SADiLaR launches a new website and data repository

SADiLaR is excited to announce the launch of our website, which sets the foundation for us in our expanding role as African leader in the digital humanities (DH) and natural language processing (NLP) domains.

The website offers users an overview of the various activities at SADiLaR, including our vision and mission, our strategic goals, as well as various activities and opportunities at SADiLaR. Users will be able to easily navigate the comprehensive overview of activities at SADiLaR and retrieve the information they need. The website also includes digitisation and resource procedures that provide guidance on the process of digitisation or obtaining and submitting resources. These features form an integral part of the website, since it offers the opportunity for collaboration between various parties to contribute to the collection and distribution of various language resources.

As part of SADiLaR’s expanding role, the new site has also integrated the activities of the Language Resource Management Agency (RMA). Both the existing resource index and catalogue are available from SADiLaR as part of an institutional repository, from which all available SADiLaR resources are distributed. The SADiLaR site also provides access to various online linguistic research technologies, and it is foreseen that both the repository and technology sections will be extensively updated over the course of the coming year.

Another feature of the website is updates on latest news and events that are happening in the DH and NLP environment in South Africa as well as globally. The SADiLaR newsletter will be published online and visitors can subscribe to receive the newsletter via the website. Users will also be able to get updates on training workshops and request workshops by completing an online form.

“Our hope is that the website will spark national and international collaboration between researchers, academics, scholars and the general public and help us build forward towards a multilingual continent,” says Prof Attie de Lange, SADiLaR’s director.

During the transition phase with the new website, the existing RMA website will still be available as an alternative for accessing the available resources from SADiLaR. Please feel free to report any issues or provide suggestions for improving the website via email at: info@sadilar.org.