FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Chuck McGonagle
603-262-6335
cmcgonagle@transparent.com

Leading Language-Learning Company Launches "7000 Languages Project"

Transparent Language offers world-class technology to preserve and promote under-resourced languages.

Nashua, N.H., June 3, 2013 - Transparent Language Inc., a leading provider of language-learning technology for the government, education, corporate, library, and consumer markets, announced the launch of the 7000 Languages Project, an expanded initiative to provide innovative technology to the proponents and practitioners of under-resourced languages, free of charge. According to Ethnologue, there are approximately 7,105 living languages in the world today. The goal of the 7000 Languages Project is to support "the other 7000 languages" often ignored by commercial interests, and promote a linguistically richer future through the availability of high-quality resources.

Launched in April 2013, this non-profit initiative expands upon Transparent Language's former Heritage and Endangered Languages Preservation Program (HELP Program), which operated from 2009 to 2013. During that time, Transparent Language partnered with BASAbali to develop the first multimedia course materials for the teaching of Balinese, a collaborative effort that helped inspire the new 7000 Languages Project. The Project partners with other expert organizations that can manage and assist specialized language teams in the creation of linguistic content. The National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL) became the first of such partners, known as a 7000 Language Project Facilitation Organization, as announced during the 2013 NCOLCTL Annual Conference in Chicago on April 26, 2013.

Partners, like NCOLCTL, will organize and support language teams, consisting of vetted language experts who can create reliable content in the world's "other" languages. Each Language Project Team will retain ownership of this content, while Transparent Language will retain ownership of the core technology that they donate for use in the project. Each of these owners will grant various rights to one another and to the 7000 Languages Project to allow the technology and content to be distributed for use by the public. As there is no "one size fits all" approach to languages, Transparent Language is prepared to support a wide range of linguistic content and services. Potential projects may range from basic survival vocabulary acquisition programs to highly-structured, LMS-tracked courses with a full suite of interactive learning activities, including alphabet lessons and social media integration.

"Transparent Language is committed to supporting all of the world's languages. We are proud to announce the founding of the 7000 Languages Project and, with the help of NCOLCTL and individual Language Project Teams, we hope to preserve the under-resourced languages that might otherwise be left behind," explains Michael Quinlan, CEO of Transparent Language, Inc.

For more information, please visit www.transparent.com/about/7000-languages-project.html.

About NCOLCTL

NCOLCTL's mission is to increase the number of Americans who choose to learn one or more of the less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) as a means of enhancing cross-cultural communication among citizens of the United States. NCOLCTL's work focuses on the less commonly taught languages which are becoming increasingly vital to the security, economic, social, and political welfare of the United States. NCOLCTL seeks to improve the teaching and learning of these languages and to make them more generally available. NCOLCTL is the national voice for organizations and individuals who represent the teaching of these less commonly taught languages at both the collegiate and precollegiate level. NCOLCTL also promotes the use of technology, especially computers and the Internet, to enable a new era in cross-cultural understanding, communication, and language education.

About Transparent Language, Inc.

At Transparent Language, we leverage our expertise in technology and in the research and practice of language learning and teaching to build unique capabilities for use by US Government agencies and organizations, as well as hundreds of public libraries, thousands of schools, and millions of individuals. We care about all languages, regardless of commercial value. We believe that language technology needs to work for all courses and curricula, not just a few courses. It needs to benefit not only individuals, but entire programs. We believe that great language technology not only changes the user experience; it transforms the economics, logistics, and reliability of language learning.