Quality of Bangla content needs to be ensured Mustafa Jabbar
Dhaka, February 20, 2022: The quality of Bengali content should be assured in order to facilitate the usage of Bengali in technology, said Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar.
Mostafa Jabbar said this while addressing a discussion as a chief guest titled ‘Use of Bangla in Technology’, organized by mobile phone operator Robi in the capital on Saturday.
“Language is like a flowing river,” he added. Despite occasional linguistic abuse, we must ensure the technological advancement of language for the next generation.
“In the meantime, a total of 16 tools for research and development of information technology in Bengali language enrichment programs are being developed,” he added.
“We need to keep in mind that Bangladesh is the capital of Bengali Language. We have to work together to take the language forward” he added.
In this context, Mustafa Jabbar thanked Robi for taking the unique initiative.
The keynote address was presented by Director General of Systems and Services Division of BTRC, Brigadier General Nasim Parvez, NDC, AFWC, PSC “The incorporation of Bengali language in technology has enabled us to dream of a digital Bangladesh," he said in the original piece.
“Bengali is the seventh most populous language in the world, although it is not even ranked among the top 40 languages used on the internet. As a result, to reach out to people at all levels over the internet use of Bangla language needs to be increased,” he added.
He explained “Bangladesh’s economic progress has accelerated as a result of the availability of mobile financial services. Because of the increased usage of technology in Bengali, the digital divide will be bridged, and everyone will be able to progress within the country.”
Bijoy Digital’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jasmine Jui said, “We must work from that point of realization to further advance Bengali's application in technology. We use technology to introduce textbook lessons to children up to fifth grade through Bijoy Digital.,”
“We need to maintain Bengali terminology based on Bengali on the Internet,” stated Telecom Reporters Network Bangladesh President Rashed Mehedi (TRNB). Literature-based on technology can help improve the use of that language in technology.
He also intended to fasten the implementation of the government's intention to build 16 instruments to strengthen the Bangla language in the field of information technology.
Muhammad Khan, founder and editor of techshohor.com, said “Satisfaction over the use of Bengali language in technology is not more than 50 percent. In order to make progress in this area, more government actions are needed. Furthermore, steps should be taken to enable expatriates to communicate with the government of the host country in Bengali. There are examples in other languages as well.” Shihab Ahmed, Chief Commercial Officer of Robi Axiata Limited, stated, “We must move away from our reliance on entertainment-based content to practical aspect contents. Even though handsets are manufactured in Bangladesh, the cost is still on the higher side. Finally, we must ensure contents available through Bengali language search.”
“National Call Center 333 was started with Robi's finance and technical assistance,” stated Shahed Alam, Robi's Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer. The national information window was built with the help of Robi's IT officials. Robi-Ten Minute School has had a lot of success so far. In the near future, we will collaborate on another project to provide technical education in Bengal. We shall keep working to make Bengali more accessible through technology.”
“Bengali should be employed in technology in such a way that people can simply comprehend and apply it,” stated Robi's acting CEO Riaz Rashid in his closing remarks.