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In 1999, the United Nations designated 21 February as “International Mother Language Day.”
In foundational human rights instruments, human dignity is inseparable from cultural and linguistic identity. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that all human beings enjoy rights and freedoms without discrimination based on language (Article 2), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognizes the right of minorities to use and preserve their own language (Article 27). Language, therefore, is not merely a tool of communication; it is part of the right to be visible and to participate in society.
Since 2022, we have marked this day each year on the Roya website from different perspectives: cultural diversity, multilingual education, endangered languages, and shared human heritage. Yet the subject still holds unexplored dimensions. This year, in response to current social needs, we focus on three areas: youth voices in multilingual education, linguistic justice in public services, and the future of languages in the age of artificial intelligence.
Youth and Multilingual Education
This year’s United Nations slogan is “Youth voices on multilingual education.”
The issue is not simply whether a child knows their mother language, but whether the school allows them to think through it. When the language of instruction differs from the language of home, comprehension slows and confidence weakens. Students often memorize lessons without truly understanding them.
Multilingual education changes that path. Learners first grasp concepts in a familiar language and then transfer knowledge into others. This strengthens both learning quality and personal identity. Today, young people themselves speak about this reality — sharing experiences of migration, educational exclusion, and the basic right to understand.
Language and Access to Justice
Language is also a condition of justice. A person who does not understand the official language of public services may fill medical forms incorrectly, misunderstand contracts, or remain silent in court because they cannot express their account. In such cases injustice occurs even when no law is openly violated.
Real access to justice requires understandable healthcare, professional interpretation in legal processes, and public information available in the languages people actually use. Sometimes a single untranslated sentence can change a person’s legal destiny. Justice is not achieved only in written law; it is realized in the possibility of being understood.
The Future of Languages in the Age of AI
Technology now moves faster than policy. Many AI systems are trained primarily on a small number of dominant languages, leaving others underrepresented in digital data. As a result, local expressions and ways of seeing the world risk disappearing from the digital sphere.
When a language lacks digital presence, it gradually fades from everyday life as well. The question is no longer only about preserving heritage; it is about whose voices will exist in the digital future and whose will remain unheard.
A Shared Responsibility
Protecting mother languages is not the task of a single actor. Governments must provide multilingual education and accessible public services. Judicial and healthcare institutions must ensure professional interpretation. Media and digital platforms should actively include underrepresented languages. Families and civil society carry the responsibility of intergenerational transmission.
A mother language is not a simple cultural sentiment; it marks the boundary between participation and exclusion. For that reason, it deserves renewed attention each year from the perspective society most urgently needs.