What Is UNESCO Doing to Protect the Ladino Language? The Sephardic Heritage

What Is UNESCO Doing to Protect the Ladino Language? The Struggle to Carry the Sephardic Heritage into the Future

Why is the Ladino language in danger of disappearing? What is UNESCO doing to protect it? Why does Ladino matter so much for the Sephardic culture of Türkiye, Istanbul and İzmir?

While some languages in the world are spoken by millions, others are used less and less even in the societies that kept them alive for centuries. The loss of these languages does not simply mean that words are forgotten. Family stories, proverbs, songs, recipes, traditions and the shared memory of generations are also put at risk.

Ladino is one of the most striking examples of this cultural heritage. Its historical journey from Spain to the Ottoman lands, its relationship with Turkish and its place in the cultural identity of Sephardic Jews make it an important part of the world's linguistic heritage.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has also drawn attention to the cultural importance of this language, known as Judeo-Spanish, and in 2014 held an international conference on Ladino at its headquarters in Paris. UNESCO's work to protect linguistic diversity also provides an important framework for the future of endangered languages such as Ladino.

But there is an important distinction here: the events UNESCO has held on Ladino are not the same as running an ongoing programme aimed directly at protecting the language. It is therefore necessary to evaluate UNESCO's concrete activities, its general language protection policies and the work of Ladino communities themselves separately.

1. What is the Ladino language and why does it need protection?

Ladino, also known as Judeo-Spanish, is a language with roots in medieval Spanish. The Jewish communities forced to leave Spain in 1492 carried their language and culture to different lands. The Ottoman Empire became one of the main regions where these communities settled.

Sephardic Jews living in Istanbul, İzmir, Thessaloniki, Edirne and other Ottoman cities used Ladino in daily communication, family life, literature, music and social relations.

Over time the language interacted with the societies around it. It took words from languages such as Turkish, Greek, Hebrew, French and Italian. As a result of these encounters, Ladino both preserved its Spanish-origin features and acquired a distinctive structure bearing the traces of the lands where it was spoken.

So why does it need protection today?

One of the main reasons is the weakening of language transmission between generations. If grandparents speak a language but their children and grandchildren do not use it in daily life, that language's presence in society can gradually shrink.

The language of education, working life, the media, urbanisation, migration and families turning to other languages can all affect this process. For Ladino, it also matters that Turkish, Spanish, French and other languages have had wider spheres of use at different times.

In its 2014 information article on Judeo-Spanish, UNESCO pointed out that the language is under threat because of its limited number of speakers and its weakening transmission to younger generations. This assessment reflects the situation at the time; newer and more reliable research is needed to determine the current number of speakers precisely.

Source: UNESCO – The Judeo-Spanish Languages: Expressing Identity and Openness.

2. What has UNESCO done for Ladino? The 2014 Paris conference

One of the most important concrete examples for understanding UNESCO's relationship with Ladino is the conference on Judeo-Spanish held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 6 June 2014.

The event brought to the fore the importance of Judeo-Spanish, also known as Ladino, for cultural diversity and dialogue between societies.

One of the conference's key messages was that languages are not merely means of communication. A language can also carry people's identities, their past, their social bonds and their ways of interpreting the world.

Ladino is a special example in this respect, because traces of medieval Spanish, expressions of Hebrew origin, words taken from the Ottoman lands and the historical experiences of Sephardic communities all come together in the language.

UNESCO's conference emphasised that this language is not just the concern of one particular community; it is also part of cultural diversity, historical memory and the interaction between different societies.

The importance of such international events emerges in several ways:

Raising awareness: They put an endangered language on the international cultural agenda.
Encouraging research: They can bring together linguists, historians, literary scholars and cultural organisations.
Making social memory visible: They help the literary, historical and cultural wealth carried by the language become known to wider circles.
Supporting transmission between generations: They lay the ground for the language to be seen as a living element of culture rather than a heritage left in the past.

Even so, the fact that a conference was held does not mean that UNESCO is giving ongoing classes for Ladino today, providing regular funding or directly running a worldwide language teaching programme. Such a claim would require separately documented programmes.

Source: UNESCO – Conference highlights the place of Judeo-Spanish at the heart of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue.

3. What do UNESCO's language protection policies mean for Ladino?

UNESCO's work does not consist only of events dealing with a single language. The organisation works worldwide to protect linguistic diversity, support cultural heritage, promote multilingualism and help societies pass their cultural values on to future generations.

Within this framework, two areas are especially important: the protection of endangered languages and the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.

Endangered languages and international cooperation

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the period 2022–2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. UNESCO is the lead United Nations agency in implementing this initiative.

The aim of the decade is to draw worldwide attention to the situation of endangered languages, bring institutions and communities together, and mobilise resources for the protection and revitalisation of languages.

Areas such as education, digital technologies, cultural expression, community participation and the transmission of languages between generations stand out within the programme.

But an important distinction must be made for Ladino: the existence of this international initiative does not mean that Ladino is specifically one of the programme's official target languages, or that UNESCO is running a separate project for Ladino. Ladino can be regarded as an example that could benefit from the language protection principles and methods highlighted by the initiative.

The importance of this approach for the future of the language is clear. Preparing a dictionary is not enough for a language to live. There must be settings where people can speak it, children and young people must have access to it, digital content must be prepared and the language must be usable in contemporary life.

Source: UNESCO – Indigenous Languages Decade 2022–2032.

Intangible cultural heritage and Ladino

UNESCO's work on intangible cultural heritage is also important for Ladino.

Intangible cultural heritage covers the oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, knowledge and skills that communities pass from generation to generation.

The proverbs, traditional songs, stories, family narratives and oral literature transmitted through Ladino help us understand this kind of cultural heritage.

However, under UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a language in itself is not treated as an element to be inscribed on the heritage list. Language can be the means by which a community expresses and transmits its cultural heritage.

Protecting Ladino therefore means not only collecting words in a list but also keeping alive the cultural practices transmitted through those words.

For example, recording Ladino songs, documenting old family stories, publishing traditional texts and bringing oral narratives to younger generations can all be seen from this perspective.

Source: Turkish National Commission for UNESCO – Intangible Cultural Heritage Expertise Committee.

4. Can UNESCO's work prevent the disappearance of Ladino?

The answer to this question begins with the fact that UNESCO cannot keep a language alive on its own.

The protection of a language depends as much on the daily decisions of the people who speak it as on the awareness work of international organisations.

UNESCO can set an international agenda, encourage cooperation between countries and emphasise the importance of linguistic diversity. Academics can study the structure of the language and prepare dictionaries and archives. Cultural organisations can hold concerts, exhibitions and events.

But for Ladino to be used in daily life, spoken in families and learned by younger generations, the active participation of communities is required.

One of the strongest ways to protect a language is to see it not only as a memory left over from the past, but as a means of communication that can also be used today.

For example, a young person can listen to a Ladino song, learn its words, record expressions heard from their family or prepare Ladino content online. Small as such efforts may seem, they can help the language reach new generations.

UNESCO's role here is not to take the place of communities, but to make the value of language and cultural protection work visible and to lay the ground for wider cooperation.

5. Why does Ladino matter for Türkiye?

The protection of Ladino has a special historical meaning for Türkiye.

The Ottoman Empire became a new home for a large number of the Sephardic Jews who left Spain. For centuries, Ladino-speaking communities continued to live in Istanbul, İzmir, Edirne and other cities.

The contributions of these communities to city life can be seen in areas such as trade, crafts, music, publishing, cuisine and everyday relationships.

Ladino has an important place in the old neighbourhoods of Istanbul, the cultural history of İzmir and the oral accounts of Sephardic families.

The exchange of words between Turkish and Ladino is also one of the traces of this relationship. But it should not be assumed that every similar word definitely passed from Ladino into Turkish; word origins must be assessed with historical and linguistic evidence.

Protecting Ladino for Türkiye is therefore not only a matter of keeping alive a little-spoken language. It also means understanding the country's many-layered history, the shared life experiences of different communities and its cultural diversity.

Documenting this heritage can help the Sephardic community keep its bond with its own past and help other people in Türkiye get to know this history better.

6. What can be done to protect Ladino?

Drawing on UNESCO's approach to linguistic diversity and cultural heritage, there are many concrete efforts that could be applied to Ladino. These should be regarded not as projects necessarily run by UNESCO, but as suggestions that could contribute to the protection of the language.

6.1. Creating digital Ladino archives

Old newspapers, letters, books, song recordings and oral history documents can be digitised.

Such archives are a valuable resource not only for researchers but also for anyone who wants to learn the language.

Digital documents must be properly described, date and source information must be recorded, and attention must be paid to copyright and personal privacy.

6.2. Preparing free online lessons

Ladino lessons with explanations in Turkish can be prepared for beginners.

These lessons can include the alphabet, pronunciation, basic words, everyday conversation, grammar and short reading passages. Thanks to sound recordings, students can learn not only the written words but also how they are pronounced.

An education platform prepared in Türkiye could make learning easier for Turkish speakers, especially by covering the connections between Turkish and Ladino.

6.3. Recording the accounts of older generations

To protect a language, documenting the experiences of those who speak it is very valuable.

Family stories, childhood memories, proverbs and traditional songs told by elderly people who know Ladino can be recorded in sound or video.

In doing this, people's explicit consent should be obtained, it should be explained how the recordings will be used and, where possible, Turkish translations should be prepared alongside the Ladino texts of the accounts.

In this way, future generations can learn not only the words but also the life experiences in which those words were used.

6.4. Supporting Ladino music and literature

Songs, poems and short stories are among the effective ways of learning a language.

Publishing Ladino songs with their lyrics, pronunciation and Turkish translations, preparing new editions of old texts and organising cultural events can increase the language's visibility.

Such work can also change the idea that Ladino is only a historical language. It shows that the language can still be learned today and used in cultural production.

6.5. Including young people in digital culture

Today the visibility of a language is closely tied to the internet.

Short videos, online dictionaries, podcasts, social media content and digital stories can be prepared for Ladino. Such content can make it easier for young people to discover the language.

For example, a series of short pieces could explain the meaning, pronunciation and history of one Ladino word each week. Such a project could introduce the connections between Turkish and Ladino to a wide audience.

7. What should be done about UNESCO and Ladino in the future?

One of the most important needs for the future of Ladino is for general awareness work to be backed by concrete, sustainable projects.

International organisations, universities, language researchers, cultural associations, museums and Ladino-speaking communities can work together on this.

The following steps could be useful in the future:

Supporting up-to-date research on the current use of Ladino and its transmission between generations.
Developing digital archives to preserve Ladino texts, sound recordings and oral history documents.
Preparing language learning materials at different levels for children, young people and adults.
Encouraging projects in which Ladino-speaking communities can set their own priorities.
Developing joint research and education programmes between universities and cultural organisations.
Organising conferences, exhibitions, publications and cultural events to introduce Ladino to Turkish-speaking society.

Putting these suggestions into practice requires not only international support but also determined work at local level and long-term resources.

Most importantly, protection efforts should be based on the needs and decisions of the communities that speak the language. The future of a language can be more firmly secured when the people seen as its owners have a say over their own heritage.

8. Ladino is not just a language but a shared cultural memory

The meaning of the efforts to protect Ladino becomes clearer when we look at the history of the language.

The language bears the traces of migrations from Spain to the Ottoman lands, of different communities living together and of cultural experiences handed down through generations.

The traces of different lands come together in Ladino's words, songs, proverbs and narratives. Protecting Ladino therefore helps us better understand not only the past of a particular community but also the multicultural fabric of Mediterranean and Ottoman history.

The Judeo-Spanish conference UNESCO held in 2014 helped make this cultural heritage visible at international level. The organisation's wider work on linguistic diversity and intangible cultural heritage also offers a valuable framework for understanding the importance of such languages.

Even so, the future of Ladino cannot be secured by a single conference or by the work of one international organisation alone. The language needs to be spoken in families, learned by new generations, present in digital spaces and used in cultural production.

One of the most important things for a language to live is that people continue to use it.

Conclusion: To protect Ladino is to carry the past into the future

UNESCO's approach to Ladino demonstrates the international importance of protecting cultural diversity and linguistic heritage. The 2014 Paris conference is a concrete example that brought the historical and cultural value of Judeo-Spanish onto the agenda. International language protection initiatives and work on intangible cultural heritage also provide an important framework for thinking about the future of languages such as Ladino.

But UNESCO's general policies, its activities directly concerning Ladino and the communities' own protection efforts must be kept apart. When assessing which specific projects are being carried out for Ladino today, it is important to rely on current and verifiable documents.

For Türkiye, Ladino is one of the important ways of understanding the history of Sephardic Jews, the cultural past of Istanbul and İzmir and the mutual interaction between societies.

Protecting this language is possible by recording old songs, documenting family stories, learning words, creating digital resources and offering new learning opportunities to younger generations.

The future of Ladino will be determined not by how important it was in the past, but by whether people today and tomorrow continue to learn it, speak it and keep it alive.

Preventing the loss of a language is not only about saving words. It is also about carrying into the future the stories, the people and the cultural memory that live within those words.

Bibliography and further reading

UNESCO – The Judeo-Spanish Languages: Expressing Identity and Openness
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/judeo-spanish-languages-expressing-identity-and-openness
UNESCO – Conference highlights the place of Judeo-Spanish at the heart of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-conference-highlights-place-judeo-spanish-heart-cultural-diversity-and-intercultural-dialogue
UNESCO – Indigenous Languages Decade 2022–2032
https://www.unesco.org/en/decades/indigenous-languages
Turkish National Commission for UNESCO – Intangible Cultural Heritage Expertise Committee
https://www.unesco.org.tr/Pages/653/296/Intangible-Cultural-Heritage-Expertise-Committee
European Parliamentary Research Service – Ladino: Judeo-Spanish language and culture in Europe
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2023/739299/EPRS_BRI%282023%29739299_EN.pdf

Editor's note: This article has been prepared on the basis of UNESCO's published sources and its general language protection framework. It does not claim that UNESCO has a direct, current, special programme for Ladino.