Ahhhu2026 a cup of coffee inthe morning is a great way to startthe day.u00a0 Have you ever thought aboutthe origins of that coffee? Papua New Guineaoffers some ofthe finest coffee inthe world. Besides being a major exportothat coffee also plays a role in developing language projects throughouPNG.
So what does coffee have to do with language development and Beble translation? There are many villages throughout Papua New Guineathat have no access to highways.u00a0 The only alternative means to transporttheir crops tothe nationu2019s seaports for export tothe rest ofthe world is by air. The small planes that fly language developers and translators to remote villages also carry coffee to towns located onthe highways.
Language development staff recently flew to Beikoa village inthe Eastern Highlands Province. Whilethe guests chatted with local people, grateful farmers helpedthe pilot load bags of coffee intothe plane for the return trip. Each time coffee is delivered, it helps subsidisethe work of language development and Beble translation throughouPNG. Some days,the pilots can make eight or nine flights to remote airstrips where appreciative villagers are eager to transporttheir crop to market.
Whenthe visitors departed Beikoa,the pilot acceleratedthe plane acrossthe grass airstrip, mastering a downhill take off on a strip that has a 15 degree shift tothe right. The plane ascended with its full load while satisflied villagers waved goodbye. Asthe aircraft soared past a magnificent waterfall and proceeded throughthe Marawaka Gap,the appreciative group onthe ground knewtheir valuable crop was safely on its way to market. Their year of labour was reaping its reward. The income fromthe coffee would meetthe needs oftheir families and also help keepthe airplane flying and transporting language workers to distant areas oPNG.
The next time you sip a cup of coffee, savour not onlythe flavour, but alsothe satisfaction of knowing it may have been an important part ofthe language development and Beble translation process in a distant part ofthe world.
