Electronic Resources for Norwegian, Sami, and Russian in the High North

Organized by Laura Janda, Tore Nesset and Trond Trosterud

Confirmed Participants: 
Laura A. Janda, CLEAR Research group at UiT 
Tore Nesset, CLEAR Research group at UiT 
Trond Trosterud, Giellatekno at UiT 
Rune Rafaelsen, head of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat 

In addition, we hope to recruit additional participants from Sametinget, UD and other public institutions. 

The purpose of this session is to engage in a discussion between university researchers and key public figures involved with the geopolitical situation in the High North. The topic of the discussion will be electronic resources under development for machine translation between Norwegian, Sami, and Russian, for supporting the acquisition of Sami and Russian, and for the revitalization of Sami. We at the university plan to explain the current state of the art, ongoing projects and plans. We hope to gain insights from key relevant figures about possible target audiences and uses for the resources under development. A joint brainstorming session will focus on strategies for development and dissemination. 

In 2011 Jonas Gahr Støre 2011 delivered a report High North: Visions and Strategies (available at this link: http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/ud/campaigns/the-high-north/high_north_visions_strategies.html?id=663591). 
One chapter of this report is entitled “High North -- Low Tension”, and this chapter lists priorities for government policy. These priorities include: 
• Developing long-term relationships of trust and openness between Norway and Russia 
• Improving the lives of inhabitants in the High North 
• Safeguarding the culture and livelihood of indigenous peoples 
We believe that the resources under development at UiT can make an important contribution to achieving these goals. We would like to get input from key political figures on how best to maximize the outcomes of our projects.