TUNDRA – Terminology in Uqausiq for Nuclear Development Risks in the Arctic

Advancing nuclear preparedness through Inuktitut language revitalization and equitable access to technical knowledge

Linguistic equity is central to the TUNDRA project. By supporting Indigenous language revitalization, this aims to enhance community capacity to assess nuclear risks and strengthen capabilities around nuclear emergency planning through culturally grounded, technically accurate language resources. The project will establish an Inuktitut lexicon of technical and scientific terms related to nuclear energy, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), radiation protection, and nuclear emergency preparedness that do not currently exist in Inuktitut. These new terms will then be used to create culturally informed and linguistically accurate resources.

Objectives:

• Develop a publicly accessible Inuktitut lexicon of scientific and technical terminology related to nuclear energy, SMRs, radiation protection, and nuclear emergency preparedness, that are aligned with international standards, Inuit linguistic principals and cultural contexts.
• Support language revitalization by bridging linguistic and knowledge gaps, by developing new terminology to support constructive community engagement, awareness and informed decisionmaking.
• Create culturally appropriate educational, training, and public awareness resources that utilize the lexicon to support nuclear risk communication and emergency preparedness in Arctic regions.
• Strengthen collaboration and engagement with Inuit communities, governments, and organizations, Inuit language experts, elders, scholars, and emergency management stakeholders by providing shared linguistic tools that enable dialogue for meaningful participation in nuclear safety planning and response.
• Document the terminology development process to enable other Arctic States and Indigenous Peoples to develop terminology in their own languages. The manual will include methodological guidance and a comprehensive list of English term and plain language definitions.

Canada is the project lead.