Event:

Language Technology Consultant Training course.  This will be an Anglo-Lusophone Africa training event .

Purpose:

To develop a base of competent language technology consultants and specialists to resource Bible translation and language development in Africa, by teaching relatively new tools and methods for performing common language software support tasks and by presenting specific problems that occur frequently and discussing their solutions from the combined experience of the group.  The participant will gain tools and skills that will make them more effective as a language technology consultant or specialist.

Dates:

11-20 March 2019

Location:

Ruiru, Kenya

Cost:

The organizational unit (OU) for the participant is responsible for all the costs associated with the course for their participant.  This includes airfare, visas, taxis and room and board.    There will not be a course fee this year.

Impact

Below are some testimonies from participants who have attended LTCT last year.

The Impact  of the Language Technology Consultant Training (LTCT) by James Madaki from Nigeria (one of the participants)

I first attended the Language Technology Consultant Training otherwise known as LTCT in 2015. And since then, I have attended four annual training workshops organized by Africa Area.

This training workshop has been so beneficial in so many ways to me as an individual and my entity as a whole.

Ever since I started attending the LTCT program I have not remained the same. This workshop has afforded me a wide range of language software technological growth in the area of Paratext, Bloom, Language Explorer (Flex), Scripture App Builder, among  others. It has improved and  equipped my understanding on how best to plan and execute an effective training workshop down at my entity.

This workshop has further exposed us participants to newer versions of language software and its effective use and application…

The Impact  of the Language Technology Consultant Training (LTCT) by Musie Erbona from Ethiopia (one of the participants)

As a language technology support person, I know that without this training I would not be able to do my work with the multilingual education project workers. I now realized that it is not an optional training that is there for those who need it, but it should be considered compulsory training everyone has to take at least once a year to become a successful language technology supporter equipped with all the needed skills and tools…

Language of Instruction:

English

Participants:

Each SIL/WMO organizational unit (OU) in Anglo-Lusophone Africa is invited to send at least one participant to the workshop.  Each entity can send as many applications as necessary. The participant should be someone who is available to your entity to provide language technology support at least 33% of their time to translation and language projects.  The participant should be in a position to use their newly acquired skills immediately upon their return from the course.

The participant should be the kind of person that translators and linguists naturally gravitate to when they are looking for help with the computer.

If you sent a person to the Language Technology Consultant Training course in 2018, I encourage you to send the same person to this event, so that his skills can be developed and updated.  There are only 14 slots available  Repeat participants will be given priority.

The participant should already have at least a basic understanding in the following area

• Working knowledge of the Windows operating system

• Working knowledge of fonts

• Working knowledge of a word processor

• Working knowledge of an e-mail system.

• Working knowledge of internet

• Familiarity with standard format markers (SFM)

• Familiarity with some of the current language software programs.

• Familiarity with some of the tasks that translators/linguists do.

The participant will be put on a growth plan for becoming a language technology consultant or specialist for your entity, if he/she is not already on one.

Equipment:

The participant will need to bring his/her own notebook computer to use at the workshop.  The notebook computer must be running Windows 10.  It must be at least an Intel i3 processor running at 2.1 GHz or higher, or an Intel Core Duo processor running at 1.66 GHz or higher.  It must have at least 4GB of RAM.  It must contain a HDD of 200 GB or higher.  It must have at least two USB ports.  The participant will also need to bring an Android device1 2  (smartphone or tablet) with him/her.  The Android device will need to be able to talk to your PC.