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Bill to fund MVA, language program OK’d
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Posted on Sep 01 2005
Gov. Juan N. Babauta signed into law Tuesday House Bill 14-358, which appropriates $800,000 for the Marianas Visitors Authority and $100,000 for the Carolinian and Related Language Assistance project, or CARLA. The money comes from the Managaha Island Landing and User Fees.
The MVA will use the additional funds to finance tourism promotion projects in the wake of JAL’s announced pullout beginning Oct. 1.
“We thank the governor for these funds which are desperately needed to increase the CNMI’s name recognition in Japan, our main market, and in China and Korea as well,” said MVA managing director Vicky Benavente. “It’s been proven that advertising brings tourists, and tourism is what keeps our economy going.”
The CARLA project was started several years ago to develop a software that would translate the Carolinian language into English and vice versa. The software has been developed and the additional funds will be used to reproduce it and distribute it throughout the Public School System. Additionally, voice technology will be added to help users correctly pronounce the Carolinian words.
Frank Rabauliman, chair of the CARLA project, said that teachers really appreciate the use of this living dictionary. “Not only does it help preserve our language,” Rabauliman said, “but it also helps students and historians to research our culture and keep it alive.”
HB 14-358 also appropriates $400,000 for a temporary Saipan Cultural Performing Arts Center, but the funds will not be available from the Landing and User Fees until Oct. 1, 2005. The Bill becomes Public Law 14-86. (PR)
