The Malayalam translations of technical texts that have been prepared by the Digital University of Kerala.
President Droupadi Murmu will formally release the first set of technical books that have been translated to Malayalam by the Digital University of Kerala (DUK) here on March 17.
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had designated the university as a nodal centre for the translation work for various engineering and diploma programmes.
Such efforts are part of the technical book writing scheme, implemented by the statutory body, to generate study materials in 12 Indian languages, including Malayalam, in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The scheme is meant to impart education in the mother tongues of students in order to enhance understanding and critical thinking.
The DUK had been assigned the translation work of 20 first-year diploma and engineering books. While the university was also tasked with translating 42 second-year engineering books, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University will undertake the translation of second-year diploma texts.
DUK has completed the preparation of seven first-semester engineering and diploma books on Applied Chemistry, Applied Physics, Engineering Mechanics, Workshop/Manufacturing Practices, Environmental Science, Chemistry-1 and Programming for Problem Solving. The first copies of these books will be handed over to DUK Vice-Chancellor Saji Gopinath by the President during their formal launch.
According to Distinguished Professor of the School of Computer Science and Engineering Elizabeth Sherly, who is spearheading the project, the outcome-based learning books have been based on real-life examples and adhere to the model curriculum evolved by the AICTE for engineering and technology.
While the remaining first-year books will be released by a month, the second-year texts will be out within three months. Over 100 faculty members, mostly from engineering colleges, have been roped in as translators and reviewers for the endeavour. They are being aided by a 10-member team of the university’s Virtual Resource Centre for Language Computing.
The translators have made it a point to include scientific terms in English along with their Malayalam equivalent to ensure the essence of the technical concepts are not lost in translation, says Dr. Sherly.
