Translation tool to digitally strengthen Rhaeto-Romanic idioms
Lia Rumantscha is collaborating with the University of Zurich to develop a web-based translation program for all Romansh dialects, Rumantsch Grischun, and German. The project is part of the digital transformation strategy and is intended to provide broad access to the language community.
The Lia Rumantscha has launched a long-term collaboration with the Department of Computational Linguistics at the University of Zurich. The aim of the collaboration is to develop a translation program that covers all idioms of Romansh, Rumantsch Grischun and German. Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha (RTR) launched a tool for translating between Rumantsch Grischun and German back in 2022. The new project now complements this offering with the idioms and will be further developed under the direction of the Lia Rumantscha.
The software should be ready for operation one year after the start of the project. It will be freely accessible via the web and will also be made available for professional use via programming interfaces (APIs). The Lia Rumantscha is responsible for coordinating and providing the linguistic data. The University of Zurich is developing the underlying technology, while RTR is providing support in the form of text material and editorial expertise. This data is used to create a language model that serves as the technical foundation for the translation software.
"Thanks to the long-term collaboration with the University of Zurich, we are at the cutting edge of technology and can continue to create new services for the benefit of the Romansh language in the future," says Markus Solinger, Secretary General of the Lia Rumantscha. "This project represents a concrete step in the implementation of the digital transformation strategy, which is based on close cooperation between Romansh institutions."
Digital transformation is being driven forward
The project arose from the needs of over 20 municipalities and institutions that had articulated their requirements as part of the strategic groundwork. RTR was subsequently involved in the process. "RTR works with the Romansh language on a daily basis, develops it further, regularly creates and translates idiomatic texts and distributes them to a broad audience across language borders," explains Nicolas Pernet, Director of RTR. "As a Rhaeto-Romanic media company, it is important for us to support this project and join forces in Rhaeto-Romanic."
The translation software is part of the strategy for the digital transformation of Romansh published in March 2025. Its aim is to increase the visibility of Romansh in the digital space and thus facilitate its use in everyday life. The projects are coordinated across institutions by Lia Rumantscha, RTR, Fundaziun Medias Rumantschas and Dicziunari Rumantsch Grischun.
