In Our Language: Journal of Pacific Research
Ke yali na nomu i vosa, ena yali na nomu itovo
If a language dies, our culture dies — Fijian proverb.
In Our Language: Journal of Pacific Research (IOL) is the first academic journal in the world to publish existing peer-reviewed and published research reviews, poems, short stories and essays that have been directly translated (typically from English) into a Pacific language.
The translation and publishing of existing research provides an ethical and culturally appropriate means of reporting back to research communities and participants involved in the original research, while also offering high quality language-friendly literature for Pacific stakeholders researchers, students, consultation groups and policy makers in indigenous languages.
The journal is open access and compatible with most devices.
Equitising Pacific languages and making Pacific research more accessible
Pacific languages have been the vehicles and repositories of virtual libraries of indigenous knowledge, know-how and learning for millennia.
The University of Waikato is committed to open access research and increasing the languages that research is published in to increase more equitable outcomes.
'A'ohe pau ka 'ike I ka hālau ho'okahi
All knowledge is not taught in the same school — Hawaiian proverb.
The Importance of Language
Pacific languages have been the vehicles and repositories of virtual libraries of indigenous knowledge, know-how and learning for millennia.
Climate change and other issues with significant implications for the Pacific are frequently researched. Pacific people, communities, cultures, and languages are frequently researched. Most of this research is written in English and other non-Pacific languages. This means that Pacific people who are often the subjects of, potential beneficiaries and end-users of the research may not know what has been written about them simply because it is written in a language they do not speak.
Enhancing Open Access
The University of Waikato is committed to open access research, through initiatives such as the Library's work and resources on open access, and increasing the languages that research is published in to achieve more equitable outcomes from research.
In Our Language: Journal of Pacific Research is an open access journal that seeks to make Pacific research, researchers and research excellence more accessible by translating and publishing previously published articles in Pacific languages. Through translation, we seek to give Pacific people a more equitable voice in research and to draw upon the valuable knowledge, know-how and learning in Pacific languages.
E lē falala fua lā'au o le vao, e māfua ona falala ona o le agi o le matagi
The trees of the forest do not move without reason, they move because of the wind — Samoan proverb.
The Journal
The In Our Language: Journal of Pacific Research publishes previously published and peer-reviewed journal articles in English and one or more Pacific languages that are relevant to the work.
We work with authors to translate their original publications and then publish them in an open access format. Open access and languages increase accessibility. Pacific languages mean that Pacific people, communities, stakeholders and end-users can read research about them in their own languages.
The current edition of the In Our Language journal can be seen on the IOL website.
A'måür'akia ma putua 'ou fäeag ta 'e 'ou fatu la se mao
Revive and nurture your language from your heart so it lives and breathes everywhere you go — Rotuman proverb.
Aims
The aims of the IOL journal are:
- Equitize the use of Pacific languages in research publication.
- Make Pacific research, researchers and research excellence more accessible to everyone but especially to Pacific people, communities, stakeholders and end-users.
Editors and Board
The IOL journal is co-edited by Dr Apo Aporosa and Dr Keakaokawai Varner Hemi.
Dr Aporosa currently serves as the Duruvesi Bula ni Pasevika Senior Lecturer in Te Huataki Waiora School of Health at the University of Waikato. His research areas include Pacific health and education.
More information about Dr Aporosa's research, leadership and teaching can be found on his staff profile.
Dr Hemi serves as the University's Assistant Vice-Chancellor Pacific. Her research areas include indigenous education rights, climate change and health.
For more information about Dr Hemi's research, leadership and teaching, see her staff profile.
Our editorial board includes Pacific researchers and experts from various disciplines and from various places across the Pacific. They speak many languages.
We invite submissions of previously published, peer-reviewed journal articles by Pacific researchers or in the area of Pacific research.
We welcome submissions from a range of disciplines, interdisciplinary work and from individuals or teams, acknowledging that Pacific research and researchers do not reside in one school, institution or field.
Submissions can be made through the In Our Language website.
For a full explanation of how to make a submission to the journal — including details on permissions and guidelines for authors — please refer to the In Our Language website.