Every day, the digital world finds its way deeper into our homes. We ask virtual assistants for the weather, tell our phones to play a song, or get directions from our satnavs. But what language do we have to speak? It’s always English.
This constant need to switch to English to interact with technology, even in our own kitchens, is a silent threat to the Scots language. Voice-activated machines like Alexa are designed for English speakers, and by forcing us to use it, they push Scots further to the margins. If we don’t act now, we risk a future where the next generation interacts with the world around them exclusively in another tongue.
We’re Building the Solution, Not Just Complaining
Here at oorNews, we’re determined to give Scots its rightful place in the digital age. Our mission isn’t just to report the news in Scots; it’s to build the very tools that will let us speak our language to any machine we want.
Every Scots article you read on oorNews is created by humans. We are carefully crafting a massive database of text and, soon, voice recordings. This will serve as the essential training data for a true Scots AI – one that can understand the rich diversity of our dialects and speak back to us authentically.
To help us along, we use a preliminary AI model that we’ve fine-tuned to our style. It helps save time with initial translations, but it’s far from perfect. This is where you come in.
Join the Community: Your Voice Matters
We invite all our readers to comment on the Scots translations you see on the site. Is the grammar right? Is there a better word we could use? Does it sound natural? Your feedback is vital as we work together to build a community consensus on what makes for good, sensible Scots in formal prose.
A huge thank you to our regular readers who are already sharing their thoughts – your input is invaluable.
The goal is simple: every article on oorNews should be something you would be happy to read out loud to your friends and family. It needs to flow, to sound like us. Together, we are building a standard for natural, written Scots that can be used for generations to come.
A Call For Collaborators: We Need Your Voice!
To make this dream a reality, we need to get more people involved. We are actively looking for collaborators to help us write, edit, and record articles. We are especially keen to hear from:
- Central Belt Scots speakers
- Orcadian Scots speakers
- Shetlandic Scots speakers
If you believe in a digital future where Scots can thrive and want to lend your voice to the cause, please get in touch with us at: [email protected]
Let’s work together to ensure that when we speak to the future, it understands us in our own beautiful language.