Language Portal finally responds and confirms cost of 16 million dollars.

I mentioned the Canadian Language Portal earlier, presented to the media as follows:

"Thursday, October 8, 2009, the Government of Canada launched the Language Portal of Canada, the first national Web site to showcase Canada's language expertise.

This initiative is part of the government's official language strategy as outlined in the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality. The Language Portal was established to provide Canadians free access to the language tools that will enable them to use and understand both official languages more easily."

Some of you identified this "initiative" as largely irrelevant. I had been trying to get  confirmation that the cost was the unbelievable amount of 16 million dollars. Finally, after some delay,  they have confirmed this ridiculous amount. 16 million dollars for a useless website! Here is the exchange that I had with them over the last few weeks.

Me:  I have an online language learning site called LingQ.com. How do I go about getting LingQ listed on this portal?

Them:  Good morning,

Thank you for your interest in the Language Portal of Canada.

In the About the Portal section (http://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/prps-bt-eng.html), you will find the editorial guidelines :

• The Language Portal of Canada does not publish any content (an article or hyperlink) that promotes a particular product or service, in accordance with section 23 of the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada (http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=12316).

Me:  I am sending a copy of this email to my member of Parliament.

As a tax-payer, I am curious to know why you deliberately exclude certain language resources that have been developed in Canada without government assistance, such as LingQ, while promoting many others, which have been supported with government funding. Why the double standard?

It seems that our site LingQ meets the criteria on your web page, i.e.

• a wide range of resources, references and tools produced in Canada and made available on-line by federal, provincial and territorial organizations, educational institutions or the private sector;
• on-line data and resources in both official languages.

Steve Kaufmann

Them:  Dear Mr. Kaufmann:
We understand your concerns, but the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada does not allow us to promote Web sites that charge membership fees.

Kind regards,



Me: Thank you for your reply.

Please note that LingQ is a Web 2.0 language learning community were members learn and help each other. Only a small number of users pay. Most members use the site free of charge. People actually learn languages at the site, which I would have thought was the purpose of your portal.

On the other hand, many of the organizations listed on the Canadian Language Portal are promoting services for which they charge fees. Unlike LingQ, few of them offer genuinely free services. Their services are, in most cases, either paid for by their users, or by the tax-payer.

This is the case for the universities and colleges promoted on your site. It is equally true for organizations like the Society of Translators and Interpreters of BC, who not only charge for their translation and interpreting services, but also charge for their Certification Exam. This service is promoted on their site with the explanation that "you may pay by credit card, cheque, or cash. Credit card payments will be processed immediately"

There is nothing wrong with these people being paid for their work, I just do not understand why LingQ, where users have a choice of whether to pay,  or to use the site free or charge, is not able to be included as a useful language learning service. Is the goal of the portal to help Canadians learn languages, or simply to promote a privileged few organizations and institutions?

Many of our users would argue that LingQ is of far greater benefit to language learners than much of the information listed on your portal.

Steve Kaufmann

Me:  Further to my earlier email, I wonder if you could tell me what the total budget has been for the Canadian Language Portal project, to date. I presume that this is public information.

Steve Kaufmann

Me: I have received no response to my email asking about the cost of the Canadian Language Portal, however by searching on the net I found that the portal is part of the Roadmap for Linguistic Duality and is listed as costing 16 million dollars. Is this possible?

http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/infoCntr/cdm-mc/index-eng.cfm?action=doc&DocIDCd=CJV080755

Me:   When can I expect a reply to my emails enquiring as to the cost of the Canadian Language Portal?

Steve Kaufmann

Them: Dear sir,

In response to your latest email, we wish to inform you that the Language Portal of Canada was a direct result of the Government of Canada's Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013. This link is available in the bottom right-hand corner on the home page of the Language Portal.

In this document, you will find the answer to your question about the cost of the Portal. See page http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/slo-ols/pubs/08-13-LDL/110-eng.cfm.

Best regards,

Comments

[Ethan Poole]

The funny thing is that you could probably become a non-profit, hardly change your daily business structure, and get listed. Just rest assured knowing that you are actually doing a good thing for Canadians and for language learners, without spending ridiculous amounts of money.

Sometimes governments forget that small business entrepreneurs are important! Its especially frustrating considering how good Linq is in comparison to other services.

[chris/blindside70]

Steve I absolutely love this exchange of emails. I'm truly sorry that lingq can't get listed (for reasons I can't seem to figure out) but it clearly shows the ineptness of government in general. I especially love the slyness of

"Is the goal of the portal to help Canadians learn languages, or simply to promote a privileged few organizations and institutions?"

It's a good question and one quite obviously dodged by the government. Unfortunately you didn't get anywhere (yet) but... Bravo Steve..

[Ian]

Hi Steve.

I really like what you're doing with this.

I think you should just keep at it.. keep pushing. I really don't see any reason why the government SHOULDN'T list LingQ on their portal. I see so much potential for LingQ. Having it listed on this government portal would be a great boost for LingQ and get people to know about it.

Keep up the effort and keep us posted!

[Steve Kaufmann]

Ian,

It is not so much that I would like to be listed on this Portal, it is the fact that these people, who have squandered 16 million dollars of other people's money, feel that they are in a position to turn down LingQ simply because I have developed it with my own money. This scorn for the "for fee" education systems like LingQ, is something I face all the time. Yet the sites listed on the Portal all charge fees, or if they do not, they rely on hand outs from third parties. LingQ has to pay its own way.