Tanzania

  • We celebrate our life and culture.

    Tanzanians speak more than 120 languages, which are "a great treasure of our history, customs, beliefs, technology, and culture." Today, many of Tanzania's languages remain unwritten, so their communities are unable to read them. We focus resources to help change that.

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    image: Women play traditional instruments during launch of Burunge New Testament. (photo: Ben Savaiko)

  • We work best in partnership.

    SIL works together with many organisations, connecting local language communities with experts and resources worldwide. Together we help people create clear, natural, and accurate language resources they can embrace and celebrate with a powerful sense of ownership.

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    image: Community leaders form Advisory Committee to local language programmes. (photo: Erick Bhuto)

  • We can all get involved.

    Each language community has unique knowledge which informs our expertise. SIL has trained many Tanzanians in linguistics, literacy, programme management, and other fields. Many others have joined local reading groups, writing workshops, advisory committees and more.

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    image: Bungu speakers celebrate completion of the language community's first literacy workshop. (photo: Stephen Katterhenrich)

SIL serves many language communities across Tanzania, working with them to build capacity for sustainable language development through research, consultation, training, translation, media creation and more.

 

Burunge celebration

Language Development

Language development identifies, equips, and engages in ongoing planned actions to ensure that a language continues to serve the community's many changing needs and goals.

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Tanzanian Drummer being recorded

Media and Resources

Each community creates unique language resources in a variety of media. Working alongside them, SIL adds to (and shares) its growing archive of knowledge and understanding.

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About SIL International

Founded in 1934, and active in Tanzania since 1989, SIL International is a global leader among academic and professional organisations which offer language development services.

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