Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
One of the most used languages in the world, Spanish, does not have an equivalent presence on the Internet.
A new initiative by Google and the Knight Center, looks to reduce that gap by encouraging the production of content in this language.
Ana Paula Blanco, Google's Head of Global Communications and Public Relations for Latin America,
joins us from Mexico City to talk to us about this topic.
Good Morning Ana!
Hi, Elizabeth, how are you?
Good.
When we use the Internet and search for something but don't get to find it, we almost always think that it doesn't exist, nevertheless,
it may exist but just not in Spanish.
Why are we so behind if us Latin Americans are the ones that spend the most time connected to the Internet?
Thanks a lot for the invitation, and Elizabeth, that is a great question,
one that we have been asking ourselves on Google while working with the Knight Center for Journalism of the University of Austin in Texas.
We started researching and, like you said, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world with 420 million people.
We are second only to Chinese, nevertheless, this isn't reflected on the Web.
Only 5% of the content in the Web is in our language and, like you say, when we look for something,
we may find it but in French or German, which curiously is one of the languages with the most content on the Internet
although it is one of the fewest spoken languages in the world.
So what we wanted to do, without having an idea of what is happening
we think it is something that has to do with the lack of knowledge of platforms,
of how we can get closer to the Internet in order to generate content.
And that is what we wanted to do with the Knight Center and we invited people to develop their own enterprises in Spanish for the Internet.
We as hispanics surf the web with a market profile in English, like you said,
but does this suggests that we prefer the information in English or is it because we are left with no other choices?
No, notice that the indications don't point to that because most searches exist in Spanish
that Google has already located in all Spanish speaking countries.
We have places like Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, etc. and the indications don't point to that.
Every country looks for this type of information in their own language and, like you say,
we sometimes believe that the information isn't out there but something is happening,
we believe it is a good thing that the content creator is approaching the platform to publish their content online.
We even spoke with people from the journalist guild that you are a part of,
which is why we started the initiative with the Knight Center for Journalists.
And we wanted to start with them and speak with journalism professors, with journalists who are already working
and tell them that the content that they already have, the one that has been published for such a long time,
perhaps for the press, a magazine, tv or radio, you can convert it into a digital platform
and bring it to the Web.
People may be trying to find your content but since it doesn't exist in a digital format, they aren't getting to it.
You were explaining to me just a minute ago about this initiative for us journalists who can help in some way,
but how is it really going to work?
Is it up to the individual to upload their content to the Web? Are you going to provide a platform? How is it going to be?
The idea was the use of a MOOC, MOOCs are free educational platforms that many Universities use around the world
in order to offer a virtual space where you can connect from home at your convenience.
We had a project that is about to get finished, in fact, they are presenting the final projects,
it was very intense 4 week course where one of the professors from the Knight Center, Jennifer, did us a favor of instructing
how to develop content specifically for the Internet, how to make relevant and searchable content, with the right words, etc.
even how to make or choose a platform that can range from a blog, video log, a whole web page.
Or why not open an online newspaper as a collaboration between various journalists, students, etc.?
The idea wasn't to provide a platform but to approach all the possibilities out there, that like I said,
probably what happens is that things on the Internet change so dramatically that it doesn't allow us to get involved
and see what is the best platform, the best way, or the best content that we have to offer.
So after these 4 weeks, which were more than 5,000 members, it has been the most successful MOOC
or online educational platform that the Knight Center has had in journalism terms until now because of the amount
of people that subscribed and the results have been amazing.
Now we have to see what the participants have to offer us in terms of the platforms that they chose to publish their content.
Well, Ana, I have to say that I am very proud every time that I use Google
and I see those doodles that highlight our rich latin culture. I have seen Celia Cruz,
I saw the Venezuelan flag and I think that it will continue enhancing our language on the web
now that it is very attractive to other cultures.
Thank you very much, Ana for being with us today in Cafe CNN, it was Ana Paula Blanco, Head of Google for Latin America.
We will be taking a short break...