Translating to Educate: Why We Must Free Our National Languages from the Burden of the "Symbol"
Translating to Educate: Why We Must Free Our National Languages from the Burden of the "Symbol"
January 24
marks International Education Day. This year, the theme
"Translating to Educate" resonates with particular force in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. At TradExpert Team, we believe that access
to knowledge should no longer be a denial of self, but a celebration of our
identity.
The
Trauma of the "Symbol": A Barrier to Intelligence
For
decades, in many schools across the DRC, speaking one’s mother tongue was
considered a serious offense. Many remember with bitterness the "symbol"
— a chicken or cow bone worn around the neck to humiliate students who dared to
express themselves in Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo, or Tshiluba.
This
practice anchored a destructive myth: that to be "better educated,"
one must banish their linguistic roots. This belief has even spread to
families, where some parents forbid national languages at home for fear of
social downgrading.
Eloge
Mulumba’s Advocacy: Intelligence Claims Itself in One’s Native Tongue
For Eloge
Mulumba, sworn translator and General Manager of TradExpert Team, national
languages are not an obstacle to knowledge, but its greatest wealth. His vision
was forged by a defining field experience:
"I
worked as a translator for OXFAM on a film project. My mission was to translate
interview notebooks from 'raw' Lingala — spoken by people for whom it was their
only language — into French. While working on these texts, I had to preserve
every nuance, every emotion, and all the sensitivity of the original message.
That’s when it clicked: intelligence can perfectly claim itself in one’s mother
tongue. It does not need French to exist."
National
Languages: Our Leverage Against Artificial Intelligence
In an era
where Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to threaten linguistic professions,
Eloge Mulumba remains convinced that our African languages are our best asset.
AI can align words, but it lacks the cultural sensitivity and the understanding
of the fine nuances of our "raw Lingala" or our "local
Swahili."
For
TradExpert Team, promoting these languages is a militant act for education.
By translating knowledge into the languages that people speak and deeply
understand, we activate a unique lever for development.
Our
Commitment to Education Without Complexes
Access to
knowledge is a human right. To make it a reality in the DRC, we must:
- Stop stigmatizing our mother tongues in school
and family environments.
- Invest in the quality translation of
educational, technical, and scientific content.
- Recognize excellence where it truly lies: in the
mind of the learner, regardless of their language.
The era of
the "symbol" is over. On this International Education Day, TradExpert
Team commits to making linguistic diversity the engine of a more educated,
prouder, and more sovereign nation.
