Antara News·Indonesia·Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 07:28 AM UTC

Indonesia publishes 32 bilingual books in 18 local languages in NTT

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Yoseph Boli Bataona, Cindy Frishanti Octavia

..the publication initiative aimed to strengthen literacy while introducing local languages and cultures to younger generations..

Kupang, NTT (ANTARA) - The East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Language Center has published 32 bilingual children's storybooks in 18 local languages to strengthen foundational literacy and preserve regional languages and cultures.

Head of the NTT Language Center Ralph Hery Budhiono said in Kupang on Thursday that the books could help children learn both their local languages and Indonesian at home and in school.

"By reading a single book, children learn two languages simultaneously: their local language and Indonesian," he said.

Budhiono made the remarks at the dissemination event for the bilingual children's storybook translations, which aimed to introduce and distribute the publications to communities, schools, and other educational institutions to support literacy development.

He said the books were developed with contributions from writers and illustrators from diverse backgrounds. This year, more than 100 people registered as writers, while over 200 signed up as illustrators.

The production process took approximately one year, beginning in February and concluding with the dissemination phase. It included technical training in writing, editing, and research, as well as readability testing.

Budhiono said schools could also use digital interactive boards to display the storybooks and read them together with students.

The books can support various learning activities, including read-aloud sessions, independent reading, and exercises to assess students' comprehension.

"After reading together, students can be asked to retell the story. They can even critique the content, which helps develop their reasoning skills and critical thinking," he said.

He added that the publication initiative aimed to strengthen literacy while introducing local languages and cultures to younger generations. He encouraged schools, families, and communities to make full use of the books.

Meanwhile, Aris Edo Riyandhika, head of the translation team at the NTT Language Center's language and literature office (BBP NTT), said the 32 storybooks published this year involved 29 authors from across the province and featured 18 local languages.

Five languages were introduced through the publications for the first time: Lamatuka, Kafoa, Kamang, Gaura, and Hamap, he said.

Riyandhika said applications for International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs) for the storybooks were being processed by the Center for Book Development, with publication expected by the end of this year.

He expressed hope that the books would support literacy in educational settings while providing valuable reading materials for the wider public.

"Next year, this initiative will continue to further strengthen literacy and develop other local languages that have not yet been documented in the form of bilingual storybooks," he said.

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