Globalization has given us great benefits. It has made an India based software engineer from Bengaluru, work for a US company directly & earn in US dollars. It has made cars, phones, watches cheaper for Americans, because of blue collar workers’ cheap labor in Shanghai, China. All of them are welcoming & much needed changes to our new world. However, globalization also has its own side effects. One of the side effects that I would like to highlight is: it’s hurting developing countries’ native languages.
Defacto Language English
Because English has become the de facto language for work/business globally, everyone is gravitating towards it. Parents in developing countries are encouraging their children to focus on English. US/UK citizens are immigrating to China, where they are paid full US salary to teach English language to Chinese kids along with great perks like bonus, fully paid accommodation, flight travels to US,… Several private schools in India are fining its students for speaking in their native language. Children across the globe are consumed with Class work, Cell Phones, social media, Tik-Tok, Instagram, discord … and they hardly get any time to read even in their native language, outside of schoolwork. I have personally spoken to several children in India and I have yet to encounter a child who is reading a short-story, novel or even a blog post written in their native language. Their only acquaintance with their native language’s reading/writing is just to pass their exams in school. (Honest disclosure: Above description includes my children as well).
Well Developed countries not an exception
Damages caused to native language by globalization is not only seen in developing countries, but also witnessed by well-developed countries as well. Couple of decades back, if you wanted to study in German universities, you needed to learn German as a prerequisite. All businesses in Germany were conducted in the German language. But it’s no longer the case. I know only two languages: English and my native language Tamil. Every year, I am being invited as a speaker in software conferences that are held in Germany. Me along with several other speakers give our talks in English and all the German Software Engineers are understanding it well. Not just that, almost everyone is able to communicate back to you in English as well (but not very fluently). During the conference breaks, when I chat with them, they are saying English has become more or less an official language at their workplace.
Native Language related business getting hurt
When a native language gets hurt, businesses that are built around the language also gets impacted severely. I can see native language magazine circulation in India spiraling down. In fact, I notice that many old native language publishing houses are shutting down their businesses. More importantly, no one from the younger generation aspires to become a full-time native language writer. It can be primarily attributed to economy/finance. Today, a native language writer can earn only a fraction of what a software engineer earns. It’s very tough to lead a quality life by pursuing writing as a full-time profession. Thus the entire community, parents and peers indirectly force their children to pursue high paying professional courses (Doctor, Engineer, Auditor …) rather than to become a native language writer. I am a living example of it. During my school days, I truly wanted to become a writer in my mother-tongue. Sensing the diminishing demand for native language, I pursued a computer science engineering degree. I am deeply pained when I see a native language writer struggling to pay for his child’s education. It could have been me, if I’d not chosen a different path.
Financial Award for Native Language Writers
However, it is a problem that I don’t have a solution to. But at the same time, I don’t have to sit idle. I should do whatever I can do within my limited means. Thus, yCrash partnered with one of the age-old publishing houses in India – Manimekalai Prasuram, which specializes in publishing books in Tamil language (one of the oldest surviving languages in the world) for the last 65 years. Through this partnership, we have been able to support and honor Tamil writers who have contributed immensely to preserving the language.
Here’s a quick look at the recipients of the yCrash Financial Award over the years:
| Year | Received By |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Mr. Mervin |
| 2024 | Mr. S. Rajath |
| 2024 | Ms. Thamarai Haribabu |
| 2025 | Mr. Rasi Alagappan |
| 2026 | Mr. Ramu |
Below is the news coverage given by Dinamalar, one of the largest circulated daily newspapers about this sponsorship event:
