Looking for Know-Your-Rights materials in Karen and other languages?

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Are you interested in learning Karen language? There are several online resources you can use to learn Karen language.

KOM does not offer any in-person language classes currently. To learn Karen language, we recommend using the resources below and then finding a Karen person with whom to practice speaking.

Before you begin, it is helpful to know that Karen has two main dialects: S’gaw Karen and Pwo Karen. S’gaw Karen is the most popular dialect within the Karen community in Minnesota. The following websites provide resources for learning Karen languages.

• Drum Publication Group is a small, independent, Karen community-based organization dedicated to promoting education and preserving the cultures of the peoples of Burma. They provide an online dictionary, transliteration guide, videos, glossaries, and more.
• The Karen Teacher’s Working Group provides a booklet of basic phrases in S’gaw Karen. The booklet includes 14 sections with the English, transliteration, and Karen text. It also includes an audio file to listen to the correct pronunciation of each phrase.
• Memrise is an online language resource that also offers an app for users to download on their phone. Memrise uses the “Say It In Karen” workbooks from Karen Konnection and breaks them down into lessons.
• Saint Paul Public Libraries has copies of books in Karen, DVDs, and other resources for learning and reading in Karen languages. They have also published a couple children’s books in Karen that are available to purchase online.
• The Karen Dictionary has an online English-Karen and Karen-English dictionary, as well as resources for downloading Karen language fonts and keyboards.
• Kawthoolei Unicode is a site with resources for converting Karen fonts and text into Unicode formats that are legible and accessible across different platforms, including available fonts for download. According to their site, “The development of Kawthoolei Unicode has been initiated by the Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD) and Karen Economic Committee Secretariat (KECS) of Karen National Union (KNU). Our mission is to transform all the existing fonts and keyboards to Unicode standards, ensuring the development and the digital utilization of the Karen language in line with modern technology.”

Looking for materials in Karen language about COVID-19? See our list here.