Russia Develops a Web-Based Phrasebook for the Endangered Forest Yukaghir Language
A new web platform from Yakutia aims to preserve the critically endangered Forest Yukaghir language by turning modern digital tools into instruments of cultural survival
A Digital Lifeline for an Endangered Language
Russia is increasingly turning to digital tools to preserve the country’s endangered Indigenous languages. The newest initiative comes from the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), where a project titled “OdulTalk: A Forest Yukaghir Phrasebook” won a regional innovation competition.
The Forest Yukaghir language, spoken by little more than one hundred people worldwide, now has a dedicated web application designed for both learning and everyday use. The tool is intended for schools, extracurricular programs, and cultural organizations working to protect linguistic heritage.
OdulTalk runs directly in a smartphone or desktop browser and can be saved as a standalone icon on the device. The project was built collaboratively by Yakut school students, teachers, native speakers, and the local IT firm Multiditek.
National Efforts to Preserve Linguistic Diversity
Russia’s Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs has been working with IT companies to “digitize” the country’s linguistic heritage. New dialects and Indigenous languages are regularly integrated into services such as Yandex Translate. By the end of 2025, the platform will have added seven additional languages.
Today the service already supports Ossetian, Komi, and Tuvan, and speech recognition and synthesis technologies are available for Bashkir, Mari, and Chuvash. These tools not only preserve languages but also provide communities with practical digital access to them.
Technology as a Cultural Catalyst
OdulTalk is more than an educational product—it is a demonstration of how digital innovation can emerge from local communities themselves. The project shows that even schoolchildren can become contributors to national-scale efforts in cultural preservation.
By transforming endangered languages into functional digital resources, Russia is building an infrastructure that helps sustain cultural identity in the modern digital environment.
