Who We Are
We are volunteers who want to take our culture and tribes to the next level by providing resources that can spread, showcase and distribute our culture, history, and beliefs to the world over the internet.
WHY BENUE PRIDE
A year ago, we started working on getting our Tiv Language on popular translation websites like Google Translate.
As you may know, we have popular cultures in Benue state and are among the top 10 cultures in Nigeria, but due to the lack of our Languages on the internet, we don’t have proper dictionaries to allow our growing generations to know about their language, sadly not all schools are even teaching them this.
And the world is rapidly moving into the information age where everything is online.
Yet we are lacking this important aspect.
As programmers, we figured this out and started working on creating a Tiv to English Translator and also trying to have Google add our language to their translation website and App called Google Translate.
It’s worth mentioning that both Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa are already on Google translate, this is not surprising though because there are the 3 main languages in the country.
But as a state that includes Tiv, a tribe that was once ranked fourth just behind the 3 majors and also a tribe with a lot of intelligent youths and a lot of tech savvies. we deserve to have our languages on the internet, a place where our young generation can seek to know their real languages and also tell the world there is also another tribe in Nigeria, not just the well-known 3.
Creating a translator is the first step toward promoting our culture on the internet.
It can help promote our cultures and tribes, it can also help spread our language and even videos all over the world.
We have youths who are into comedy and are using platforms like YouTube, if there is a way for them to translate their language automatically to English, they will not be limited to only showing their comedy to Benue people but to the whole world using auto-generated Subtitles from Google Translate.
That is why we started Benue Pride, what we have found out along the way is that we do not have enough written articles in our language.
After contacting Google translate representatives, they complained there are not enough written articles in our languages where they can source words and meanings.
For some who are more advanced in technology, the process to create a translator is done using Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and/or Neural networks. before we have our language translator, the AI needs enough written notes in Tiv that are translated to English so that it can pair to form translations.
There is no quick fix because this requires a large number of translations.
After discussing with language experts, we found out this will require millions of words.
That means we need a lot of translated articles from English to Tiv or Tiv to English and the same with Idoma.
However, if we had started this 5 years ago, we would have already translated thousands of words if not the millions that are needed.
That is why we create this open-source website where anyone with Tiv or Idoma knowledge can come and contribute.
You can pick any article on the internet and translate it to Tiv Language or Idoma or use any Tiv/Idoma article or Book and translate it to English.
Both the English and Tiv/Idoma translations will be available and linked together on the site for both Tiv/Idoma and English readers.
This will not only help in building a translator but also put our language on the internet.
You as individual contributors are going to get full credit for your work, you will also be challenging yourself by writing your native Language.
We are also planning to bring incentives that will assist the contributors with things like Airtime and Data.
In circumstances where you translate someone else’s book or article, you can give them credits in the original document.
That is if it’s an English story you pick, give credit to the person that writes in English, and then you take full credit for the translated article, the same with the Tiv or Idoma to English.
This is not a 100-meter race but rather a marathon. It will be our legacy to our younger generation.
If our government or educational system lends a hand to assist to speed this up in the future, you as the contributors will be honored for having put your time into promoting our culture.
Also even without their help, you will be honored for your work. We will be enlisting anyone who is a contributor in our credits and attribution sections.
Other sectors we will be promoting our culture with include native music, movies, and comedy in addition to the articles which are our main focus, the articles may be about news, history, and just about anything else.
These are the following people that we need to join the open-source project:
Writers
Editors
Web developers
Web designers
AI Developers
Language Experts
Graphic designers
Video creators
If you have any of the skills above and want to join us, use the button below.
If you want to support us in any way, you can reach [email protected] or DM.
Also even if you don’t have any of the above skills, you can share this with other Tiv people you know, that will be a great contribution.
Remember this is voluntary work that anyone can join. There is no direct payment for now apart from the incentives. But a good heart always gets its reward.
Let’s make our culture proud, let’s help our future generations.