Tezpur University recently hosted a week-long workshop aimed at reviewing Assamese translations of short science books published by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) – National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (NIScPR). The workshop concluded on 22 July and was held at the Department of Linguistics and Language Technology (LLT), in partnership with the National Translation Mission (NTM) and the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru.
The initiative is part of a wider project to translate popular science content into all 21 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The primary objective is to make scientific knowledge more accessible and foster scientific awareness among young readers in regional languages. During the Tezpur workshop, language and subject experts worked on finalising Assamese versions of five selected titles.
Tezpur University Vice Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh attended the event as the chief guest. He praised the department’s efforts in enhancing regional language resources and emphasised the value of translation in making academic knowledge accessible in linguistically diverse areas, such as Northeast India.
Other attendees included Chandan Kumar Sharma, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences; Mrinmoy Kumar Sarma, Dean of Research and Development; Tariq Khan, Officer-in-Charge at NTM, CIIL Mysuru; Arup Kumar Nath, Head of the Department of LLT; and Amalesh Gope.
The workshop also saw the formal release of a new textbook, Linguistic Anthropology and Ethnolinguistics, co-authored by Bipasha Patgiri of Tezpur University and Sushanta Rajkhowa of Assam Down Town University. The book, jointly published by the Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology and Tezpur University, explores how language, ethnicity, and identity intersect in the Northeast.
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