Earlier this year, AUT reached out to the Centre for Pacific Languages for support with a digital storytelling project to support their work across sustainability in the Pacific. AUT was launching a range of animated messages as part of their Focus on Sustainability project and wanted to translate each of these animations into one of the 9 Pacific languages celebrated in Aotearoa NZ each year, during the popular Pacific Language Week celebrations which are led by community and funded through the Ministry for Pacific Peoples.

For CPL, it’s always heartening to get a translation job that has significant meaning for our Pacific communities, and there is none more challenging than sustainability in the Pacific, so we were thrilled to get on board with this project.

Working with multiple organisations (Mahimahi Consultancy were AUT’s marketing company and Eyes and Ears, and Dusty Room Productions were responsible for the animation and production side of the final video resources) means that the job needed to be kept on time and to budget, to ensure that the various agencies get what they needed to ensure a high quality final product.

Our translation team

Our translation team were tasked with two key functions; firstly, to translate the English text, and secondly, to provide the audio translation for the animation.

CPL have a pool of professional translators who work across the nine Pacific languages officially recognised by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, plus we also offer some Papua New Guinea dialects upon request.

Working in partnership with AUT, together with Eyes and Ears, and Dusty Room Productions yielded an amazing range of cultural animations that are both educational and fun to watch. We are excited to be part of this journey of learning and change.

To view each of the individual animations which were shared throughout the Pacific Language Week celebrations via AUT’s YouTube Channel Ocean in Motion, click on the links below:

Rotuma      Episode 1:  Renewable energy

Samoa       Episode 2:  Protecting culture and mental health through languages

Kiribati      Episode 3:  Pacific climate activism

Cook Islands    Episode 4:  Sustainability of our coral reef fisheries

Tonga        Episode 5:  Towards a sustainable blue economy

Tuvalu       Episode 6:  Waste minimisation in the Pacific

Fiji             Episode 7:  Looking after our Pacific Hospitality industry

Niue          Episode 8:  Supporting tourism in the Pacific

Tokelau     Episode 9:  Climate action to combat climate change