Dictionary Development Project

    ARDS has worked - largely unfunded for many years and recently with assistance from ATSIC (now ICC) to develop dictionaries that comprehensively document the wide range of words and concepts from the Yolngu group of languages, and provide translation of English terms to Yolngu Matha (the language of the Yolngu people). The ARDS translation team includes ARDS educators and contracted Yolngu language workers.

    If we are to address the critical issues of deteriorating health and failing education for Yolngu people in Arnhem Land, then we need to be serious about the requirement to engage in effective communication. English – Yolngu Matha dictionaries are a necessary communication tool that will enable Yolngu people to access basic information about contemporary Australian society.

    Such resources will also provide Yolngu people with the educational opportunity to self-learn, which is the right of every Australian. Providing thes basic self-learning tools is a major step towards empowering Yolngu people to confidently live and communicate in today’s world.

    ARDS is currently focused on developing terms and phrases around the issues of health and law. With the aid of a sophisticated linguistic data management software program (Shoebox), we have already mapped out the framework for the construction of these dictionaries in each subject area.

    Legal
    Magistrate’s Court – Database

    ARDS is developing a database that will include up to 500 key legal terms with accompanying examples of words\concepts used in context.

    The translation team will work together to carry out the following steps in developing the database:

    1. Classification and grouping of each particular word into general legal categories.

    2. Obtain relevant examples for key terms from Magistrate’s Court proceeding transcripts.

    3. Translate sentence examples.

    4. Construct ‘Yolngu-friendly’ front-translation definitions ready for translation into Yolngu Matha.

    5. Testing and checking of these terms for their technical accuracy.

    Health
    Comprehensive Database

    ARDS is working to develop a comprehensive database that will include common anatomical terms, diseases, health disorders and conditions, nutrition, and basic physiological and psychological functioning of the body. A database of approximately 3,500 key terms is envisaged with accompanying examples of these words\concepts used in context.

    In developing this comprehensive database, we will create a number of sub-dictionaries that focus on particular health issues such as digestion, circulatory system, nutrition, anatomy, and common diseases.

    This project contains a number of inter-related tasks:

    1. Compiling a bank of scanned images that can be viewed with a particular word, thus providing a visual stimulus.

    2. Classification and grouping of each particular word into general health areas such as those outlined above.

    3. Construction of user-friendly definitions in English, suitable for use as ‘front-translations’. This will greatly assist translators to construct accurate ‘dictionary-style’ definitions to describe hundreds of contemporary health terms, processes and procedures that were previously not able to be understood.

    4. Locate, discover and construct Yolngu terms and phrases that equate to and\or adequately explain the particular key word. This involves searching existing linguistic resource materials and conducting numerous workshops and discussions with Yolngu language workers to identify and\or construct appropriate terminology.

    5. Testing and checking of these terms for their technical accuracy and cultural appropriateness across the various linguistic groupings contained within north-east Arnhem Land.

    6. The translation of English front-translation definitions utilising the approved Yolngu terms or approximate expressions to accurately convey the range of health-specific meanings contained.

    So, how can you help?

    By making a donation to the ARDS Dictionary Development Project, you will become a positive contributor to the overall well-being and future development of the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land.

    You will also become a partner in the retention of the rich cultural and language resource that exists and is part of our heritage as Australians.

    All gifts to ARDS over $2 are tax deductible. A receipt can be provided upon request.

    To make a donation, send us an email

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