The Royal Academy of Cambodia’s (RAC) National Council of Khmer Language is creating a mobile app available for Android and iOS mobile phones to correct spelling and grammar mistakes in Khmer logos and signs.
A sub-decree formalising guidelines for the Khmer language is also being drafted to ensure the accuracy of Khmer logos and signs throughout the country. The council organised a workshop to discuss the draft and present the app to the RAC on Tuesday.
Chhit Vannarith, an RAC adviser who is also coordinating the creation of the app – tentatively called Sign KH – told The Post on Wednesday that a technical team started collecting data for the project at the beginning of this year.
Vannarith said the Android version is working normally, and the app in Apple’s App Store is expected to be ready for users within a month.
“This mobile app is an important application we have not had before. It is for the public to use their phones to take pictures of faulty logos to ministries, institutions and relevant authorities. They can specify the location of the logo.
“Relevant institutions will then check and correct them following procedures set out in the sub-decree regarding Khmer language usage on logos,” he said.
RAC president Sok Touch said on Wednesday the academy encouraged the draft of a sub-decree on the use of the Khmer language on logos.
“We have to discuss with many relevant ministries. There is no disagreement regarding this sub-decree. This draft is necessary for the process of checking logos with errors. If we do not have the law, we do not have anything to correct these mistakes,” he said.
Touch added RAC teams had been working on sub-decree drafts governing the Khmer language since 2011, but they never materialised. He said he would complete the drafts before the end of this year.
Touch said the creation of the app was also part of an effort to modernise Khmer literature.
According to the Khmer language council study, 25 per cent of Khmer signs and logos have errors on them.
