Lia Rumantscha, new associate member of CLARIN-CH, has officially published its digitalization strategy, developed throughout 2024 and released in March 2025, marking a major step in the modernization and digital presence of the Romansh language. The initiative, shaped by insights gained through collaboration with CLARIN-CH, aims to enhance the representation, coordination, and technological development of Romansh.
The associate membership in CLARIN-CH was a deliberate and strategic move by the Lia Rumantscha, backed by leading Romansh institutions including Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha (RTR), the Dicziunari Rumantsch Grischun (DRG), and Fundaziun Medias Rumantschas (FMR).
A four-pillar strategy
The new strategy is built around four core pillars: structure, visibility, synergies, and opportunities.
Structure – Governance and coordination
Three groups have been established: The Strategia group, composed of RTR, FMR, DRG, and Lia Rumantscha. The Operativa group, involving the same institutions. The participatory group digidi, which hosts an annual public event to engage the broader community.
Visibility – Standards and norms
A key responsibility of Lia Rumantscha is to ensure correct and consistent representation of Romansh in international standards such as UNICODE and ISO.
Synergies – Cooperation across sectors
Lia Rumantscha represents the entire Rhaeto-Romanic community through active membership in key national initiatives including SwissNLP, CLARIN-CH, and the Swiss AI Initiative.
Opportunities – Data and technology
In collaboration with other Romansh institutions, Lia Rumantscha is centralizing the collection of linguistic data and driving innovation by coordinating technology-focused projects that support the use and promotion of Romansh in digital spaces.
Embracing FAIR Principles
In line with CLARIN’s core values, the strategy also places strong emphasis on implementing the FAIR principles — ensuring that data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Lia Rumantscha believes that applying these principles will significantly advance the digitization of Romansh idioms and Rumantsch Grischun, ultimately strengthening the language’s position in the digital realm.
With this strategy, Lia Rumantscha affirms its commitment to preserving and promoting Romansh as a living, evolving language in the 21st century. CLARIN-CH supports the dissemination of the FAIR principles in the Romansh language community.
