Education/News/June 2025/PhilWiki Community promotes accessible multilingual stories for children
PhilWiki Community promotes accessible multilingual stories for children
Committed to enriching different communities through literature and translation, the PhilWiki Community partnered with the PB Writers Inc. and the San Miguel Bay Writers Workshop with the hope of encouraging outcome-driven and enthusiastic individuals to produce culturally relevant materials which are accessible to young readers.
The translation fellows included Lorelyn Arevalo (Filipino), Jeremy Agorita (Filipino), Maureen Angela Sueno (Bikol Central), Mary Grace Saniel (Filipino), Nora Rejalde (Filipino), Janelle Tanguin (West Albay Bikol), Mayden B. Jaravata (Rinconada Bikol), Sheena Aiza A. Bagacina (Filipino), Mary Jean Sibulo (Bikol Central), Dahlia T. Encinares (Bikol Central), Michael Vale Duran (Bikol Central), Eunice De los Santos (Bikol Central), Yanelle Bino (Bikol Central), Michael Barcela (Bikol Central), and Marenel Comia (Bikol Naga).
The majority of the participants came from the CBSUA Wiki Club, the Wiki Club Minalabac and the WikiWomen Filipinas.
Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges associate professor Elbert O. Baeta delivered the keynote address, followed by his presentation on "Translation as Homecoming." He reflected on his translation journey, particularly his work on translating Mia Tijam’s "Flowers for Thursday" into Rinconada Bikol. The director of Center for Rinconada Culture and Arts (CRCA) shared the valuable insights he gained from working closely with the author, especially in addressing the challenges posed by stories originally written in English but deeply rooted in Rinconada cultural sensibilities.
Parasurat Bikolnon president Irvin Sto. Tomas provided a synthesis of various perspectives on translation by national and international writers in his lecture entitled "Dakitaramon: Pagpatalingkas kan mga Panurat na Nakalangob sa Dilang Kinagimatan." A primary school teacher and PhilWiki Community founding chair, he also introduced the participants to his research on Central Bikol orthography as well as to different Creative Commons licenses, guiding the translation fellows through the technical aspects of their work.
Associate professor and CBSUA Wiki Club coordinator Jerome M. Hipolito emphasized that translation is a form of negotiation between the translator and the text in his presentation entitled "Translation as Negotiation." He explained that a translation is an approximation of the source language and culture, meant to effectively carry the story into another linguistic and cultural context, enabling it to reach a broader audience. He advised the translation fellows to pay close attention to the structural elements of the source language, as well as the cultural nuances embedded in children's stories as they must remain accessible and engaging for young readers.
PhilWiki Community president Maffeth O. Sto. Tomas who supervised the entire event thanked all the translation fellows and their mentors during the closing program.
The 2-day translation workshop was held in celebration of the 10th founding anniversary of the PhilWiki Community. The Wikimedia affiliate organization leads various activities, promoting open educational resources as well as organizes training and conferences, partnering with educational and cultural institutions and mission-aligned organizations.