MOUs signed in Rome for language technology developed in Qatar

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MOUs signed in Rome for language technology developed in Qatar


Rome, Italy, 17 April 2012

“One of the great challenges in the Arab world is the Arabic language,” said Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.  “The Arabic language is poetic, but it risks being marginalized because it hasn’t modernized to meet today’s challenges.  We need to revitalize the language.” Her Highness was speaking to a delegation following a presentation of Loghati, an integrated e-communications solution developed by Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP).
Loghati - which means “my language“ in Arabic - allows the creation of virtual libraries comprised of ancient and modern texts, where each document is a multi-dimensional information repository that can be accessed, amended, instantly translated from Arabic into other languages and back again. Loghati also has the ability to host audio and video content in its virtual library, creating a multimedia interface for knowledge previously unavailable to millions.

As part of the event in Rome, QSTP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with partners in Italy that will launch a series of projects to demonstrate the influence of Arab culture on Western culture. Through the use of the Loghati platform, the resulting studies have the potential to facilitate new research, develop new works and publish new books.

Loghati was developed by QSTP and is the second homegrown ‘Made in Qatar’ technology outside the energy sector developed in Qatar and commercialized internationally. It is an integrated system built upon an innovative architecture of artificial intelligence that continuously develops as users interact with the platform.

Sheikha Moza, whose many initiatives are aimed at developing innovative technology and skills to support Qatar’s transformation from a carbon-based economy into a knowledge-based economy, attended the unveiling of Loghati in Rome.  During the presentation, a demonstration of Loghati showed how it can facilitate the publishing of multilingual versions for all written text and foster unprecedented cross-cultural exchange and collaboration between researchers, academics and institutions, which helps build the foundation for a knowledge-based society.  

“The Arab tradition for transferring knowledge, particularly among Bedouin people, was by word of mouth and the direct interaction between people. Loghati is the 21st century version of this tradition. This platform allows anyone to interface directly and seamlessly with great Arab works from anywhere in the world,” said Dr. Tidu Maini, Science and Technology Advisor and Chairman of QSTP.

Scholars, semantics experts, and government officials praised Loghati’s potential to bridge communication between people of diverse nationalities and to preserve and promote great works that would otherwise be unshared due to language barriers.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Her Highness Sheikha Moza was taken on a tour of the Lux Arcana exhibition at the Musei Capitolini where the event had taken place.