Empowering Communities to Translate Swahili with Confidence

At Swahiliverse, we believe language data is more than information — it is culture, identity, and memory. Through community-driven collaboration, we collect, translate, and preserve Swahili dialects to ensure linguistic diversity is represented in the digital age.

What You’ll Find Here

Search & Discover

Find new and evolving Swahili words with accurate, context-driven meanings.

Expert-Verified Terms

Words are curated and reviewed by professional translators and linguists.

THE SWAHILIVERSE PROJECT

An Approach to African Language Data Collection through the Lens of Data Culture

SwahiliVerse is a data-driven initiative that reimagines African language data collection through the concept of data culture. It focuses on curating, digitizing, and preserving Swahili dialects and linguistic diversity across Kenya and beyond, ensuring that marginalized dialects are represented in language technologies and research.

WHY SWAHILIVERSE PROJECT?

Mission Statement

Swahiliverse Project is dedicated to advancing inclusive approaches to African language data collection through the lens of ‘Data Culture’. Our mission is to promote linguistic diversity bytranslating words and expressions that lack universally agreed-upon meanings in Swahili, and by documenting dialectal variations that are often overlooked in favor of standardized forms.

Swahiliverse takes a community-centered approach to highlight the richness of African languages. By collecting both standard languages and curating dialects—the project challenges the idea of a single “standard” language and works to ensure that local knowledge and voices are included in language technologies and education.

At its heart, Swahiliverse treats language data not just as information for technology, but as a reflection of culture and identity. We aim to create processes that respect communities and empower native speakers.

Our Process

Collaborative Teamwork

We start by bringing together translators, linguists, and native Swahili speakers to shape the foundation of the resource.

Cultural Understanding

We take time to understand the culture, identity, and real-life experiences that are woven into the language.

Authentic Creation

We work side by side with the community to make sure everything we build is both linguistically accurate and culturally meaningful.

Heritage Celebration

We honor the wisdom we’ve gathered by creating a resource that celebrates and preserves the richness of Swahili heritage.

PROJECT GOAL

Documenting Swahili’s Evolving Lexicon

SwahiliVerse compiles and digitizes Swahili words and phrases that lack standardized meanings due to regional or contextual variations. By curating and verifying these terms, we provide a reliable resource for translators, linguists, and professionals working with the Swahili language.