language and Cultural Research
- Translations
- Cultural Documentations
Mission Statement:
To value the people of Pakistan by providing a pathway for their languages and cultures to be known, heard, and accepted by the world at large.
About Us:
Language and Culture Center is an Association of Partners founded by Saeed Zubair and Syed Wazir Hussain Shah in 2020. We conduct research in languages, develop alphabets for unwritten languages, and create literacy materials such as pre-primers, primers, reading books, etc. in different languages. We also build dictionaries as well as provide translations from one language to another. We provide consultancy services in linguistics, literacy and translation work.
Our Products:
Alphabets
With the majority of languages in Pakistan being oral, there is ample opportunity and need to see these languages documented and transformed into a written form. At LCC our goal is to make literacy and translation accessible in these marginalized languages. The foundational step to make this possible is to provide language communities with a linguistically accurate, locally acceptable, and sustainable orthography or writing system that mother-tongue speakers want to use. These orthographies, better known as alphabets, are the first step to empower communities to embrace their languages and develop materials, such as dictionaries, translations of high moral value, literature and other written communications not just for each other, but for their children and future generations.
Upcoming Alphabet Projects:
Sansi Alphabet
In Pakistan, there are about 60,000 speakers of the Sansi language. These people are from the 'peasant' caste of Hinduism. While many are devout Hindu, their communities face oppression and discrimination from both their Muslim and fellow Hindu neighbors. Historically, the Sansi people were nomadic, seasonal laborers, but they have settled into urban centers scattered around Sindh. They are now well known for their work as shoemakers or leather workers, but their people remain disadvantaged and lacking opportunities for education. Less than two percent of the Sansi people are literate in the national or regional language, and the Sansi language itself does not have an alphabet.
Developing a Sansi alphabet is a foundational piece for seeing change in the Sansi people's situation. With an alphabet, the Sansi can develop literacy materials, record and preserve their cultural history and folktales, increase literacy and engagement, as well as stabilize and pass on their language to the next generation. An alphabet in their language would also provide the gateway for developing and recording oral stories in Sansi, as well as open the door for written translations of high moral value, educational materials, and other important information that will benefit the Sansi people's lives.
Dictionaries
Following alphabet development it is highly recommended that a dictionary be developed for each language. This can work together with other reading materials, oral stories and with translation work, but this further establishes the cultural terms, definitions, worldview and perspective that each language and language speaker holds.
Literacy Materials
Creating literacy materials alongside the dictionary work is an important follow up to alphabet development. This process not only includes materials that help mother-tongue speakers learn to read their respective languages, but it also documents cultural heritage, customs, beliefs and knowledge that may be lost otherwise.
Oral Stories
These oral societies of Pakistan have a rich tradition of passing stories, beliefs, and values down to the next generation through their oral stories and folktales. At LCC we want to capture these rich cultural gems as well as find ways to communicate with communities in a way they value and understand. In this way, we craft beautiful stories that are natural, repeatable and accessible to speakers. The stories we like to share are of high moral value, stories of wisdom, and stories of hope.
Consultants
Providing consultants to assist other projects and ensure their work is done with excellence and expertise is an important part of the Language and Culture Center. We have trained consultants in linguistics, literacy development and translation.
Ways to get involved:
There are multiple ways to get involved, and we would love to connect with you personally. Please email us at language.culture.center.pk@gmail.com.
If you're interested in purchasing one of our services for a language group close to your heart, please connect! Email: language.culture.center.pk@gmail.com (Whatsapp)