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How can technology support endangered languages and signed languages?

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Thematic map of Europe displaying the distribution of Germanic languages, with different colors indicating regions where English, German, Netherlandic (Dutch), Frisian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese are spoken. Striped areas mark regions where bilingualism is common, and language regions cover countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and parts of surrounding countries. — Dialect Distribution of the Germanic languages in Europe.

Technology plays a vital role in supporting both endangered languages and signed languages by providing new avenues for documentation, access, and community engagement.

For endangered or "sleeping" languages, digital infrastructure empowers speakers to easily create, share, and promote content in their own languages, which helps in efforts to document, preserve, and revitalize these linguistic varieties. By enabling the production of digital materials, technology allows communities to maintain their cultural heritage despite the pressures of globalization and the dominance of major world languages.1

Regarding signed languages, digital infrastructure has been essential for increasing access to content. Technology facilitates the dissemination of information in formats that are accessible to the deaf community, ensuring that signed languages are better integrated into the broader digital landscape.1

While globalization and modern communication often favor dominant languages, these same technological advancements provide the tools necessary for linguistic diversity to persist. By transcending physical distance, digital platforms allow speakers of minority or signed languages to connect, share resources, and foster the continued use of their languages in the contemporary era.1