As part of concluding the grant development cooperation project “Strengthening the Capacity of the Uzbek Agency for Technical Regulation in the Fields of Standardisation and Metrology in Line with International Practice” commenced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia in 2022, Ingars Pilmanis and Kaspars Milaševičs from the Latvian Standard, along with Artūrs Vasiļevskis and Kaspars Kauliņš from Tilde, went on a working visit to Tashkent (Uzbekistan) from 30 October to 3 November 2023.
The goals of the visit included obtaining feedback from Uzbek colleagues on their experience with the machine translation solution developed by “Tilde” and agreeing on future cooperation, as well as establishing contacts and enhancing cooperation opportunities in language technologies with representatives from various public and private sector organisations of Uzbekistan.
The machine translation solution, which was put at the disposal of the Uzbek Agency for Technical Regulation and the Institute for Standardisation (“Uzstandart”), was actively tested by 6 translators. The representatives from Uzbekistan have given positive feedback. During the meeting, Latvian and Uzbek representatives discussed technical details related to the use and development of the solution, as well as a future cooperation model. The Uzbek side expressed their desire to continue utilising this translation solution. As a result, when concluding the visit, the parties agreed on the further commercial application of the solution.
Owing to the support of the Embassy of Latvia in Uzbekistan, the representatives from “Tilde” within the framework of this visit were able to meet with representatives of various public and private sector organisations, present their solutions and discuss opportunities for cooperation in language technologies. Several important negotiations were held with representatives from the single integrator for the creation, hosting and technical support of Uzbekistan state information systems “UZINFOCOM”, the technology company “DIDOX+”, as well as officials from Tashkent State University of the Uzbek Language and Literature, including the rector, pro-rector for international cooperation, dean of the Faculty of Computational Linguistics and Digital Technologies, and representatives from the International Cooperation Department. During the visit, A. Vasiļevskis and K. Kauliņš continued the previously commenced negotiations with the Manager of the Department of the State Language Development of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan and representatives from the Digitalisation Department of the Ministry of Justice. The Uzbek side expressed their great interest in the services and solutions of “Tilde” and a desire to cooperate. Specific agreements regarding opportunities for developing cooperation were reached during the meeting.
The meeting of representatives from LVS and “Tilde” with the cooperation manager of the EU delegation in Uzbekistan Wim Riepma and the representative from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Hamid Nurmuratov, organised by the Embassy, also proved to be a valuable and useful information exchange on opportunities to implement projects in various fields that are significant for Uzbekistan.
When concluding the visit, LVS representatives and Uzbek colleagues discussed the potential for future collaboration. The representatives from the Uzbekistan Institute for Standardisation “Uzstandart” expressed their deep gratitude for Latvian support over two years and a desire to continue collaboration, highlighting specific areas where Latvian experience and knowledge are required.
The project received funding in 2023 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ budget for development cooperation.