Language Technologies as If People Mattered: Centering Communities in Language Technology Development

Nina Markl, Lauren Hall-Lew, Catherine Lai

Abstract: In this position paper we argue that researchers interested in language and/or language technologies should attend to challenges of linguistic and algorithmic injustice together with language communities. We put forward that this can be done by drawing together diverse scholarly and experiential insights, building strong interdisciplinary teams, and paying close attention to the wider social, cultural and historical contexts of both language communities and the technologies we aim to develop.