THE HAGUE - In addition to being spoken, Papiamentu should be more visible on online platforms. This would make online activities easier for residents of the Kingdom in the Caribbean, according to a letter from State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen to the Dutch Parliament.
According to Van Huffelen, there should be a so-called 'language corpus': a collection of texts and audio fragments that can be implemented as translation programs on various media channels. The state secretary is in talks with major internet companies to make this happen. Currently, Papiamentu is said to be insufficiently visible online, making it difficult for Papiamentu speakers to handle online matters.
The autonomous islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten have been in talks with the Netherlands for some time to benefit from the challenges posed by online platforms. A collaboration has been initiated for this purpose, but according to Van Huffelen, it is essential to include Papiamentu in this effort. This would create even more connection between the islands and the Netherlands, as well as among Dutch speakers of Papiamentu.